Expert: Nicole Bury - 10/25/2009

Question
My female guinea pig was fine until this morning, she was eating and drinking like normal and I took her out to clean her cage and put the cage top on the floor, and put her in it so she couldn't escape. I didn't moniter her much after I put her in, but I returned to see her wet, lying on the floor near her water bottle, we poked her and she sprung to life, but acted brain-dead, as if in alot of pain. I kept her on my lap, for a while and she wouldn't eat or move, but she was still alive. I returned her to her cage, she still won't eat, and seems to be dragging her hind legs with her. As much as I remember, she was always stocked on hay, food and water. But the cause of her dragging her legs was a mystery, I dont know what to do. What should I do?

Answer
Hello James,
It sounds like either it was a coinsidence that she was in her second cage while the first was being cleaned, and this all happened (like it was a problem before and showed itself now) or it suffered some sort of an insect bite or impact while not supervised.
I leave my piggys alone in there 'freedom cage' quite a bit, but I always check to make sure there are no spiders or wasps or other bugs in the room first. Sometimes wasps or spiders bite the guinea pig and things just like this happen. It could also be something more sinister, what I am not sure.
All I can say is that next time you can afford it, take this girly girl to the vet immediatly.

Hope this helps,
-Nicole