Sick I need help now! Please!!

[sirigirl92]

Hey, I just rescued this guinea pig from a woman. she wasnt a bad person, she just had no clue what she was doing. she got the pig from a pet store for her kids who lost intrest.
the problem is this; the woman was feeding her a diet of hamster/gerbile food, which was a mixture of seeds and dried corn. no hay from what i can tell, and it would see that the only veggies shes gotten is onion stalks.
she doesnt move around much, shes quite large, and when i gave her a plate of fresh veggies she munched on romaine for a while and then fell asleep on the plate.
I have three guinea pigs, who are healty happy and have a perfect diet. the guine pigs name is honey, shes a four year old un-spayed female american pig.
Please, i dont know what i can do for her. i really need help!

 

[Toadies]

I would think that if you continue to offer good quality food, she will come around. She may be inactive because of weight, so maybe a little activity stimulation, whatever it takes to get her to move, will stimulate her appetite for the good stuff. Changes will probably be gradual, so don't give up on her. Sometimes piggies are slow to take to new things. How old is she? Has she been to the vet for a check-up yet? I'm sure others will come on board with more suggestions but a vet check is probably the most important thing to start with. Best wishes for your success with her.

 

[akstrohm]

I assume she is in quarantine? After that is finished, she may learn from the other pigs what to eat.

What size cage is she in? If she was in a tiny cage before, she probably didn't get any exercise. Make sure she has a large cage and plenty of floor time.

Start feeding her properly, and she should come around. Weigh her weekly. It might take her a little while to get used to the new food.

A vet appointment might be a good idea as well.

Thanks for adopting her! She is in much better hands!

 

[pigsmakemesmile]

My concern is bloat. If she's been on a diet of seeds and corn, with no hay for fiber, there's risk of a blockage. If she "fell asleep on her plate" that's sounds quite unusual....it almost sounds as though she's weak, which could be as a result from her poor diet causing her to be malnourished. What does her belly sound like? do you hear any bowel sounds?? rumbling, gurgling or more like pings? Is she passing any poo's and how often, what is the consistentsy? I would keep her hydrated, keep proper food in there for her while calling the vet, she really needs to be examined.
On the other hand, you state she's "quite large"...in what way, just her belly, or just she's a large pig all around, is there a chance she could be pregnant? or has she ever had a litter? Any chance she may be cystic? How is her behavior??
These are just some things that first came to me. I'd get her to a vet and wouldn't wait...for an examination and peace of mind, also, run this by those on Guinea Lynx...keep us posted.

 

[fieryone]

I just adopted a pig a little over 3 weeks ago and it sounds like he was in a similar condition. He was in a tiny cage and fed not much more than loads of crappy pellets. I think he only got hay occasionally and the odd carrot here and there. His fur was dull, he shed a lot, and he wasn't very active because he was fat (3lbs 4.8ozs!). Within a week of being with us his activity level went up, now after 3.5 weeks he has lost 8 ounces by being on a good, balanced diet and having a large cage to move around in. This is a good thing. He's been to the vet twice and is healthy. He now runs from one end of the cage to the other, but not zoomies....yet. He is starting to eat more of his veggies now, too. There is room for improvement in that department, but when he joins the girls in about a week he should get better. (Yes, he's been neutered)

First and foremost, I would bring your new pig in for a check up to rule out any medical issues. Providing she's in general decent health, she should perk up, start to lose some weight, and become more active on a good diet and with a large cage to move around in

 

[sirigirl92]

Thank you for replieing! I did take her to the vet, and she said that my Honey was over weigt, and Vitamin C deficiant. I have since been adding powdered Vitamin C supplement to her food, as per the vets orders. She is a generaly lage pig, both in weigh and length. She is the largest pig I have ever seen.
She doesn’t have bloat, which is good, and the woman told me she has had two sets of babies (are they called litters?). She was pregnant when they got her from the pet store, and they kept one of the babies, who happened to be a boy! They didn't keep any of the babies from the second set, nor did they keep the father.

Also she is in a 2x6 C&C cage, with two of my three pigs. She was alone for almost a year. My cavy vet is very experienced, and is an exotic pet vet only. She checked for ear mites, skin conditions, and she checked her nose to see if she had a cold.

She is in good health (except her weight) and told me I could put them together. The reason my fourth pig is separated is due to aggressiveness.

She has begun eating a normal diet, but she still isn’t very active. Any tips on how to get her to move around a bit more? Thanks!