My guinea pig isn't eating, drinking, has diarrhea. What to do?

I'm sorry Ginger isn't feeling well. There are many causes for diarrhea/loss of appetite in guinea pigs. Most of these are easily treated and include intestinal parasites, bacterial infections, or improper diet. If Ginger has a pelleted diet, she should also have access to hay and leafy vegetables. Unfortunately, the only way to diagnose Ginger is with a veterinary exam, which would potentially include a fecal exam, blood work, and some x-rays. I hope this helps!

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.

He needs to be seen as soon as possible by your local veterinarian. Unfortunately the signs you are describing are quite severe and concerning and possibly a gastrointestinal inflammation/infection is present. I would recommend an immediate check up, radiographs, antibiotics and supportive treatment (fluidtherapy) are required.

Make sure his cage is clean and warm. Offer alfalfa pellets or soak pellets in warm water to make eating easier. A vitamin C supplement is also critical to good health. If he doesn't begin eating, have him examined by yoru veterinarina to diagnose illness or injury.

These signs, quite severe in guinea pigs) could be compatible with an inflammation infection of the gastrointestinal system and surrounding organs (like pancreas and liver). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like fecal analysis) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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.

Make sure they check all of his teeth. The teeth can overgrown to the point that they can’t eat. If he hasn’t eaten for a while the intestines will stop moving and they will need medications for pain and also some to try and get them to start moving again. Hope they figure it out for you. Good luck