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Hay Help! My guinea pig won't eat hay but eats everything else fine

chestnut

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Hello everyone.
So, I have a guinea pig that I've had for a month now, named Chestnut. During the first couple of weeks of Chestnut being with us, he always ate his hay, and I constantly needed to refill it. Less than a week ago, my fiance and I went on a week and a half long trip and Chestnut stayed with a friend. I gave her detailed instructions, but I know that she may have fed him too much "junk food" while he was with her (apples, etc).
But now he's back home with us, and I've noticed that he isn't touching his hay at all. He has no problem eating his pellets, vitamin C treat, and veggies (as well as drinks lots of water), but he doesn't want to touch his hay at all. I took him to the vet a few days ago, and she said that he looks 100% healthy, but of course to bring him back if he stops eating any food and stops drinking.
I called in this afternoon and asked for more advice. The vet tech on the phone recommended to not bring him in immediately, since his vet just checked him out, no less than 5 days ago. She said to try mixing up his hay options. So, I bought him a hay ball, timothy hay mixed with carrot, and orchard hay. He'll grab the hay from my hand when I try to hand-feed him, but drops it almost immediately. And with the hay ball, he'll nibble on it a bit, but won't actually eat it.
I'm going to call first thing tomorrow morning when the vet opens to schedule an appointment, but should I be worried? Or is it possible that he was just too spoiled and now just doesn't want hay? Either way, he'll be going to the vet sometime soon.
 

SSLee

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My piggy, Felicia, has a medical issue and wasn't eating much of her regular orchard grass hay. I've added in timothy, oat, and botanical hay to the mix and she is much more interested in those types of hay. I've also bought hay cubes as another option. You might want to try those also before another trip to the vet.
 

chestnut

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My piggy, Felicia, has a medical issue and wasn't eating much of her regular orchard grass hay. I've added in timothy, oat, and botanical hay to the mix and she is much more interested in those types of hay. I've also bought hay cubes as another option. You might want to try those also before another trip to the vet.
Thank you! Will do. I didn't see any hay cubes at the store, but I will definitely try those other types!
 

bpatters

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If a different hay doesn't work, I'd want to have a proper tooth examination. His molars could be overgrown and causing problems with eating.
 

PippathePig

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Did they examine his teeth when you brought him in? Maybe try different types/brands of hay (perhaps its a certain brand? If the hay smells different or off or not as appetizing I could see piggie overlooking it and eating the better smelling stuff!). If they didn't examine his teeth and if you try a couple more types of hay/brands, and he still isn't eating his hay, I would suggest taking him back in to have his teeth examined. There could be an issue making it hard for him to eat it?
 

chestnut

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Hey everyone! It's been a while, but here's an update on Chestnut! I brought him to the vet because I got very very worried that he wasn't eating his hay. Well, a couple days before his check up, he finally started eating it again. I brought him to the vet, she thoroughly checked his teeth and tummy for anything unusual, and it turns out I just had a very picky and stressed out guinea pig.
I think the fact that he was away from home for 2 weeks, then come back, stressed him out. And so, he wasn't eating his hay. BUT! Everything is back to routine, and back to normal, and now I have a happy and healthy guinea pig. Thank you for your concern and help!
 
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