Guinea Pig Not Eating: Causes and What to Do Now

Why this cannot wait

A guinea pig's gut has to keep moving. When eating stops, the gut slows within hours, gas builds up, and the condition known as gastrointestinal stasis sets in. Untreated, it can be fatal in under 24 hours.

Treat a guinea pig that has refused food for more than 12 hours, or that has passed no droppings for 12 hours, as an emergency and phone an exotic vet the same day.

The most common causes

• •Dental problems, especially overgrown molar spurs cutting into the tongue or cheek
• •Pain from bladder stones, gas, or an injury
• •Respiratory infection, often with sneezing, crusty eyes, or noisy breathing
• •Stress from a new home, a lost companion, heat, or loud disturbance
• •A sudden diet change or a food the pig simply refuses
• •Vitamin C deficiency, which makes chewing painful

What to check in the next ten minutes

• •Droppings: count them, and note if they are smaller, dry, or absent
• •Weight: compare to last week, a drop of 50 grams or more is significant
• •Water: is the bottle working, and has the level dropped
• •Mouth: drooling, a wet chin, or dropping food points to teeth
• •Belly: a tight, drum-like abdomen suggests painful gas
• •Breathing: fast, noisy, or open-mouthed breathing needs immediate care

Syringe feeding while you wait for the vet

Critical care formula made for herbivores is the right food. If you have none, softened pellets blended with warm water will do for a few hours.

Offer 10 to 20 millilitres per feed, every two to three hours, from a 1 millilitre syringe at the side of the mouth behind the front teeth. Go slowly and let the pig swallow between each small amount, never squirt a full syringe at once.

Keep offering fresh hay and a favourite vegetable alongside. The goal is to keep the gut moving until a vet can find the cause.

What not to do

• •Do not wait overnight to see if appetite returns
• •Do not give human painkillers or over the counter medicines
• •Do not force large volumes of fluid, which can be inhaled
• •Do not assume the pig is just fussy, guinea pigs do not choose to starve

Get a read on symptoms fast

The Wheeky Identifier app lets you describe or photograph what you are seeing and returns likely explanations plus the urgency level, so you know whether to book a vet now or in the morning. It supports your judgement, it does not replace an exotic veterinarian.