My guinea pig baby is weak and not eating. What should I do?

Keep him warm and supplement him with a 50/50 solution owater and evaporated milk. You can use an eye dropper to offer milk every 2 hours around the clock for the first 5-7 days after which you can feed every 4 hours. Guinea pig pups should nurse from the mother for the first few days of life. Unfortunately, many pups who do not get mom's milk in the first 3 to 4 days of life do not survive. You can also soak guinea pig pellets in water and offer those to eat. Normally, pups will begin to nibble solid foods at day 2 but should get milk until weaned at 21 days of age.

Thanks for reaching out about Chickoo. Cow's milk can be very upsetting to the digestive tract of guinea pigs, as it is not of the same component as mother's milk, so diarrhea might happen. Try offering solid food, chopped small, human vegetables pureed via a syringe. Keep warm with supplemental heat. If you need to offer something through a bottle, try goat's mil and heavy cream, 50:50, but this could still upset the GI tract. Good luck.

Thanks for your question about Pancake, and I am sorry to hear that he lost his mother. Thankfully, guinea pigs are born precocious, which means that they are ready to go! They eat solid food and are not completely reliant on their mother's milk for nutrition. They are normally weaned by approximately 5 weeks old. With Pancake being about 2 weeks old, hopefully he will end up being okay. I would recommend monitoring his food intake closely, and his production of feces. Additionally, I would recommend that you purchase a digital gram scale to weigh him on a daily basis to ensure that he is gaining weight over time. You can find these online or in the kitchen section at many department stores. If you find that he is not thriving, I would recommend having him evaluated by a veterinarian. I hope that this gives you a place to start, and I wish you and Pancake the best!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry about your little Guinea pig. In terms of survival of the baby, you have a difficult road ahead of you. Unfortunately it will be very hard to get this little baby through alive, but it is worth trying. You will need to feed the little pig a product called Critical Care. Milk is not good for Guinea pigs so don't feed this. Some pigs will eat off a spoon and some will need to be syringe fed. It is important to syringe feed very slowly and carefully to avoid having the fluid go into the lungs or causing aspiration. Also, it is important to weigh little Zeke immediately, and daily, to ensure that Zeke is properly gaining weight. Keeping Zeke the right temperature is important as well, so make sure Zeke has a warm, dry and clean environment. Zeke will also require help urinating and defecating for the first week or so, so ensure you are wiping the genitals and anus with a wet, warm cloth multiple times a day and that Zeke is peeing and pooping. Also, make sure there are pellets, grass, greens and hay available for Zeke to start eating as soon as he is ready. It is best to have Zeke seen by an exotics specialist as well to discuss other husbandry issues. Best of luck with Zeke!

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.

Thanks for reaching out but you need to take her to the veterinarian. Not sure if this is a back injury or a systemic illness. Try to observe to determine if Pancake is actually nursing or just going through the motions. Babies are very delicate so a vet visit is recommended as soon as possible. Good luck.

I would be concerned that your guinea pig is not eating well and it may indicate that her infection is having a detrimental effect on her overall health. You may need to weigh her daily to ensure weight gain. Continue offering her food as frequently as you can to encourage her to eat. You may also want to try a critical care supplement that you can give her to help increase her caloric intake. If Angel has not been eating well for more than a 2-3 days then I would recommend taking her in to the vet for a thorough check up. She may need additional medication to help her get to feeling well. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.