3 Alarming Reasons a Guinea Pig With Crusty Eyes Won’t Eat Or Drink

Well, here we are again. What’s it this time? Let me guess, your guinea pig’s eyes are crusty, plus it won’t eat or drink. And you’re freaking out. Why isn’t your little friend eating? What do crusty eyes mean? 

There are several possible reasons why a guinea pig with crusty eyes might stop eating, including allergies, pneumonia, and conjunctivitis (or other eye infection). When guinea pigs get sick, they often stop eating and drinking. This can be a serious problem, as loss of appetite can lead to other health issues.

That’s a lot to take in, right? Well, no worries my friend. Let’s dive into why your guinea pig is crusty-eyed (and not eating) and what to do if it is.

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis is also called pink eye or red eye. The name rings a bell, right? It’s quite popular, and most piggie owners know about this infection. Conjunctivitis is an eye infection that happens regularly to guinea pigs. 

It’s caused by two kinds of bacteria, streptococcus, and bordetella. Sometimes conjunctivitis can be caused by an allergic reaction.

Aside from crusty eyes, you may also notice hair loss around your cavy’s eyes. Abnormal discharge is also a significant symptom of conjunctivitis. 

This eye infection is making you stressed. Your cavy won’t want to eat because of it. This can lead to severe weight loss in most cases.

So the next time you’re wondering why your crusty-eyed cavy isn’t eating or drinking, you’d be right to suspect conjunctivitis.

Allergies

If your cavy has an allergic reaction to something, don’t beat yourself up. Allergies can be unpredictable, and your pig may be allergic to something you didn’t even know existed.

Crusty eyes can also mean your cavy is having an allergic reaction to something. What are some things that can trigger an allergic reaction in your furry friend?  Let’s take a look:

• The smell of cleaning agents and detergents.
• Essential oils (all of them)
• The smell of cedar wood
• Dust
• Cigarette smoke
• Fleas and mites
• Wood burner fumes
• Scented paraffin wax candles 

All of the above will make your guinea pigs have crusty eyes. But is that all? Of course not. 

Allergic reactions may also come with the following symptoms:

• Sneezing
• Skin itching
• Nose discharge (Boogies)
• Discomfort 

Now you’ll agree with me that the above symptoms are enough reason for your piggies to refuse food and water. An allergic reaction is likely why your guinea pig with crusty eyes isn’t eating anything. 

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is simply an inflammation of the lungs. Sadly, this is one of the top reasons for guinea pigs’ death worldwide. A bacterial infection causes it. In rare cases, pneumonia can be caused by a virus. 

Typical symptoms of pneumonia in piggies include:

• Red eyes
• Fever
• Weight loss
• Nose and eye discharges
• Labored (Quick) breathing 
• Loss of appetite 
• Depression

Pneumonia can be a very dangerous illness. In many cases, it leads to death.

A piggie sick with pneumonia won’t eat or drink anything at all. Then it’ll lead to weight loss and then death if care isn’t taken. This lung infection is also infectious.

What I mean is that it can spread among your cavies.

So what should you do? Keep reading, I’ll tell you. 

What To Do If Your Guinea Pig Has Crusty Eyes and Won’t Eat Or Drink 

You’ll find the answers to such questions in this section. Plus, you’ll see the treatments for these troubling infections. 

Conjunctivitis 

As I mentioned earlier, conjunctivitis is caused by bacteria. To treat this infection, your vet must first identify the bacteria causing the problem. He’ll probably do this by getting a sample of your guinea pig’s eye discharge. 

After your vet figures out what’s wrong, you’ll get an antibiotic eye ointment. You’ll also be given an antiseptic eye wash to clean your cavy’s eyes. 

There are things you’ll need to do by yourself at home. Before applying the medications the vet gave you, you’ll need a towel to wrap your piggie. Use a soft towel to dry your cavy’s eyes after you clean them. 

As a general rule, you shouldn’t stop the treatment even when your cavy looks better. Complete the treatments. Doing that will make sure that the bacteria is gone and won’t come back to make your piggies sick. 

If you’re not sure of how to do the home treatments, ask your vet for a demonstration.

Allergies 

This is the easiest to prevent. In most cases, if you’re careful enough, you wouldn’t need treatments. So I’ll start with some tips on avoiding allergy issues with your cavies. 

So here are some helpful allergy prevention tips:

• Make sure there’s good airflow in your piggies’ living area
• Install a HEPA filter around the cage
• Use a natural floor cleaner to clean the area
• Clean your air ducts and cover them regularly to remove dust. Remember, dust is bad for your cavies. 
• Use scentless detergents to do your cavies’ laundry.

All of these tips are important because allergies can be life-threatening. If your cavy is around allergens for too long, can cause upper respiratory tract illnesses, like bronchitis.

The treatment for an allergic reaction is to immediately remove what’s causing it. After that, your cavy should get better within a short time. In case your cavy seems to be getting worse, go to the vet ASAP. 

