There are many reasons why you may need to syringe feed your guinea pig [see below] - please ensure that your syringe feeding is carried out under the advice of your vet and be guided by their knowledge and experience - my technique improved 100% once I asked my vet for a demonstration - I showed her how I was doing it, she showed me where I was going wrong [wasn't putting the syringe far enough into the pig's mouth so she was easily able to spit the food back out] and supervised me whilst I perfected the method. There are few things more stressful than knowing that one of the only ways your pig is going to have a chance at living is if you can just get the food into her - I was determined that the pig in question was not going to die because of my uselessness - I was not going to fail her !

You may need to syringe feed your guinea pig for any of the following reasons and more:

• Your pig could be suffering from any number of illnesses eg a URI in which they just lose their appetite and don't want to eat - it is absolutely vital that you get food into her to stop weightloss, keep her digestive system moving and give her every chance of survival
• If piggy's are in a lot of pain they will often 'give up' and stop eating - ensure she is getting the necessary painkillers from your vet to help her feel more comfortable and feed her until she begins eating again herself
• Your pig may get recurring infections / have complications after surgery etc. and you need to syringe medication
• Your pig may have a little spur on her teeth that makes her tongue / mouth sore, or have malocclusion which may stop her eating - so after or before veterinary treatment on her teeth she may need help eating
• If your pig has bad diarrhoea your vet may advise you to syringe fluids into her to keep her hydrated
• If required you may need to give your pig supplements e.g. Vitamin C / Cranberry juice via syringe

I have had to syringe feed several of my pigs before for various reasons and I shall describe here firstly, my ideal method of syringe feeding and secondly, lower down on this page, other advice/methods.

• The Syringe. The syringe I have had 100% success with is a feeding syringe that I obtained from my vet [see pic] it is large and easy to hold in one hand, it is easy to control the amount I am syringing as it has a nice firm, positive action, and fits nicely into the mouth of the pig. The one I use also has a covering sheath so you can mix up a whole syringe of feed and when you have finished a particular feed you can slip the cover on and refrigerate until the next feed. For medicine and fluids, I use a 1ml syringe.
• The food. My preferred food is Critical Care - this is a high fibre formula made by Oxbow Hay and you can now obtain this from most vets. Another good option is Russel Rabbit Science Recovery. Follow the mixing instructions on the sachet and mix it with warm water to an easily syringeable consistency - I tend to err on the 'less-runny' side.
• Have a smaller spare syringe [obviously no needles in these syringes !] on hand containing water to offer your pig in between syringes of mix & also to flush out your piggy's mouth after feeding.
• A towel, or several - to towel wrap your piggy to stop her wriggling - this depends on the individual pig. Mouse was a real wriggler and fought me all the way so wrapping made sense as it made the process all the more relaxed as I had a confident hold of her and could get the feeding done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Trixie was so poorly she didn't have the strength for resistance, I didn't need to wrap her at all. A towel is also useful to wipe up the resulting mess - syringe feeding can be a very messy procedure - be prepared for you and the immediate area to get covered in mix
• A helper ! If you are not confident of holding the patient and syringing feed at the same time then a helper to do one of the tasks is very helpful - give clear instructions of what you want them to do to minimise fuss
• If you have to syringe her medication at the same time, have this ready and loaded into it's syringe - I normally do this before the food so it gets 'washed down' by the feed but be advised by your vet.

Typical Supplies - Critical Care mix / secure towel-wrapped piggy / feeding syringe

