Guinea Pig illness or not

Question
My son's male guinea pig has always been very active, that is why his name is speedy.  Just this past week he has slowed down, not eat very much or drink.  I took him to the vet and he said he look healthy, he trimmed his teeth as well. The only thing the vet said was to give him more vegetables and he should be fine. It has been three days and he still seems not himself.  He used to squeal at us all the time, now he doesn't.  He is approximately 1 year old.  He also seems to have a strong ordor around him as well, which I have not noticed.  Any information, I would greatly appreciate it.
Brenda froio  

Answer
Brenda

Please forgive me. I do not know if I have answered your question or not, and if I haven't I am sorry for being late.

In the event that your guinea pig may be bored or lonely. There are plenty of ways to stimulate your guinea pig's curiosity and get him interested in his surroundings. Guinea pigs are naturally curious creatures and love to explore new playthings and have a good old adventure!

If you get a large cardboard box and use this specifically as a playpen. Place newspaper and bedding in it and then get some toys such as tunnels, bridges, paper bags, blocks of untreated wood and a stone all make excellent toys for guinea pigs and if re-arranged regularly, they'll never get bored.

This is not only a great way to entertain your guinea pigs, but you will get hours of pleasure from watching them racing around and having fun together. And if all goes well, this may even persuade Cocoa to give up the slippers!

In the event of not being himself. Keep an eye on him and make sure that he is getting enough food, treats and water.

Unneutered males can emit an odor that is eliminated by neutering.  This odor is noticeable to the human nose when two unneutered males are in close proximity, or when an unneutered male is in close proximity to an unspayed female.

For odor problems in the cage you can use baking soda. When you've cleaned the cage put a small amount of baking soda on the bottom of the cage, the cover that with enough shavings. This should help keep the odor down.

Also give your guinea pig a bath and clean his genital area really well. Blow dry him and then he should be good to go back.

Hope this answeres your questions. Feel free to come back to me if you have anymore concerns.

Best of luck

Amy