Pneumonia 

You can treat pneumonia, but you’ll have to act quickly. Your vet can test the discharge from your nose or eyes to see if your guinea pig has pneumonia.

This’ll help figure out which bacteria is causing the infection. Your vet might also do an X-ray.

The treatment for pneumonia can be a summary of the list below:

• Fluids to stop dehydration 
• Syringe feeding
• Oxygen therapy to help with breathing
• Vitamin C 
• Antibiotics 

Some antibiotics may come in the form of a suspension that you can give your guinea pig by mouth. But you should be careful with the antibiotics. If your guinea pig shows any negative reaction to it, the treatment should be stopped immediately. Then you’ll need to consult your vet again.

Pneumonia is a highly contagious disease that can spread among your cavies. Make sure you keep the cavy who has pneumonia away from the other cavies.

What Are The Signs Of A Guinea Pig Dying? 

Some signs that your guinea pig is dying are severe weight loss, breathing problems, and not moving, and depression. There are many other signs, so be on the lookout for all of them.

Okay, here are some tell-tale signs that your piggie is dying:

• Loss of appetite 
• Not moving and being alone 
• Sluggishness
• Abnormal temperature
• Breathing difficulties 
• Won’t respond to you or anything else
• A lot of drooling
• Severe weight loss

The first and most noticeable sign is the loss of appetite. It’s easy for you to find out that your cavy isn’t eating or drinking anymore. If ignored, it’ll lead to an obvious weight loss.

At this point, your cavy may become withdrawn from the others. It may not want to play or do anything. It may not even clean its coat and end up looking dirty.

If your cavy seems weak or sick, it’s important to take it to the vet as soon as possible. This will help make sure that your cavy gets better quickly.

How Long Can A Guinea Pig Go Without Food Before Dying?

A guinea pig will last no longer than 1 or 2 days without food before dying. Our furry friends can’t survive for long without food. Typically, they’ll fall sick within 24 hours without food. 

Starvation is very bad for cavies. They can’t go without food for even one day without getting sick. If you’re going to be gone for a while and can’t take your cavies with you, make plans for them to be taken care of.

You can ask a friend or family member to look after them for you. Don’t leave them alone without enough food. 

What Is The Main Cause Of Common Death In Guinea Pigs?

Pneumonia is the most common cause of death in guinea pigs. It’s also one of the most deadly piggie infections and it kills within a short time. Pneumonia is caused by a bacterial infection. It shows symptoms like wheezing plus nose and eye discharges. 

Pneumonia can also cause depression, weight loss, and breathing difficulties. It’s a serious issue because it affects the lungs of guinea pigs.  Your vet can save your fur baby, but you’ll need to act fast. 

Here are some total RED flags you need to watch out for:

• Staying away from cage mates
• Extreme weight loss
• Blood in the urine
• Dehydration
• Lack of appetite 
• A lot of sleeping
• Raspy breathing 
• Change in droppings (for example, diarrhea)

If you can catch these signs early, you’ll be able to save your guinea pig’s life. 

How Can I Make My Sick Guinea Pig Feel Better At Home? 

If your guinea pig is sick, you can help it feel better by feeding it and giving it its medicine. Guinea pigs need us when they’re not feeling well, so you should do everything you can to help your little friend get better.

First off, you should talk to your vet about all your guinea pig’s symptoms. If you’ve done that then you’ll have a proper diagnosis made by your vet. This diagnosis will be used to pick the best form of treatment.

Be sure to pay attention to all the treatment and care instructions from your vet. Your exotics vet may also suggest home care tips that you can try. Those tips will help you to make your guinea pig comfortable and speed up its recovery. 

Make sure you’re not giving your guinea pig any penicillin-based drug by mouth. They are harmful to guinea pigs. Make sure to watch your guinea pig after giving it its medications. If you notice any serious side effects, stop the treatment and contact your vet. 

To help your guinea pig feel better, try the following tips:

• Keep your cavy warm by using thermal wraps. Your guinea pig might be feeling chilled due to its illness. Make sure the thermal wrap isn’t too bad arm or too tight on your fur baby. If it looks uncomfortable, remove it.
• If your piggie has a respiratory or digestive issue, watch its diet. Be serious about keeping its environment clean and free from unnatural scents.
• Hand feed or syringe feed your guinea pig. This should be done for guinea pigs that can’t eat due to loss of appetite. Remember it is important for your guinea pig to eat for it to recover. So make sure you feed your fur baby. 
• The last thing is to get your furry pal back to the vet for a final check-up. That’ll help you to know if your fur baby is getting better. 

Let’s Wrap Up 

It can be easy for guinea pigs to get an infection. And honestly? Most of these infections won’t let them eat or drink anything. Some people don’t consider conjunctivitis as a serious infection. But as your friend, I’m telling you to always get it checked out. 

Why?

Your eyes may be crusty or red because you have a hidden health issue.

In fact, it might be a sign of a more serious infection, like pneumonia – especially if you notice other symptoms like sneezing, sluggishness, etc. So be careful and watchful.

Thanks for staying with me until the end. You’re awesome!