• The first thing I do, once the items above are organised, is to towel wrap the pig if required - this is basically wrapping the pig in a towel, fairly snugly, so her front paws are contained within the towel and just her head is poking out the top. If I don't need to towel wrap I simply sit the pig on my lap, in a slightly raised position.
• Next, I sit down on the settee with the supplies next to me and place the wrapped piggy in my lap, her bottom nestled into my lap so she feels secure. I then hold her gently, but firmly, either side of her head with my thumb and forefinger, on her cheeks, just behind her mouth so I can prevent her jerking her head and mouth away from the syringe. I hold her in an almost upright position facing sideways so I have a good view of her mouth. I personally hold her with my left hand - with her face pointing right.
• If your pig also needs to have medication syringed into her - ask your vet if you should do this before or after the feed or maybe an hour before or after etc.
• Have a quick practice with the formula to be sure it will go through the syringe and make sure you can control the amount so it doesn't squirt out too quickly and choke the piggy - this could happen if there is an air bubble in the mix. Find out the best way for you to hold the syringe so that you are easily in control.
• Then I hold the syringe of food at a slight downward angle and place the nozzle into her mouth - please ask your vet to show you the correct position and correct insertion depth - it makes so much difference to successfully getting the food in and takes so much stress away - if you are syringe feeding your pig you must have been to a vet so there is no excuse for not asking for a correct guide. It also does wonders for your confidence when you know you are doing everything right. I then gently syringe a little food into her mouth. If you managed to get the depth right your piggy will have no choice but to chew and swallow the food. Great caution is needed in order to not squirt it too quickly or squirting too much of it in the wrong direction and causing her to choke. Give her a chance to get this little mouthful down and don't rush her - she's probably finding the whole experience a bit strange !
• After every few squeezes of feed give your pig a little water via syringe - this helps keep her hydrated and helps clean her mouth out. Stop and give her a short rest if she is becoming distressed. This might be a nice time to give her a little kiss
• Don't forget to check with your vet how much feed you must give at each sitting - you'll be surprised at how much.
• Once you have completed the feed ensure you have wiped off any excess feed from around her face. Give her a big kiss this time and pop her back in her pen.
• Carry out further feeds at frequencies advised by your vet.
• Note: For syringing medication and water I use a much smaller syringe - a 1ml
• It is a very good idea to weigh your pig daily and if she is still losing weight then you are not getting enough food into her. If you do not get food into her and she will not eat by herself it will have fatal consequences as her body will begin to shut down. So, see your vet, be guided and advised and then do your 100% best to feed your pig. It is of course a sad fact that whatever is wrong with her may still mean she won't survive, but you will at the very least know that you did everything you possibly could for her. Needless to say, if she does recover you will be so over the moon to see her start eating herself again and producing normal sized poops - she couldn't have done it without you !
• Keep offering your piggy 'normal' food throughout the syringe feeding - maybe her favourite cauliflower leaves / freshly picked grass / parsley - to try and regain her enthusiasm and appetite & to stop her becoming dependent on you feeding her when she is capable again herself !

Afterwards:

• It may be a good idea to keep your pig in a 'hospital' pen [see mine on the Health Checks page] whilst she is this poorly so you can keep an eye on all her outgoings to make sure she is peeing & producing droppings - beware that during the syringe feeding process you will probably find that your piggy's poops take on a funny shape, might get extremely small or they get diarrhoea - the more runny the feed mix, the more likely are problems - seek advice from your vet. A hospital pen can be a small pen [I tend to make up a grid cage 2 x 2 with half of the top opening covered by a towel to keep it snug], lined with towels plus a towel-wrapped heatpad in for her to snuggle on to keep her warm [if your piggy is immobile, do not place her ON the heatpad as she won't be able to move off if she gets too hot - place her nearby and monitor her regularly] plus the usual hay, dry food, water [you might want to give her a small bowl as well as a bottle] and some fresh veggies to tempt her to eat on her own again. Make sure it is in a warm ventilated place and she is not in any draughts. Monitor her regularly and cuddle her lots - depending on why she is ill: check for blood [from wounds/stitches] etc. If she is very depressed allow her usual cagemates to visit her if this perks her up or even return her to the main pen. I like to leave them in the main pen as long as possible / as long as they are happy, and return them as soon as I can.

So, that is the end of my 'ideal' scenario for syringe feeding - with the Critical Care - keeping it as simple as possible - this is how I syringe feed if I ever need to. However I wasn't always this successful - earlier stories and other suggestions are listed below - for example, things you can feed if you cannot get a proper syringe feed mix.

In December 2000 one of my guinea pigs, Mouse, became ill, was not eating and was losing weight. It was vital that I both took her up to the CCT for examination and syringe feed her to get food and water in to her if she was to have any chance of surviving.

In the past I had given one of my late pigs 'Squirt' medication by syringe following an operation to remove an abscess from her abdomen (which, I am pleased to say, she recovered well from) and also had given the late 'Tiger' water by syringe during a bout of diarrhoea (which in the end proved fatal), both of whom accepted it readily. However, Mouse was a different story, and of course I also had to syringe her food. Mouse would not accept the syringe or the food, it wasn't that she was hungry and couldn't eat so would gratefully accept the syringe - she just did not want to eat full stop & despite my best efforts I was finding it nearly impossible. She suddenly became so strong and adamant that I was not going to get the syringe in her mouth and was an incredible contortionist, despite my best towel wrapping attempts- I was lacking the experience and confidence too.

I sought advice from other members of the GPDD a mailing list that I belonged to, who were extremely generous in sharing their experiences & tips with me - for which I will always be grateful. Below, I will summarise some of the tips & advice that I received, so, if the need arises for anyone to syringe feed or syringe medication, this information will hopefully help more people and their piggy's. A big thankyou again to all who were kind enough to mail me with advice when my pig Mouse was ill.

