Why isn't my new guinea pig eating or drinking after I got him?

Hello, thank you for your question about Layla. It is possible that Layla is experiencing mild stress secondary to her recent move. I would recommend continuing to monitor her for the next 24-36 hours and ensure that you offer her a wide variety of foods including fruits and vegetables. If her signs do not resolve or she develops any additional symptoms I would recommend having her evaluated by a veterinarian. Hope this helps, good luck!

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.

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.

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.

If not eating or drinking then Hazel should see an exotics vet asap. Some of it may be stress if you just gotnher but these little guys can get critically ill quickly if not eating. http://www.aemv.org/ May help you find a vet if you don't have one for Hazel. Good luck.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The new environment may have made Alexis not want to eat her hay. As long as she is eating and drinking normally, it is normal for her to eat less hay (or none) than usual. You can also try putting a small amount of water on her hay to see if she is more interested in it. You should change the moistened hay daily as it can promote mold growth. I hope this helps and that all is well!

Your new babies are probably very stressed living in their new home. They're more likely to come out at night when the house is quiet. I would make sure the nervous piggy has access to water, just incase he doesn't know how to use a bottle. You may want to place a small dish of water in his cage.