This page is about piggies that need hand feeding.
This is a photo of a cavy baby that is fed by hand from a syringe. It is important not to tilt the cavy's head backwards, otherwise it may get food the wrong way. When hand feeding a small baby you should only give a small drop at the time.
Any sick cavy may need being force fed, and that is done exactly the same way! If your piggy is sick you need to keep it eating until you get him/her to a vet. And then you may have to continue feeding it for a couple of weeks more, until it is healthy again... Force feeding a sick cavy that has problems eating may save its life! The cavy need to be fed things to chew, mashed carrots, banana, baby food, gruel and whatever. (Cavies happily chew on most things you feed them, but make sure the cavy chews!)
I have saved lots of cavies during the years by using the info on this page...
If you can - feed every two hours. If not possible - feed at least every 4 hours. Don't let it go more than 6 hours between the last feeding at night and the first feeding in the morning. Maybe someone can help you? If that is not possible it is better to put the animal to sleep at the vets. Don't let it go more than 6 hours between the last feeding at night and the first feeding in the morning.
An adult cavy can eat 5 ml per feeding, a baby maybe 2 ml per feeding. 50 ml per day in total is normal for an adult cavy.
You will need "feeding syringes" the kind that is not made to have needles, or regular syringes of a kind where you easily can remove the needles. For adult cavies that are not seriously ill you can use 2 ml syringes. For seriously ill adults and for babies you can use 1 ml syringes.
For seriously ill cavies you will have to feed a drop at a time, and put it inside the mouth but outside the molars. If the cavy does not swallow - stroke its head until it swallows. Sometimes you can make a very sick cavy chew and swallow by moving the syringe a little inside its mouth.
For cavies that are still eating you can just drop food on the front teeth, almost as fast as cavy can eat it.
In a crisis situation almost anything is better than nothing. A table spoon of youghurt with probiotics in it and some milk for human babies or kittens is a good start. Soya cream is very good. Mixed blueberries or blueberry soup. Make sure the food is thick enough to make the cavy chew it, easily done by mixing a little banana into it. Nourishment fluids for humans bought at the pharmacy is of course the best and should be the base of the food if at all possible. Stuff like this you ought to keep at home just in case...
You will need a blender. If you don't have one - ask anyone for help - maybe a neighbour?
You can mix some carrot, grass or greens into the food, and you can easily grow your own grass, from whole oats in a pot in the window.
Keep your sick cavy warm at all times. Put it in a small cage and use warm water bottles and towels if necessary. The water in the warm water bottles need changing several times a day. Let the sick cavy meet its cagemates for a short while a few times a day. Always wash and dry the cavy around the mouth after feeding.
There are two common problems that is stomack related, gas and diarrhea. You can remedies at the pharmacy for gas (which can be painful). Against diarrhea the best thing is to cook rise with too much water, filter out the rise and use extra water to feed the cavy. And use probiotics.
Copyright Eva Johansson.
Last update: 11th of February 2006.