• A towel, or several - to towel wrap your piggy if you find this helps to stop her wriggling, and also to wipe up the resulting mess - syringe feeding can be a very messy procedure - be prepared for you and the immediate area to get covered in mashed up pellets!
• Decide what mix you are going to try [see below] and get everything ready
• Get your blender ready
• Have a spare syringe on hand containing water / pedialyte mixture to offer your pig in between syringes of mix & also to flush out your piggy's mouth after feeding
• Use a mini-chopper to chop up cavy feed pellets into a powder before mixing them with warm water - this can be better than soaking the pellets which still leaves some fibres in the mix which are harder to syringe
• Remember to pre-soak your pellets if you are not going to pre-powder them - so they mash easily
• The syringe - try several sizes maybe use a 1 ml syringe for water / cranberry juice / medication- a 2 / 3 ml syringe for a runnier feed mix, so you can get deeper into the piggy's mouth for a pig that is unable to chew or just won't eat - or try a 5 ml syringe for a coarser / dryer mix for a pig that is able to chew - see what they have available at your vet's or at the Chemist - we tried the syringes with the nozzle on, with the nozzle cut off, and with the whole end cut off - and in varying sizes, whatever works for you - but make sure that you file down any rough edges to minimise the risk of injuring your pig. [Note: I now only use the large syringe in the main section above for feed - however you might not be able to get hold of one of these - I use a small one for medication / water ]

Typical Supplies	Selection of Syringes	Pro-Biotic	Rehydration Fluids	Metatone Tonic

Initially, whilst I was trying to feed Mouse, I was using a mixture of ground down pellets [ground in my mini-mixer - see above pic] from her feed mix mashed up & soaked in warm water, with a little Vitamin C powder added. I was also giving her 0.5ml of Metatone tonic (a tonic for humans) once a day, lowering down to 0.3ml after a week. She would take the Metatone reasonably easily but I could not get the pellets into her at first.

A good basic mix for a syringing mash is equal parts chinchilla grass pellets & mashed potato - this was advised by the CCT - here is a selection of the helpful suggestions I received from members of the GPDD of things to add to the above basic mix:

Note: The thicker & more fibre containing the mix - the less chance of diarrhoea - it is very important to incorporate either guinea pig pellets / chinchilla pellets into each feeding mix, rather than just pureed veggies to ensure she still gets fibre into her digestive system - this should lessen the risk of further digestive problems and will also give her teeth something to work on

• Assorted vegetables, maybe steamed e.g.: carrots, broccoli
• Barley with a little oat (both cooked). Canned pumpkin. Not pumpkin pie filling, the can should say 100% pure pumpkin - mixed in a little warm water to give it a smoother consistency
• High protein baby cereal- the kind for first feeding of human babies / baby porridge
• Rice or rice baby cereal, instant oatmeal (can be flavoured)
• Try giving them liquid / water / cranberry juice from one syringe then the feeding mixture from another
• Try incorporating a strawberry or some other fruit, which may peak her interest and get her to eat
• Try mixing in a little Karo syrup / honey to sweeten the syringing mixture. Try mixing in some Complan (invalid powdered drink / various flavours)
• Try mixing in vegetable baby food e.g. carrots / greens

Tips:

• Add one half of a capsule of acidophilus / a little live yoghurt - or a mashed 'poop' from a healthy pig - to add beneficial bacteria back to the digestive system. This can be useful if your piggy's tummy is sensitive to the antibiotics she is being given and has developed soft poops
• If she won't take the mix try a few syringe-full of water, followed by a little bit of cereal in the water, and gradually increase the thickness of the cereal
• If the mixture becomes too thin add a little cereal/bran to thicken it up
• If you are making your own recipe of mash, only make small amounts at a time, so it has a fresher taste
• It may be a good time to try and introduce some new food to her because it may spark her to eat
• Grind the pellets in a mini-chopper or if you havn't one of those use a pestle and mortar - or soak them first to soften
• Put the ingredients into a food processor and blend on high until the mixture is pretty smooth, which helps when you are working with a syringe
• Thin the mixture with an electrolyte replacer like an unflavoured Pedialyte to help it get through the syringe- this will also help to give them more energy - you can also syringe this instead of plain water to help prevent dehydration

This is what I found the hardest with Mouse [Note: I now use the method listed in the first section - towel-wrapping and holding the head gently but firmly - and have 100% success with it] - it wasn't like she was desperately trying to eat but couldn't due to dental problems or something, she was feeling bad and she was adamant she was too fed up to eat. Here are some tips I received - try a variation, I'm sure you will find something that works for you and your piggy - hopefully you will have an obliging piggy who will just let you put the syringe in her mouth and feed her - some of them want to eat but can't and are so grateful for food they actively seek out the end of the syringe !

