My guinea pig is dehydrated. Should I give Pedialyte or just water?

Unflavored PediaLyte (with an added vitamin C supplement) would be a healthier choice if Shadow is dehydrated. She should be examined by your veterinarian first though to diagnose illness or injury, especially if she isn't moving much.

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 about Genesis and including a photo. You need to monitor urine production. You can also perform a skin turgor test by gently pinching the skin and seeing if the skin is elastic (shrinks back down). If stays raised, possibly dehydrated. Make sure both eat a good quality timothy hay, as needed to for proper dental wearing. Also guinea pigs have a requirement for vitamin C in the diet, and the pellets are probably not enough. Good luck.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. There are many causes of dehydration and given her symptoms, I would recommend having her blood tested to rule out kidney disease or any other systemic diseases / infections. She will likely need a course of subcutaneous fluids, which is when fluid is administered under the skin and absorbed by the body. This is an effective way to hydrate an animal and is well tolerated. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions or concerns that you may have.

Thanks for reaching out about your guinea pigs. Drinking more water can be a sign of a urinary, liver or other metabolic concerns. It could also be a behavioral problems. As these guinea pigs are becoming middle aged, a veterinary visit is recommended. Diagnostics can lead to a treatment. Good luck.

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.

Pedialyte is a balanced electrolyte replacement solution that has sodium, potassium & chloride, & sometimes high amounts of glucose (sugar). It is used primarily in humans, but can be utilized in other species, especially dogs & cats. Since there is no balanced electrolyte solutions for reptiles, if you decide to use some for your reptile, then make sure it is unflavored. It is generally not used for soaking, but as an oral drench in dehydrated animals. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.