74g Weight Loss In 6 Days :(

[little_buttons]

How much should a guinea pigs weight naturally fluctuate?

I weighed my guinea pigs on the 16th March just after they had been on the lawn eating grass for ages. I weighed them all tonight (the 22nd) because I thought Otto looked skinnier. Their weights before and after were as follows:


Pumpkin before 1086g after 1055g
Heidi before 1126g after 1111g
Pixie before 1146g after 1163g
Otto before 1145g after 1066g
Buttons before 1105g after 1098g
Olive before 1196g after 1209g

Otto is the worst weight difference of 77g difference. I cannot verify the accuracy of my weights as am using a food scale on a slanted floor so I can't say for certain this is his exact difference but I was very shocked to see such a large difference

How worried should I be? What should I look out for?

I've been away the past few days and my mum was looking after them but as far as I'm aware he's been eating and playing with as much vigour as usual. He does seem a little more tired though when not distracted.

Also the bald patches behind their ears seem to be growing could this be related? They don't have other obvious signs of mites I.e. sores

Please help the weight loss seems so extreme :'(

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

If in doubt, a vet visit will help ease the mind. Did you weigh at the same time of day? To be honest if they had been grazing grass for a long time with the previous weigh they would have been heavier. I doubt there's much to worry about but if Otto seems off to you, you know him better than anyone so it's always better to be safe than sorry and make a vet appointment

Hope all is in fact well!

 

[little_buttons]

Hi! Thank you so much for your response, I am definitely considering vets although the recent slight change in behaviour isn't unexplained so I thought I should add more detail.

I explain it in this thread: Small/medium Bite Wounds On Indoor Guinea Pigs, Not Bleeding But Gaping however the short version is two of his cagemates had huge fights after a rapid deterioration in their relationship meaning they had to be temporarily put in a smaller hutch so that the ones who hate each other could be separated. However today we realised there is no hope whatsoever of them being reintroduced in any remotely near future so they will be back in their full space soon. However I didn't know if the behaviour around him triggered the weight loss and the fact he was less happy without his usual space. He always seems less than impressed with their behaviour although like I said, being upset hasn't changed his eating habits/begging for treats.

Also further info, he is 9 months old today and was consistently my second largest pig however after the weigh in yesterday that puts him at the weight he was in mid-November at 5 months old and the second smallest out of the group of six.

 

[sport_billy]

Weight losses of 50/60g can be the difference of a full bladder

Please make sure you weigh regular time of day each time so before or after food etc..... On a flat surface also (this will could give inaccuracies) It is a trend of loss you are looking for.

Otto is the only weight I would be a little jumpy on.

Bald patches behind ears are perfectly normal as they get older they do become more prominent especially in longer haired breeds in my experience.

Weigh him at the same time each day for the next few days see what his weight it and please make sure it is accurate so you know what is going on. Eating and pooing is a good sign

If in doubt maybe a vets check up.

 

[Wiebke]

How much should a guinea pigs weight naturally fluctuate?

I weighed my guinea pigs on the 16th March just after they had been on the lawn eating grass for ages. I weighed them all tonight (the 22nd) because I thought Otto looked skinnier. Their weights before and after were as follows:


Pumpkin before 1086g after 1055g
Heidi before 1126g after 1111g
Pixie before 1146g after 1163g
Otto before 1145g after 1066g
Buttons before 1105g after 1098g
Olive before 1196g after 1209g

Otto is the worst weight difference of 77g difference. I cannot verify the accuracy of my weights as am using a food scale on a slanted floor so I can't say for certain this is his exact difference but I was very shocked to see such a large difference

How worried should I be? What should I look out for?

I've been away the past few days and my mum was looking after them but as far as I'm aware he's been eating and playing with as much vigour as usual. He does seem a little more tired though when not distracted.

Also the bald patches behind their ears seem to be growing could this be related? They don't have other obvious signs of mites I.e. sores

Please help the weight loss seems so extreme :'(

Hi! We recommend to go on alert and see a vet for a check if a guinea pig loses more than 50g/2 oz, especially if the weight loss has happened overnight (not eating).

Switch to weighing daily at the same time in the feeding cycle (I prefer to do it before serving breakfast or dinner, but just after is also fine to exclude the daily variance from a full tummy/bladder as much as possible).
Consider offering additional syringe feed as a top up if the weight loss continues.
The majority of weight loss problems is due to a pain issue somewhere, but if there are no outward signs, it can be quite tricky for a vet to work out what is wrong. It is usually hay that is the first food group to suffer; but it is the one you cannot really control even though it makes around 80% of the daily food intake in a good diet.

If a guinea pig has lost 100g of weight within a day, then it has not eaten or drunk in 24 hours and counts as a life and death emergency that needs to be seen asap. The natural daily weight variance is about 30g.

Bald patches behind the ears are normal as long as they are symmetrical. Here is our guide for spotting what is normal and what not: Guinea pig body quirks

 

[little_buttons]

Thank you so much for the replies guys! I *think* I now know what it is - 6 days before I made this post they had a new brand of food put in instead of their usual kind (I can't drive so the pet shop I go to isn't always accessible) it looks very similar their normal food and seemingly went down well with them which is why it didn't occur to me it could be that! Managed to get hold of their normal food soon after it occured to me this could be a factor and put it in as of yesterday evening.

I had resolved to weighing him every morning between 9-9.30 and yesterday he was 1.064g. However in the evening I couldn't resist the temptation and he was down to about 1.055g. So this morning I dreaded the weigh in and was expecting him to have lost more and us to be off to the vets but he's already up to 1.083 since his normal food has been added back in!

He's now in the run alone with a huge pile of hay and a food bowl so that I can check how much he's pooing and he hasn't stopped eating hay since he got in there - although no poop yet.

Thanks for the info about bald patches - I found out yesterday Otto's are likely to be a little larger than average because he's a PEW :')

 

[little_buttons]

Current photo of Otto ❤

 

[Wiebke]

Glad that you have found the cause.

Please be aware that the difference between a full/empty tummy and bladder can make 30g, so the weight varies throughout the day.

That is why we recommend to weigh once daily at the same time in the feeding cycle (i.e. either before breakfast or before their dinner for instance). If you want to weigh more often, you have to factor in the daily swings. Personally, I would recommend to weigh twice daily only if you have a piggy that is not yet fully eating on its own and still relies on top-up syringe feeding or has just been switched over to eating all on its own.

 

[little_buttons]

Thank you! Yeah I knew I shouldn't have weighed him more and didn't intend to but didn't manage to resist the urge to check I'm resolved to stay strong now til tomorrow morning :p