Food and Water Consumption
Anytime your piggie stops eating or drinking water you should be concerned. Sometimes the lack of appetite is immediately obvious and you notice it right away, especially if you are already measuring out his or her food. However, other times it is not immediately obvious that one guinea pig has started to eat less. If this happens, it can be too easy to miss the first signs that your piggie is not healthy until sometimes it is too late.
Weigh Your Piggie
The best and easiest method for avoiding this problem is to weight your guinea pigs weekly. All you will need is a simple digital postal scale. Simply place your piggie on the scale and record his or her weight into a notebook. This ensures that obvious weight gains or loss will be noticed early on when problems are easiest to fix.
Weight Loss
Loss of appetite can be a sign of infection, illness, or possibly teeth problems like malocclusion (when a guinea pigs teeth grow so long he or she has trouble eating – this can happen with the front incisors as well as rear molars.) If your guinea pigs molars over grow this can cause the jaw to move out of normal alignment – permanently if the condition is not caught right away and treated by a veterinarian. The overgrown molars will also cause your guinea pigs tongue to become trapped, preventing normal swallowing. Your guinea pig’s teeth are meant to be worn down by the food he or she eats. This is another good reason to make sure that you are serving up grass, greens, timothy hay, and other abrasive foods.
Sometimes piggies will stop eating for no apparent reason. This is always a condition which should be examined by a veterinarian to rule out illness. Handfeeding your guinea pig with a small needless syringe is also another possible option. Simply soak your piggie’s food in water (mix in a little purred pumpkin or apple sauce if you want) until it is soft enough to mash and then place a small amount in the syringe. Place the syringe in your guinea pigs mouth and gently push some food out. Do not force!
Amanda is a life long guinea pig expert. For more great information on taking care of your guinea pig visit the Guinea Pig Resource Center for more information and don’t forget to sign up for their free newsletter!
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