About Jenny Atkins Expertise If your guinea pig has stopped eating, is having fits, looks puffed up or listless, is bleeding, has lost weight suddenly or is squeaking in pain then please, do not delay in taking him/her to a vet. Preferably a specialist small animal or exotic pet vet, but don't worry if you can't find one.
If you suspect your guinea pig is pregnant, has mites, is losing hair or you have a question about diet, cages, toys, exercise etc then look at my past answers before you ask your question, as it may save you time.
Otherwise, go ahead and ask me a question! My areas of expertise are in how to choose your guinea pigs, where to get them from and what you need before you bring your new pets home. I can also help with general care and dietary questions, with treating common illnesses (especially skin complaints), pregnancy and baby guinea pigs (though I do not approve of purposeful 'at home' breeding), and how to introduce two males.
I'd recommend The Really Useful Guinea Pig Guide by Myra Mahoney and Piggy Potions by Peter Gurney to all guinea pig owners - these books will tell you everything you need to know to ensure your guinea pigs have happy and healthy lives. I practically memorised these before I was allowed my first guinea pigs as a teenager!
Experience I absolutely love guinea pigs, and I think they make brilliant pets for the right owners. They are incredibly sociable animals and should always be kept in pairs, or a larger group (females only). If you spend lots of time with your guinea pigs, they will become very tame and friendly little creatures. I am very much a pet owner, and provide answers based on my personal experiences with my pet piggies, and what I've learned from books along the way. I'm not a breeder or a vet, so I can't answer questions about breeding, breeds or complicated illnesses. I have kept both boars and sows, and have had my share of unexpected newborns in the early days. I've had a total of 11 guinea pigs over the years - all adorable in their own way - including my current two boars (Almeida and Simba) whose cage has pride of place in my living room. When you have guinea pigs you learn something new about them every day!
Education/Credentials 2:1 Honours Degree in Creative Arts with English
Question mam my guinea pig is 3yrs old..she got pregnant but her four babies die yesterday..the babies is not matured enough to deliver..now the mother is dying..we dont have vet here in philippines..and im now crying coz i know the pain shes suffering..from the start of her pregnancy she doesnt eat that much..and this past seven days she doesnt eat anymore..even i handsfeed her..she droping rhe food like thers somethung stoping her to eat even shes tring..please im desperate..i lost 4 guinea pig before because theur jaw teeth is getting longer how will cut them..like i told you there is no guinea pig doctor here...im begging you to answer how to my email..please
Answer Hi Sean,
If there are no vets anywhere that can help you when your pet is sick, perhaps you should think twice about keeping any more guinea pigs as pets. They are exotic pets with fast metabolisms, so when things go wrong they tend to advance quite quickly. And in these cases, they need vets, and fast.
I don’t mean to sound harsh but I think you really do need to consider if guinea pigs are the right pets for you. This girl and your others that have now died seem to have suffered because there is no vet to help, and you yourself do not have the ‘alternative’ knowledge to care for them properly at home.
How did your guinea pig get pregnant? Females should not be bred for the first time when they are more than 6 months old, and they should be retired from breeding at age 3. It is likely that she is suffering from the trauma of a difficult pregnancy and birth, and she could even be suffering from internal bleeding or from some extra babies still being inside her.
If she is not eating, it could be (as with your others) that her teeth are too long. This should not happen if she is being fed a proper diet and has the toys she needs to gnaw her teeth down. Do you feed her lots of crunchy veg in big pieces, and provide her with safe wood to gnaw on? If her teeth have grown so long she can’t eat you do need to find a vet, any vet, to help her – dentistry on guinea pigs can be performed without anesthetic by qualified rodentologists, too.
In the meantime, keep her as comfortable as possible and try liquidising her food (put some hay, carrots, her favourite veggies, and fresh parsley in the liquidiser) and feed it to her through a syringe. Give her lots of cuddles too, she will be very sad at the loss of her babies.
