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Behavior Luke's Medical Thread

PiggyMonster

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My pig has been laying down/sleeping a TON lately, and I can’t figure out why. He’s almost always laying down when I’m in my room, and he’s laying down as I’m typing this. He only gets up when he sees I’m filling up his food and when I go and pick him up to give him floor time, but he starts laying down and sleeping on my rug. I’m really worried he’s sick, because I’ve lost two pets over the past few months (not piggies, he’s my first one) and I don’t want to lose him too. My mom’s coworker (who specializes in rodents, reptiles, etc) only works on certain days, and the vet where they work is I think 30-40 minutes away, so I don’t really have anywhere to go. If you know what’s going on, please tell me because I have no idea. Thank you!!
 
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MerryFriarTuck

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Re: Laying down/sleeping a lot?

Ok, before you start to worry too much, ( I know how that feels! ) here are some questions...Is this something new that he's suddenly started to do? Is he still eating and drinking as much as usual? Is his pee and poop still normal? No nose/eye boogers, or anything else out of the ordinary?
 

bpatters

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@PiggyMonster, I've changed the name of this thread. It is your pig's medical thread. Please keep all medical and dietary posts about this pig on this thread. Thanks.
 

PiggyMonster

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@MerryFriarTuck 1) it started a few days ago so I probably should’ve asked about it when I first noticed it, 2) he’s eating regularly but not drinking as much water as usual, 3)he’s not peeing very much but his poop looks normal, 4) no nose or eye boogers, and I haven’t noticed anything else different than usual
 

MerryFriarTuck

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A lot of people here have more experience than me, but I think you should probably bring him to a vet. It seems odd he suddenly got like this in the last few days. A small bit of good news is when piggies are very sick there is usually little doubt...that he's still eating, etc, is good.
I would check his water bottle to make sure it isn't clogged or something else that's keeping him from drinking. Cucumber and water melon are great high water content treats you can give him since he isn't drinking as much
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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A lethargic pig is often a sign of an ill pig. If he were mine and was that lethargic and it was abnormal, he would be at the vets ASAP.
 

MerryFriarTuck

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A lethargic pig is often a sign of an ill pig. If he were mine and was that lethargic and it was abnormal, he would be at the vets ASAP.

Agreed--- I would if he was my piggy too. I don't like how it suddenly happened...
 

PiggyMonster

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A lot of people here have more experience than me, but I think you should probably bring him to a vet. It seems odd he suddenly got like this in the last few days. A small bit of good news is when piggies are very sick there is usually little doubt...that he's still eating, etc, is good.
I would check his water bottle to make sure it isn't clogged or something else that's keeping him from drinking. Cucumber and water melon are great high water content treats you can give him since he isn't drinking as much

Ok I checked his water and it wasn’t clogged, I’ll ask my mom if I can go to the grocery store today and get some
cucumber, I’ll also ask her if she can take him in next time she has the same work shift as the vet I go to (my mom works with dogs and cats so I don’t know if she’d be able to tell what’s wrong)
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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Ok I checked his water and it wasn’t clogged, I’ll ask my mom if I can go to the grocery store today and get some
cucumber, I’ll also ask her if she can take him in next time she has the same work shift as the vet I go to (my mom works with dogs and cats so I don’t know if she’d be able to tell what’s wrong)

I don't want it to seem like I'm giving you a kick in the seat of the pants, but you DO need to know.....

Illness in Guinea pigs often spreads very quickly, and oftentimes if a pig is showing symptoms it can be too late. I'm not trying to scare you, but I would definitely get your pig in as soon a possible. If he is indeed ill, the longer you wait the worse it can be.
 

LittleSqueakers

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Also, I wouldn't waste time with a vet who only sees dogs and cats. They get little or no training in the care of exotic animals, and some of them can even give dangerous advice/treatment. What works for a dog or cat is not always what works for a guinea pig. The vets I worked with for many years after I got pigs were small animal (dog and cat) vets. On the rare occasions someone brought a guinea pig into the clinic, they would actually consult with me. What you need for your guinea pig is an exotic vet.
 

MerryFriarTuck

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Accidentally ran into this thread again... I know it's been forever, but was your piggy Luke ok?
 
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