Are their weights ok?

[Nicola_]

I've finally managed to weigh my boys - I know it's a bit late as I've had them for 3 weeks and they should be weighed once a week. Unfortunately I had a few issues (mainly technical ones with the scales - been through 3 sets and now back to the original!) which have meant I've not been able to weigh them sooner.

They're both approx 19/20 months old teddys and their official weights are:

Frodo = 909g
Sam = 854g

From my research I've gathered that this is on the lower end of 'average' and as long as they're eating well I shouldn't be too worried.

They both eat well, they love their hay hut, eat plenty of pellets (although this fluctuates daily as to how much, but overall I'm confident they're eating plenty) and love their veg (they are fussy about what they like but eat plenty of what they do). They don't drink much but I'm guessing that as there's plenty of pee around that they're getting enough water in their veg (I make sure to drench it all before giving it to them)

Of course now that I have a working set of scales I'll be weighing them weekly to keep an eye but for now I just wanted to double check that I'm ok to not be worrying?

Apologies for such a long post and if it's a bit repetitive of others; as some of you have probably gathered I can be a little paranoid -I know I'll calm down once I feel more confident with them!

Thanks for reading,

Nicola

 

[Mother Hubbard]

Hi there,

We'll my first instinct is that they are a bit low. I have a teddy girl and she's a chunky little bruiser so was her sister. I have one boar whose probably about the same age and he's just a tad over your weights. Keep monitoring there weights for sure, but often with rescue pigs your not sure where they have come from definitely and so you just don't know if they were fed well enough as mini pigs. It doesn't sound dead low to me, my rule of thumb without being specific is that I know that each of my pigs should be wavering on the 1kg line above and below as an adult, but can be slightly different based on breed, age, gender also.

 

[Rodentopia]

For adult male guinea pigs these weights are too low especially a heavy set breed like a teddy. It might be your scales with what you are saying regards diet. 900g is what I would expect a 6-8 month old to be with males being heavier then females.

 

[Wiebke]

Those weights are on the low side, especially for boars. Hopefully, your boys will still be able to compensate somewhat on a good diet. Piggies can make up lost ground to certain degree until they are about two years old, especially rex based breeds, which are late developers anyway. Your boys will always remain somewhat on the smaller side, though.

Don't be tempted to overfeed (too much fat in the body can increase the risk of complications during general anaesthetics/operations), just keep them on a good, balanced diet. It is much more important that they are well in themselves and have a good "heft" when you lift them, i.e. the right amount of flesh on their bones, neither too skinny nor too flabby. Low weight won't shorten their lifespan or impeach on good health.

 

[AbiS]

I weighed my boys this morning - they are 7month old short haired piggies so I'm not sure if weights vary between breeds but Toby is 1037g and Barney is 1110g

 

[Nicola_]

Thanks everyone,

I think I might try some different scales just to double check. They are definitely happy in themselves and eating plenty. They also have nice fleshy bellys! Definitely not just skin and bone - they do seem overall smaller than other guinea pigs so they're low weight seems more proportional to their overall size (if that makes any sense!)

I will continue to keep a close eye on them and hopefully they might build up a wee bit more in the next couple of months as wiebke suggests could happen.

I'm wondering if there's maybe a chance they might also be a bit younger than I've been told as well? Is there any way of knowing?

 

[Abi_nurse]

There body condition score is more important than their exact weights. Yes i agree with others that they do sound like low weights, but if they are small stature piggies then i wouldn't panic. If they have a good rounded tum and you cannot easily palpate their boney pelvis or spine then i would say they are going in the right direction. As also said though, best not to overfeed.

x

 

[Nicola_]

There body condition score is more important than their exact weights. Yes i agree with others that they do sound like low weights, but if they are small stature piggies then i wouldn't panic. If they have a good rounded tum and you cannot easily palpate their boney pelvis or spine then i would say they are going in the right direction. As also said though, best not to overfeed.

x

Is there a way of working out their body condition score? Also how would the palpating of pelvis or spine thing work? (sorry if I've asked it in a silly way - I'm not entirely sure what that means - just wondering if I can check it somehow?)

They definitely have very rounded tums

 

[Abi_nurse]

It hard to explain. If you type in body condition scoring dog/cat in google you will see what i mean. Unfortunatly i dont think there is a chart for piggies (ive looked). But i is something we use often in the veterinary world to assess the weight of pets. I found a good quote on a website which says:

BCS involves feeling your pets’ body to judge the fat covering the ribs. If the ribs and spine are easily felt with very little fat covering, your guinea pig is underweight. If the ribs and spine cannot be felt due to excessive fat covering, your guinea pig is overweight.

So basically if you run your hands over the top of their bodies you shouldnt be able to feel protruding bones. You shouldnt have to put too much pressure on to feel them though.

(i cant believe how difficult I'm finding it to explain lol)

x.

 

[Nicola_]

That's really good thanks, I'm fairly certain then that they're ok in those terms - will double check when I'm holding them tomorrow now that I know how to judge it properly. I've never noticed any obvious thinness, I think they're just overall small wee guys!

 

[Nicola_]

I've weighed the boys again and they've each put on approx 30g in the space of a week :/ I'm wondering if it was that the scales weren't quite right the first time or if it's a final little growth spurt like Wiebke said might happen? Although surely 30g in one week is still a lot even for a growth spurt?

They haven't eaten any more than usual so I'm not sure what else it could be. I think I'll do a daily weigh-in for the next couple of weeks until their weight becomes more stable.

 

[LisaAli]

Hi Nicola,

I wouldn't worry too much about a weight gain of 30g. You will find that your piggies weight will fluctuate round about that. It'll do no harm for your own peace of mind to weigh them every day and will also get them more used to being handled especially if there is a treat at the end of it for them and more piggie cuddles for you whilst they're out. One small tip is to weigh them at the same time of day if possible. We have attached a link to Guinea Lynx about weights but as you will read they are based on averages and are guidelines only. You will be become accustomed to how your piggies feel and it wont be long until you know every nook and cranny (literally!) of their wellbeing. The attached link deals in ounces so as a rough guide one ounce equals 28 gms.

http://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html

Lisa & Ali..x

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

A 30g gain/loss can be the difference between a full and empty bladder. I weigh my pigs once a week in the morning before they have their morning veg. If you are going tp weigh your piggies daily for a while try to do it at the same time of day and before a feed, this way the results should be more accurate and meaningful. From what you have already said i think your piggies are probably fine. If they are eating well, running about, etc, then don't worry too much, they may just be small sized piggies but regular weighing is always reccomended. As others have said don't over feed them, unfortunatley there are quite a few over weight piggies out there.

 

[Wiebke]

If your piggies are healthy, active and eating well, then weighing once weekly at about the same time in the feeding cycle is enough, especially as long as their weight is going up or stable.

Weighing daily is only necessary with piggies who are ill or if you suspect of being potentially ill; even then it is advisable to do it at the same time of the day. Please be aware that you can easily become obsessive over their weight - and that won't help them or you, frankly! Your boys still have so much time to grow naturally that I would simply stop fretting as long as they are still growing fine! It is MUCH more important that they have a healthy balanced diet and an enriched, active life!

 

[Nicola_]

Thanks everyone. Can't believe I didn't think about their recent meal intake - they had just finished their veggies! Doh mallethead

Right, I will rest assured that they are clearly healthy wee critters given their healthy behaviours and that they are just naturally small in stature - no more worrying!