Advice needed for weight gaining

[debbierudd]

Hi fellow piggy lovers,

Tixie has recently come home from the guinea pig hotel, while i was on holiday. She is thinner than before she went. Trixie has always been a small piggy - but healthy, which was confirmed the last time I took her to the vets. I would just be happier if she put on a little bit more weight. I think that maybe she wasnt eating as much as normal during her week away.

Trixie is just over 2yrs old and has never had any health problems. She is a happy, active piggy and her appetite is more than healthy.

I have searched the forum and there is some info on underweight piggies, but what I really want to know is what foods are good for adding a little bit of weight. Naturally I will keep an eye on her as I imagine over time she will gradually put some weight on.

Thanks x

 

[Glynis]

Hi there, do you weigh her regularly?
I weigh my girls weekly....this is from experience that if you do this you can see that they gain and loose on a regular basis...if it's more a dip on weight than usual you can then go to your vets.
Just remember tho if she's been in care she may have stressed out cause her mummy was not there no matter what you do they can stress...........even having piggie sitters......some piggies are ok with this tho.... do you notice any other symptoms? is she still eating and drinking as per usual/normal?
You can supplement her feeds with syringe or offering her critical care foods, but if she is able to eat on her own it would be best in her interests to encourage her to eat more of her regular foods aka hay, pellets etc... that you normally feed her.
Please if you notice anything else different contact your vets and see them for advice
Wishing you and little Trixie all the best from us xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>xx>>>

 

[Glynis]

ooops meant to say you have some brilliant people close to you that might be able to help with advice
we have a quite a few Norfolk people as well, also one of our lovely mods x)

 

[debbierudd]

I dont weigh her no, perhaps i should start.

she is eating and drinking normally, maybe a little less but both of my piggies do that when its a bit hot. less eatin and more drinking.

what is critical care food and can i get it from a pet shop, or do i need to get it from a vet?

 

[debbierudd]

trixies weight

I have weighed her and she is just over 800g. My other piggy is 1100g so theres quite a difference?

 

[Alicia]

I don't know what other people think but I didn't think 800g was too underweight, though I know what you mean about some guinea-pigs looking smaller than others. I've also heard corn is good for gaining weight on guinea-pigs, I give mine extra baby corn when they are ill or during the winter just to help them gain weight.

 

[Laura-CCC4]

Hi Debbie,

I'd be inclined to weigh her daily for a few days so you can see if she is actively loosing weight. 800g is an ok weight for some piggies, some are naturally dainty, although 800g is lower than average - what matters as well as actual weight is her body condition (does she look and feel proportionate and healthy?) and weight tracking.

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38805

Critical Care is a supplementary food for piggies who aren't eating well enough, it is usually given by syringe to "force feed" pigs who have no appetite or no ability to eat. It can also help with piggies who are underweight and/or losing weight too, even if they are eating fairly well. An alternative is a plain nugget food (Burgess Excel, Science Selective, Wagg) soaked and mushed up.