First, load the syringe - next, get the piggy. Then, work out how you are going to hold her and get the food in. Put the food in a few drops at a time, allowing your piggy time to chew & digest her food. Also, alternate a syringe full of mash with a syringe of water.

Feeding Positions:

• For a struggling pig, wrap them up tight burrito style in a towel
• Have the pig in your lap facing right, put the palm of your left hand on top of the piggy's head, and use the thumb and forefinger of your left hand to sort of push down the lower jaw a little ready for the syringe
• If the pig struggles with its head, hold onto each side of its jaw with one hand; brace the pig with that arm, leaving the other arm free for the syringe [this is basically the method we use]
• If you're very good at towel wrapping your pig you may be able to prop her up between some cushions facing you whilst you still have both hands free to syringe the food into her
• Put the pig on a towel with her bottom against your tummy on a counter in the kitchen set up with a towel and the medicine nearby. One hand holding the syringe, the other hand lifting the piggy's front end slightly off the ground, holding her just under the arms. The thumb of this "lift hand" is up, so piggy can't turn her head in that direction
• Try putting a pillow on your lap and put a big towel over it, then put your left hand over the nose of the piggy with your thumb and second finger close to the piggy's mouth to steady its head. The right hand is holding the syringe and the left hand is keeping its head and mouth steady

Getting the Syringe in:

• If your piggy won't open her mouth then use the syringe nozzle to lift the softer flaps of skin from just behind the front teeth (if you lift her lips a little bit on the side of her mouth, you can see a gap where you can stick the syringe just behind her front teeth) - this will open the mouth then forward the whole unit further into the mouth (not too far) and syringe a little in. You can feel this gap if you run your fingers along the jaw. You might have to hold the piggy's head for this as some hate to have their mouth's touched. Hold from behind and guide the syringe in
• Introduce the syringe from the side, it usually goes right in, this is, as, because of the shape of their teeth, guinea pigs mouths don't seal very well
• Push the syringe at the moment the piggy's mouth is open from the side with the tip of the syringe in there
• Try and get the syringe further into their mouth, behind the teeth - not into the pouch between the teeth and the cheek

Getting your piggy to accept the syringe / food:

• Depress the syringe at a rate that doesn't overwhelm her ability to swallow. You shouldn't have a problem with your pig's willingness to swallow once you get the mixture in her mouth
• If you really can't get the syringe in then try thickening the pulverised mixture so that it's more like a cookie dough consistency and then roll it into little balls and try to push them into the mouth. (I actually made reasonably good progress with this method with Mouse)
• Put the syringe near your piggy's mouth and squirt a little water/cranberry juice on her lip, then she may take the syringe
• See if your piggy will lick the food off your fingers. · Smear a little of the food on her lips - it may trick her into opening her mouth
• Squeeze some formula into the mouth- if the pig does not swallow rub the throat gently
• Try doing the feed in an unfamiliar room or get someone else to distract her whilst you're trying to get the food in
• Try giving your piggy Gatorade (or similar) in the syringe first to prime your piggy - something sweet first might tempt her·
• Try holding her head up by tickling her under the chin and then dribble some sweetened water (maybe with some honey) around the lips to get her attention
• You can get something called a cannula to put on the end of screw-in syringes, and they can be very helpful with getting food past locked teeth. They are little plastic tubes that extend the reach of the syringe

Top Tip: Try placing a mirror in front of the piggy so you can see what you are doing

I received varying advice about the amount of food to syringe feed - [please be advised by your vet]. However, the 2 most common amounts emailed to me via the GPDD were:

Both of these amounts will make several syringes full for each feeding -but the amounts do vary quite a bit. The bigger the pig the more food you will need to give her so I guess the amounts would even out !

So, as long as you aim somewhere between these 2 amounts (and follow the advice from your vet) you should be ok.

Incidentally, each feed took about half an hour and we didn't manage to get this much food into her, but try your best and get in what you can.

Above all, be persistent but loving, stay calm and patient, and take any opportunity to get a little food in. Make sure you give your piggy lots of loving cuddles afterwards !

I am pleased to say that Mouse recovered and was given the all clear by Vedra at the CCT on 13/01/01 - her weight steadily went up - however, we never actually got to the bottom of what made her unwell in the first place.

Next >>

Prevention is Better !

Regular Health Checks

Weigh Day

Breeding your Cavy

Cavy Communication

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Page Last Updated: 24/03/06