Won't Eat Vitamin C and Food Question: Answers Please!

PumpkinPiggies · Sep 12, 2016

Hi everyone! This is my first post on this forum, and I'll be honest, I only made this account so I could ask these questions. However, no one seems to have asked it yet, so here I am! Anyway, yesterday I got one (please don't hate on me, I will be getting another in the future) guinea pig from PetSmart (I have no shelters in my area). The lady who helped me had owned guinea pigs previously, and she really knew what she was talking about (I know this because I did a TON of research, and she agreed with everything I was saying). So I brought home my wonderful little piggie.

However, I have two questions.

1. What do I do in the meantime to give her vitamin C if she won't eat her veggies?
2. Do I keep the pellets and hay out if she didn't eat them?

Now, as I expected, she was afraid and mostly staying in her hidey spot. She didn't eat the pellets I put out (Oxbow Young Guinea Pig Food), nor the hay (Oxbow Timothy Hay). She also didn't drink any of the water. I expected this, however I have a problem. I tried to feed her some red pepper, and I cut it up really really small, but she wouldn't eat it. I tried multiple times yesterday, but still nothing. Assuming it takes a few weeks for me to get her to eat veggies, won't she not be getting enough vitamin C until she learns to eat veggies? She will most certainly not eat one single piece, let alone a CUP, anytime soon, what should I do in the meantime?

Also, I have another question. I put out some pellets and hay for her, but overnight she didn't eat any. So, should I just throw out the pellets and hay or keep them in the cage for a while?

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read this; I really appreciate it!

PS: my guinea pig lives in an 8 square foot cage in a quiet area.

bpatters · Sep 12, 2016

Hay lasts for a year, so overnight certainly isn't going to hurt it, or pellets either.

She'll learn to eat veggies. Read these links -- there's info in there on how to teach them to do it, as well as other needed information.

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/107827-What-NOT-to-do-for-your-guinea-pigs!

Please don't buy another pig from a pet store. If there are pet stores in your area selling guinea pigs, there are also guinea pigs who need homes. Check Craigslist or Kijiji, but watch out for breeders.

Where are you? (city/state, not actual address) We may be able to help you find a pig.

Pet store pigs are bred and raised in horrible conditions. The sows are kept continually pregnant until they're too told to breed, and then they're killed. Each subsequent litter of pups is less healthy than the previous one, and pet store pigs are often sick, missexed, and the baby sows are pregnant. No effort is made to keep them from inbreeding, so they're more susceptible to the painful, sometimes fatal, genetic diseases that afflict guinea pigs. When you buy a pig, you participate in that horrible chain, because the pet store just orders another to replace the one you bought. So the mills keep rolling, and guinea pigs keep suffering and dying.

PumpkinPiggies · Sep 12, 2016

bpatters said:
Hay lasts for a year, so overnight certainly isn't going to hurt it, or pellets either.

She'll learn to eat veggies. Read these links -- there's info in there on how to teach them to do it, as well as other needed information.

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/107827-What-NOT-to-do-for-your-guinea-pigs!

Please don't buy another pig from a pet store. If there are pet stores in your area selling guinea pigs, there are also guinea pigs who need homes. Check Craigslist or Kijiji, but watch out for breeders.

Where are you? (city/state, not actual address) We may be able to help you find a pig.

Pet store pigs are bred and raised in horrible conditions. The sows are kept continually pregnant until they're too told to breed, and then they're killed. Each subsequent litter of pups is less healthy than the previous one, and pet store pigs are often sick, missexed, and the baby sows are pregnant. No effort is made to keep them from inbreeding, so they're more susceptible to the painful, sometimes fatal, genetic diseases that afflict guinea pigs. When you buy a pig, you participate in that horrible chain, because the pet store just orders another to replace the one you bought. So the mills keep rolling, and guinea pigs keep suffering and dying.

Actually, the store I bought my piggie in is a female only store, so there is no inbreeding. She was also kept in an 8 square foot cage (like the one I have). However, I do agree that shelters are better than pet stores for SURE. Thank you very much for the links as well; I will check them out! I really appreciate the answer

jaycriae · Sep 12, 2016

Please monitor her food intake carefully, if she's not eating anything at all that can cause serious problems, a guinea pig's intestinal tract is designed to be constantly moving. If it's because she's new, try leaving her alone in the room for several hours, it might help her feel more safe.

I agree that you should try Craigslist or a similar site before going back to Petsmart. (You should also make sure your pig really is a she before getting another, since pet stores often don't do the best job sexing their pigs. Also, how old is she? If she's around 4 weeks or older and she was kept with other pigs, there's a chance she could be pregnant. Even if the Petsmart employee was knowledgeable, the breeders who send the pigs make little to no effort to separate them.)

Your first priority should be to get her eating anything at all, in my opinion. Anyway, welcome to piggy ownership and this forum!

EDIT: I just saw your response to bpatters, you made it while I was typing- chances are if it's a female-only store she isn't missexed, but you should still be a little wary of pregnancy since the breeders who send them aren't careful. It does decrease the likelihood, though. I'm glad to hear she was kept in a reasonably spacious cage before, I've never seen a pet store give its pigs that much room.

PumpkinPiggies · Sep 12, 2016

jaycriae said:
Please monitor her food intake carefully, if she's not eating anything at all that can cause serious problems, a guinea pig's intestinal tract is designed to be constantly moving. If it's because she's new, try leaving her alone in the room for several hours, it might help her feel more safe.

I agree that you should try Craigslist or a similar site before going back to Petsmart. (You should also make sure your pig really is a she before getting another, since pet stores often don't do the best job sexing their pigs. Also, how old is she? If she's around 4 weeks or older and she was kept with other pigs, there's a chance she could be pregnant. Even if the Petsmart employee was knowledgeable, the breeders who send the pigs make little to no effort to separate them.)

Your first priority should be to get her eating anything at all, in my opinion. Anyway, welcome to piggy ownership and this forum!

EDIT: I just saw your response to bpatters, you made it while I was typing- chances are if it's a female-only store she isn't missexed, but you should still be a little wary of pregnancy since the breeders who send them aren't careful. It does decrease the likelihood, though. I'm glad to hear she was kept in a reasonably spacious cage before, I've never seen a pet store give its pigs that much room.

Thank you for your answer! My piggie is 3 months old, and also, she was only in the pet store for one week. I'm fairly sure that she is a healthy little gal. Of course, it is always good to check. I managed to get her to eat some romaine lettuce about 5 pellets a few hours ago, although she will not touch bell peppers. I think she's doing okay for now, although it's always nice to hear it from someone else as well. I love my piggie to death already, and I just want to make sure everything is normal. I want only the best life for her

However, my only real concern is whether or not she will be okay without much vitamin C until I can get her to eat her veggies.

bpatters · Sep 12, 2016

"Female only" stores mean nothing. We've had several pregnant "males" from "males only" stores. The sad truth is that pet store employees are just lousy at determining guinea pig sex. And, she may have been pregnant before she ever got to the store.

PumpkinPiggies · Sep 12, 2016

bpatters said:
"Female only" stores mean nothing. We've had several pregnant "males" from "males only" stores. The sad truth is that pet store employees are just lousy at determining guinea pig sex. And, she may have been pregnant before she ever got to the store.

That's very true actually. Do you think it will effect anything in my guinea pig's life over time?

bpatters · Sep 12, 2016

There's no way to know, unfortunately.

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