I 'rescued' a guinea pig 3 days ago. She had been with a family who had quickly lost interest (usual story) and had been kept in a poky hutch on her own at the back of a garage, filthy, absolutely minging conditions, hutch clearly not cleaned for months etc
She had apparently been kept with another female but the other female had fallen from a height and died :(
I know very little about guinea pigs although am a fairly experienced rabbit owner.
Before I adopted her, I had been led to believe that the hutch was a big one and so had made no other provision for accommodation. She arrived one evening and so I put her temporarily in one of the metal enclosures which I placed in my sitting room. The next day I gave the hutch a good clean and put her back in outside. I can't keep her in the sitting room as we have no room as it is. Then I read on here that is too cold for piggies outside so put her back in the house inside the hutch. This was only a temporary measure as the hutch is not really fit for indoors.
Then I decided today that due to the hutch being shit, I bought one of those massive indoor plastic cages (140cm long) and she's now in that in my son's room. I hope to adopt a companion for her in due course.
So I appreciate that she has been moved around probably excessively in the last few days and that I am to blame for that really.
I am now worried that she is not eating at all and just sits in the shelter bit of the cage and won't come out. This is the saddest Guinea pig in the world. I have picked her up a few times and cuddled her but she clearly doesn't like to be picked up and runs away and it was a struggle to catch her. Any human movement near the cage causes her to dart away from you.
I would appreciate any tips and advice at all as I know some of you are mad about Guinea pigs.
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Small pets
HELP. New Guinea pig won't eat and is very frightened. What do I do?
Tryharder · 15/01/2014 22:05
Oh bless her, poor piggie.
She's been through a really rough time, guinea-pigs do grieve when their cagemates die (my boar was very meh when his brother died- we got a piglet as soon as we could)
Give her plenty of nice hay, some veg (mine like parsley, red/yellow peppers. cucumber, sweetcorn ) but there's loads you'll have indoors I'm sure.
If you can, cut some grass for her.
Then leave her quietly, let her get used to the noises in your house.
Maybe a radio in the background to provide voices.
Make sure she doesn't get too warm.
Give her clean water and make sure she doesn't have to o too far for her food at the start.
She might appreciate a blanket or towel over the cage to make it 'cave like'
Unlike rabbits which are feisty, GPs are prey animals who can't afford to take risks with their safety.
I've have our 3yo boar for 2 years and our 7 month old since July and they still leg it when we catch them 
.
It's just them
She'll come to trust you in her own time.
Very 
about her previous experiences.
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