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Hello semi New Piggie Mom with a question.

princemash

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My daughter had two guinea pigs for about 2 years. Unfortunately one of them died in Nov. after he had teeth work done. My daughter recently went off to college and I am now Mom of Zero (2)and Mashi. Mashi is only about 7 weeks ago. I got him last week and every thing seemed fine, he was very active eating and drinking like crazy and LOVES to be held. He had his first vet appointment last week for pink eye unfortunately the vet that was able to see him that day didn't know much about piggies. (I brought him in thinking he may have a cold) Any ways I noticed yesterday he wasn't as active he just kind of sits around. I have seen him eat and drink but not NEARLY as much as the first few days. I just assumed after all the excitement he was having a lazy day yesterday. Well today hes acting the same, he just sits in one spot for long periods of times. His appetite has decreased and so has his water consumption. I will be taking him to a vet tomorrow that specializes in small animals but Im really concerned. Could he be sick? I also noticed he breaths kind of fast. I have never had guinea pigs so Im not sure if that is normal for such a small baby. (he is 10 ozs) We have all fallen deeply in love with Mashi and Zero bonded with him right away. Could he be sick or is this normal behavior for a baby? I held him near my ears yesterday and didn't ear any wheezing he has sneezed a couple of times but nothing serious. The other day when I woke up he squeaked as if he knew it was time to eat, today he is also not very talkative even when Zero gets too close to him and rumbles. He just sits there like a huge cotton ball. :( When I got him he was kind of skinny but I can tell he has put on weight. I will be buying a scale tomorrow as well. Our other piggies Zero and our deceased king were never really into being picked up. My daughter never really worked on that. Though the other day she came home to meet Mashi she was able to pick up Zero, he literally plopped down in her arms and fell asleep. Just worried Mashi is the sweetest Guineaa pig but starting to wonder if the reason he is so sweet and cuddly is because hes sick..... sorry just started to ramble lol.
 

bpatters

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He could be sick, and guinea pigs can go from first symptom of something wrong to dead in 24 hours. It doesn't pay to wait around and see if they're going to get better, because they can crash very quickly. I'd get him to a vet -- failure to eat is a very serious sign in a guinea pig.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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It does sound as if he's ill. It's not normal for a young guinea pig to be inactive.

Please make sure that the veterinarian you're taking him to tomorrow specializes in exotics. Most regular small animal vets know little to nothing about guinea pigs, and can even be dangerous. I'd see if you can get him in to someone today if you can.

If he's not eating, you can make a slurry of his pellets. Just mix them with water until the mixture is thin enough to syringe feed it. You can get a syringe from your local drug store.
 

princemash

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I ended up rushing him to an exotic animal ER yesterday, it turned out he had something wrong with his tummy. They gave him fluids, did a ultrasound and sent me home with medication and food to give him, unfortunately he was too small and weak and died this morning. Before he died I cuddled with him and sang and prayed. I decided to go to Petsmart to return him in hopes that they could save him (I already spent 600 bucks yesterday at the ER) by the time we got to Petsmart he was dying and there was nothing we could do to save him. Im so heart broken. Eventually I will be getting our older pig a friend but this time Im going to look at rescues and not Petsmart.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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I'm so sorry you lost little Mashi, and far, far too young.

Rest in peace, little man. Find all your new friends, and all the delicious veggies you can eat at the Rainbow Bridge.
 
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