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Not Eating Not eating like normal and acting different - help! Is my guinea baby ok?

Bugosmom

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my guinea pig eats pellets Timothy hay bites veggies grass bananas and apples but past few days only eats certain parts of certain vegetables grass and some pieces out of pellet mix dumps everything else and refuses to touch it been real gasy and only wants me but just curls under my chin and sleeps literally today I saw him aggressively chatter his teeth at my husband for trying to pick him up and today his ears are really warm I'm just really concerned also I am a new guinea mom this is my first one and I have only had him a little over two weeks but he's attached to me and me him
 

Squiggles

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How many times a week/how much banana are you feeding him? Banana can really constipate if given too much, and should only be given once or twice a month.
 

Bugosmom

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Squiggles I was giving him 3 little chunks once a week but he pois all the time and it's the same boat change he constantly licks or nibbles me also is that affection or teeth
 

Bugosmom

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He wasn't liking the pellet food mix without the snack mix in it so we found a different kind he likes he gets mixed veggies pellet mix that has Timothy hay in it Timothy hay balls grass everyday and a fruit once a week right now he really likes watermelon rines
 

MM78528

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How old is your guinea pig? Did you get him from a pet store? Do you weigh him weekly?
 

MM78528

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If your guinea pig is under some year old, he should not be eating Timothy pellets. Babies need an alfalfa-based pellet to give them extra nutrients when they are growing. A good brand of pellets is Oxbow, it can usually be found in pet stores online (look at link on bottom of page).” What brand are you currently feeding? It is good that you switched him off of the other pellets. One with colored add ins and very unhealthy, and they often pick the sweetened pieces out.

if you changed his diet quickly, t could have upset his stomach. Usually you should switch food over a long amount of time, adding in more of the new food and less of the old food each day.

Each day, a YOUNG (different for over one year) guinea pig should get:

unlimited alfalfa hay
unlimited alfalfa pellets
ine cup of veggies (including lettuces, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, etc)
vitamin c supplement (this is absolutely needed. Guinea pigs cannot make their own vit c so it is vital that they get a supplement)

Are you still worried about him not acting normal or did he get better? I hope this info helped you!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001...a+pig+food&dpPl=1&dpID=51KMBs8JFfL&ref=plSrch
 

bpatters

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@MM78528, please be careful of the recommendations you offer. People depend on this forum for accurate information, and that's not always the case with what you say.

Guinea pigs under six months need an extra source of calcium, which MAY be alfalfa pellets, OR alfalfa hay to supplement their timothy hay, OR veggies with extra calcium.

Ears are one of the main ways that guinea pigs regulate their body temperature, sort of like dogs hassling. Warm ears means the body is too warm for comfort, so they're trying to cool off.

If a pig is being fed pellets with stabilized vitamin C and a vegetable with a high C content (like bell peppers), they absolutely do NOT need supplemental vitamin C.
 

MM78528

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I?m really really sorry- I was trying to help, I didn?t realize that my information was incorrect. I have only heard of young guinea pigs getting the extra calcium through alfalfa hay and pellets, I?m really sorry. I didn?t know that you could have only alfalfa hay or pellets, or calcium rich veggies.

As for the vitamin C, I was taught by an expert that has many guinea pigs that even if they do have vitamin c in their pellets of eat high vitamin c veggies then you should still give them a vitamin, just to be safe. This may be incorrect or not needed, by its how I?ve raised my guinea pigs, and I haven?t had any problems with it.

Again, I’m really sorry for any problems I have created, I will check my information and make sure it is accurate before posting in the future.
 

Bugosmom

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He usually eats a handful of veggies in morning afternoon and night same with grass has unlimited access to Timothy hay balls and eats wild harvest advanced nutrition diet ellet mix it has Timothy hay pellets and alfalfa pellets and he has a treat mix with dandelion greens in it
 

bpatters

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@MM78528, thank you. That's all I'm asking you to do -- just check and be sure.

As far as vitamin C is concerned, there's some indication that excess vitamin C may contribute to bladder stones. The conventional wisdom is that excess C is excreted by the body, but there may be differences in C from a vitamin supplement and C from natural sources.

The symptoms of a lack of vitamin C are fairly clear. IMO, it's much better to feed natural sources and only supplement if that seems not to be enough.

Full disclosure, I had a senior pig who wasn't absorbing enough vitamin C from pellets and veggies, and did supplement her for a few months. Her hair and weight loss was reversed, and her coat was again full and shiny. So there are cases for supplementation, but not, again IMO, just because guinea pigs don't manufacture their own vitamin C.

We don't manufacture either, but how many of us take supplements?
 

MM78528

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@bpatters- thanks! It’s interesting to hear a different opinion. I definitely agree that it would be better to get vitamin c from a natural source. That's a good point about us humans!
[MENTION=42369]Bugosmom[/MENTION]- don’t worry, this info I’m 100% sure about ;)

I wouldn't recommend the food you are feeding. On the front of the box, it says “with fruits, vegetables, seeds, and grains” and the actual pellets have lots of mix-ins. Seeds are not recommended because they are a choking hazard. It looks like there are dyed pieces of pellets which are also not good.

I used to have guinea pigs that originally ate this kind of food at their old home. When we got them, they would only eat the sugary dried fruits and seeds of the mix, and none of the healthy pellets. We switched them to Oxbow, and then they couldn't pick out the unhealthy pieces, and their coats got shinier and they seemed healthier overall. It does take some time, you do have to transition them slowly, but after they learn that they have to eat the new food, they will eventually eat it, and ours ended up liking it more than the old food! Their food bowls are now always empty.


Here is a good website with some more info on food:
https://guinealynx.info/diet.html
 
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