My guinea pig won't eat, hides, and seems sick. What could be wrong?

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.

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.

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 Max. Not eating for 9 days is a serious problem and should be investigated by a veterinarian, ASAP. Infections, dental disease, metabolic disorders (liver, kidney), ingested foreign bodies and more. Try offering food and water via a syringe until your veterinary visit. Good luck.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Issues with teeth are very common in guinea pigs, and do frequently result in issues eating. Dyba may have an issue with his facial nerves or muscles, making it difficult to bite/chew food. Loss of appetite can be caused by many intestinal conditions, but less specific conditions as well, such as cancer or infections. I recommend having Dyba seen by another vet, you may want to look into having him seen by someone who specializes in small mammals or pocket pets. In the meantime, you can try moistening his pellets to make them easier to eat. 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.

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.