Not Eating But then he did eat?

[chloej]

So last night, my guinea pig Sunny (approx. 3-4 years old) turned up his nose at his pellets completely. He didn't even stick his nose in the bowl to check them out like he usually does. I immediately went to the fridge and got him and his buddy each a baby carrot. His buddy, Oreo, took the carrot and ate it. Sunny turned up his nose at that too. This freaked me out as he never refuses a carrot, no matter what time of the day it is. He hadn't had any veggies since that morning. So then I got him our mixed spinach/lettuce combo and he also turned up his nose at that and also hay. I forced him to eat a piece of lettuce and he was able to get it down, so it wasn't a case of his teeth growing together. (I didn't hurt him while I did this, btw. I just pushed it on him until he finally opened his mouth.) He was also floofed up at that time.

However, after I syringe-fed him some water and rubbed his back for a bit, he appeared to fart (at least, that's what I always assume he's doing when he stretches his back legs out while I'm petting him.) There didn't seem to be any poos that came out with that, and afterwards he was back to being lively instead of staying in one place. We separated him and his buddy for the night and I slept next to their separate cages to keep an eye on him. He definitely seemed to be moving around and he was eating hay and drinking water again. This morning, my brother gave him and his buddy each some lettuce and when I came down, they had both ate it all while being in separate cages. Sunny's poops appear normal. He was picky about his bell peppers and carrot pieces that I also gave him this morning, but apart from that his appetite seems fine now. We elected not to take him to the emergency vet yesterday because it was a two hour wait and by that point he seemed to have perked up.

So, my questions are these: do you think, based on these events, that he had gas or was possibly constipated? I'm not convinced he was constipated because all the poos in his overnight cage appear normal size and variety.

And, do you think it's safe for me to put them back together in the same cage? Sunny does not seem to be acting weird anymore. He's eating hay, drinking water, sleeping normally, etc. He's also curious about people coming in and out - he pokes his nose in and out of the house. He's not lethargic from what I can tell.

We have scheduled a vet visit for him on the 22nd because the vet that I prefer to go to requires appointments. We would be prepared to take him to the ER vet if need be but he appears to be behaving normally again so I don't think he is sick.

 

[lizpow]

I'm sorry I can be too much help but I would defiantly recommend that even though it seams like gas or tummy issues you keep them separated for a while longer. It doesn't seem like something contagious but on the off chance he is getting sick or this problem allows him to get sick it might be best not to hedge your bets. If he goes a couple of days and seems normal I don't see why not, or to be on the very safe side just wait the couple extra days until you get apt. Again sorry I can't help too much. Besides the one time my piggy burped I haven't had much experience with tummy and gas problems. But in my limited (very very limited) experience with gas I would say he had gas problems that have him a stomach ache.

 

[chloej]

Thanks for your input! They have been separated almost two days now, but I will go ahead and keep them apart for a little longer just to be sure. He appears back to normal so I do believe it was gas.

 

[lizpow]

That's good. Did you give him a new food just before? That could be the cause.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

Guinea pigs don't get constipated, but they do get gassy and this can be life threatening. Make sure you aren't feeding him especially gassy type veggies, or too much of a new veggie he's not familiar with.

It's always a good idea to have baby gas drops (simethicone) on hand for if your guinea pig stops eating and seems gassy (it's called bloat, and can be fatal).

It's not necessary to separate him, especially since he's a male and re-introducing them can cause problems with them getting along.