My baby guinea pig isn't eating after eye infection. What should I do?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Weight loss can be caused by overgrown teeth, and thus difficulty eating/chewing. However, other, nonspecific signs such as pain, can also cause reluctance to eat. Bandit may have an eye infection or corneal ulcer, which is causing him some discomfort. I recommend having him seen by a vet, who can file his teeth if necessary, and determine exactly what is going on with his eye. I hope this helps and that all is well!

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.

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.

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.

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.

If your guinea pig was hit and now appears sick or injured it may be due to an injury from the hit, or may be caused by another issue such as infection or illness. If the discharge is bad enough that it is causing the eyes to crust shut and Kovu doesn't want to eat or drink on his own, he does need to be seen by a vet to determine the underlying cause and get treatment - he may require antibiotics or other medications to help him overcome the issue. if you're having trouble affording care, this site may help give you some tips and ideas about how to make it more affordable so that Kovu can get the help he needs: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like your little guinea pig might be very sick. Guinea pigs should eat and poop continually, and this alone is concerning. Guinea pigs also often get respiratory infections and this could be the cause of her not eating. I recommend having her seen by a vet right away. If you got her from a pet store you might want to ask the pet store if the other guinea pigs have similar signs as this could help with a diagnosis. You should bring her to a vet right away though, as by the time guinea pigs show they are sick, they are very very sick. Prey animals will hide illness until they cannot anymore, so waiting is never a good idea. Best of luck with your little girl, I hope she feels better soon.