Behavior New pig won't eat until I'm home

[wickywoo]

Hi guys!

I just adopted a guinea pig over the weekend. She is 4-months old and very shy and on the first day, she just stayed in the corner of but she was still eating throughout the day. Yesterday I refilled everything - food, hay, water - and left for work. When I came back I was really worried because she obviously didn't touch any of the food or water! But a couple of hours later, she just started eating and drinking again and even let me hand-feed her a bit of apple and even licked my finger.

It feels really weird to me. Does anybody know what caused this behavior? I know sometimes guinea pigs don't eat when they are moved to an new environment, but this feels kind of different because shouldn't they be more relaxed when no one's around? Could it be the temperature? It is quite hot at where I live and I turned off the AC when I left.

I'm really worried that if this becomes a pattern and she wouldn't eat when I'm not home. What are your thoughts? What should I do?

 

[spy9doc]

Be VERY careful with leaving the a/c off! Heat above 80 degrees can be deadly for cavies! You may have just dodged a bullet this time.

The price of taking care of a cavy when the weather is warm is that you often need to run the a/c just for them. I leave mine on and set it at about 67 degrees, set on low and power save even when I'm not home. In addition, I have a small fan that blows directly on the wall behind the cage running 24/7 in the summer.

I suspect that she was overheated and didn't have the energy to eat and drink. I once had a cavy who suffered heat stroke that totally destroyed his nervous system and literally cooked his brain. He died within hours. I hope that no one ever has to go through that experience because it will leave an imprint on your psyche forever. I understand that you weren't aware of the consequences, but promise us that you won't take chances with her health again in this way.

 

[wickywoo]

Thank you for pointing this out! I left the AC off because I have another piggie and she is been home for 6 months and totally fine with the AC off, but I suspect that this new one might be different cuz she's a Peruvian and thus furrier. I left the AC on today and put towel-wrapped iced bottles of water around its space (not for drinking, just for cooling). Hope that works!
Thank you again!

 

[spy9doc]

You are most welcome!