Guinea pigs or cavies are prey species, which means that they are highly desirable menus choices for predators. Predators choose their victims by selecting those that look sick, because sick animals are much easier to hunt than healthy ones. So, a guinea pig will hide its symptoms as long as possible. That means by the time they show signs of illness, they are going rapidly downhill.
If your guinea pig is showing any alarming signs or a radical change in behavior, then you need to take your pet to a vet. You cannot avoid that. But there are things you can do before and after a vet visit to nurse your guinea pig back to health.
Make a Hospital Cage
Sick guinea pigs can get hassled by other guinea pigs. Also, if you do not know what illness your guinea pig has, then she may have something contagious. Isolating her from the other guinea pigs will help prevent the spread of illness. Stock the cage with a water bottle, plenty of clean bedding, good hay and a bolt hole or an imitation burrow where the guinea pig can hide from imaginary predators.
This hospital cage needs to be placed in a quiet, dry and warm room away from lots of foot traffic and lots of noises like televisions and video games. Do not use a leaky basement or garage with a car as a guinea pig hospital. Being placed in a damp, cold smelly environment can tax the guinea pig’s already low immune system.
Guinea pigs are social animals and generally feel uneasy when kept alone. Some guinea pig owners have left a radio playing soft rock or light classical to keep the invalid company.
Monitor Guinea Pig Input and Output
Guinea pigs need to eat, drink and poop every day. A guinea pig that stops eating will soon be dead. Guinea pigs need to excrete a soft pellet (different in composition from poop) and eat it. This helps them to digest food. If they don’t eat these pellets, then even if they eat food, they may still suffer from malnutrition. Check the guinea pig several times a day to see if she is eating, drinking and pooping.
If the guinea pig has stopped eating, then you need to do a bit of force-feeding. Use human vegetarian baby food and an empty syringe. Wrap the guinea pig up in a towel so that the head is sticking out. Gently wedge the syringe full of baby food behind the incisors and plunge the handle very slowly. Even eating a little is better than eating nothing at all.
Cleaning and More Cleaning
Guinea pigs are a bit like cats in that they like to keep themselves clean. Healthy guinea pigs groom themselves a good part of their day. But a dirty guinea pig is a miserable guinea pig. If a guinea pig’s rump is smeared or encrusted with poop, this will not only invite more infections but stress out the guinea pig. Gently bathe the guinea pig in lukewarm water and rabbit shampoo in order to get rid of poop. If the hair has matted, then give it a trim.
Gently towel off a wet guinea pig and immediately place in a dry cage in a warm, draft-free room. Even a cardboard box laden with a folded over old towel in a warm room makes an adequate temporary place for the guinea pig to dry off before being placed back in his cage.
References
Guinea Lynx: A Medical and Care Guide for Your Guinea Pig. http://www.guinealynx.info/
“The Proper Care of Guinea Pigs.” Peter Gurney. TFH Publications; 1999
“Guinea Pigs.” Audrey Pavia, et al. Bow Tie Press; 2005.
“The Guinea Pig Handbook.” Sharon L. Vanderlip, DVM. Barron’s; 2003.
Author’s personal experience.
