My new guinea pig won't eat, drink, or move. What's wrong?

A [guinea pig](https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-your-new-guinea-pig) that is not eating or drinking needs to be seen by an exotics species veterinarian ASAP. Your guinea pig is at risk of developing (or may already have) a medical condition called Gastrointestinal Stasis (GIS). Without treatment, this can be a fatal condition. GIS is a common condition in guinea pigs and rabbits. Gastrointestinal stasis occurs when the normal emptying of the stomach and passage of food through the intestinal tract slows or stops. Food, fur, and other ingesta then accumulates in the stomach. Without sufficient water intake, the stomach contents become dehydrated, making passage of the contents even more difficult. Anything that causes your guinea pig not to eat/drink, such as disease, dental disease, pain, stress, or starvation, can lead to gastrointestinal stasis. Be sure to have your vet check your guinea pig's teeth for overgrowth or misalignment. A guinea pig's teeth are constantly growing. He or she must chew constantly to keep them trimmed. If not they can quickly become overgrown which will affect the appetite. Until you can get to your veterinarian for treatment, it is important to encourage your guinea pig to eat and drink. Some guinea pigs will readily drink fruit-flavored electrolyte replacement solutions, such as PediaLyte or Gatorade, from a syringe. Offer your guinea pig a [balanced diet](https://www.petcoach.co/article/things-to-know-about-feeding-your-guinea-pig) including a large selection of fresh greens such as cilantro, romaine lettuce, parsley, carrot tops, dandelion greens, spinach, collard greens and good-quality grass hay. Don't forget to supplement with [Vitamin C](https://www.petcoach.co/article/guinea-pig-vitamin-c-requirements). Your vet may recommend syringe-feeding a special herbivore diet, such as [Oxbow Critical Care](https://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/our-products/professional-line/critical-care), or you can mix ground up pellets with fresh greens, vegetable baby foods, water, or juice to form a gruel. Introduce the syringe tip into the mouth behind the front incisors and depress the plunger slowly, giving your guinea pig time to swallow. If your guinea pig is still mobile, encourage exercise for at least 10–15 minutes every 6–8 hours, as activity promotes gastric motility.

Hello, thank you for your question about Layla. It is possible that Layla is experiencing mild stress secondary to her recent move. I would recommend continuing to monitor her for the next 24-36 hours and ensure that you offer her a wide variety of foods including fruits and vegetables. If her signs do not resolve or she develops any additional symptoms I would recommend having her evaluated by a veterinarian. Hope this helps, good luck!

If your guinea pig isn't eating at all then this is concerning as they can get GI stasisand become very ill. I would offer your guinea pig hay, pellets, and perhaps some small pieces of carrot or apple and then try to observe from an area he cannot see you- could he be eating when you aren't in the room because he is nervous in his new home? You can often look in a guinea pig's mouth and see leftover food in the mouth of he has been eating. If you don't see this or feel sure he isn't eating, I would bring him in for an examination.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is very important that Guinea Pigs continue to eat and poop continually. If Cookie hasn't been eating, drinking or pooping for over 12 hours, he should be seen by a vet. It could be due to the new environment causing stress and setting off a gastric stasis event, however this needs to be treated. Best of luck with Cookie!

I am sorry to hear about your guinea pig. It sounds like she definitely needs veterinary attention. There could be many different causes for her symptoms, ranging from infections, GI stasis, and dental issues. I would get her to the vet as soon as possible. In the meantime you can soak some guinea pig pelleted food in water and blenderize it, then use an eye dropper or syringe without a needle to try to feed Caramel to provide some calories.

Hi, change can be stressful in guinea pigs and they need the time to adjust to it. Are they caged in a quiet location ? I am not sure if you have tried to handle them yet but you should just offer them food and water for the first few days, then gradually handling them for a couple of minutes at a time once a day, then twice a day.Have you offered cucumbers as a treat ? See if they are interested in cucumber and other veggies that are suitable for Guinea Pigs. Also make sure you are sticking to the food and diet that they were used to previously. Hope this helps !

I'm sorry to hear that Ben is so sick! Unfortunately, from what you describe it sounds like he is in very serious condition - these symptoms are signs of very severe illness that could be caused by almost anything. I would be concerned that he may die soon without immediate treatment, so I would recommend taking him to the vet right away to find out what's wrong and see if anything can be done to help him.