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My guinea pig is losing weight and I can't figure out why :(

3K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  Jennicat 
#1 ·
My guinea pig is almost 4 years old now and has recently (over the past few months) seemed to have lost a lot of weight. I remember he was fat and happy around this time last year. I can't figure out the cause of this weight-loss. He has been acting a little down lately. He's been eating fine for the past few weeks, he's been finishing his food each day and eating most of his veggies. It seems that in the last three days he hasn't been eating that much. It really seems like he hasn't touched his food at all. But he's pooping, so he has to be eating something right?
I really can't seem to find what's wrong with him, but it's really scaring me! I read somewhere that you know your guinea pig's too skinny when you can feel their ribs with no fat around them. That's how he is. I'd like to say I can feel every bone, but theres tons of skin around him from how big he was.
I really need some help here. I've looked all over the internet. Google doesn't help one bit. I need some help that does NOT involve going to the vet. Especially if I have to spend all that money just for them to look at him and tell me they can't find anything wrong. I don't even know if I can trust the vets around here. No one seems to take exotics.
Please help, maybe even give tips on how I can fatten him up again.
 
#2 ·
Check his teeth, also check for absesses in his mouth, sometimes these problems stop them from eating, as its uncomfortable, and sometimes they eat just enough to survive, just check out the mouth in general.

good luck. I love my piggies so I feel your pain!!
 
#4 ·
Everything about his mouth (as well as everything else) is completely fine. At first I thought it might have been because his teeth were too long, but I had clipped them earlier in the week. I checked them again just to be sure and they were a fine length. He just doesn't seem to have any interest in food.
However, I'm starting to think he might be sad and lonely. Although I have two guinea pigs at the moment, one lives in another room. The one that used to keep my sick piggie company died in the last few weeks.
We were thinking about allowing him to spend more time with my other pig, and maybe that might make him feel better.

Thank you all very much for your advise and support :D
 
#6 ·
No, the other pig is a girl. The main reason that they weren't already rooming together was that she gets a bit deffensive.
My third pig died June 1st. He was barely a year and a half old, and had more problems with him than anyone could've imagined. :(
I miss him a lot.
I put Paskal (my sick pig) and Sophia (my girl) together in a larger run-around space, and Paskal seems a lot happier. It might just be loneliness, but I'll be keeping a close watch on him. We might actually have to take him to the vet soon if things don't look up.
 
#8 ·
Agree with Kendalle. There is also not a fix to this that doesn't involve vet care. Pets require vet care. End of story. "Costing a lot" is not an acceptable reason to deny health care to your pet.

How would YOU like to have something wrong with you that you couldn't describe but have your caretaker decide that you weren't worth the money?

A competent vet should at least be able to rule out several major causes of weight loss and come up with a treatment plan. Even though the front teeth look fine, their molars could be overgrown. It's nearly impossible to visualize these without either an otoscope or buccal pad separators, so there's really no way for an owner to check. They're also much more common to overgrown that the incisors, and the incisors VERY rarely overgrow without molar problems in conjunction.

There are a variety of other problems which can cause weight loss, unfortunately it's a common symptoms of literally almost every ailment a guinea pig can have since most pigs will either stop or slow down eating when they're in pain or don't feel well.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for your advice. It's not me who decided that taking my pets to the vet was too much of a problem or too epensive, it was my dad! He didn't want to take him to the vet, not me. I know how important it is!

I've checked for all the signs of maloccluded teeth. I don't think that's it. He's not drooling. Everything seems fine with his teeth and mouth. And he seems to be going to the bathroom regularly.

I started to let him and Sophia play together for a few hours in a space where I can see them, just to see if maybe it was just loneliness. Things do seem to be looking up. Before, he didn't seem to want to eat anything. He wasn't interested in any of his favorite foods. But now, after having their 'play-time' a few hours for the past three days, he seems to have regained his interest in food and is acting more like his old self. If things don't seem to be looking any better for him in a few days, we will be taking him to the vet.
 
#10 ·
A male ane female "playing" together, even where you can see, will still make a litter. If your parents won't take a sick guinea pig to the vet, the last thing you need is a pregnant guinea pig which may require emergency attention.
 
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