Baby guinea pig lost weight

[Hope4gem]

Hello and thank you for taking the time to read my post. My family has a baby (female) guinea pig who is between 7 and 9 weeks old. (We don't know her exact age because she came from a pet store). We have been weighing her daily and every day she gained weight until today. These are her weights starting from March 20 (332 g), March 21 (334 g), March 22 (342 g), March 23 (354 g), March 24 (364 g), and March 25 (357 g). She won't eat green bell pepper so we've been fresh squeezing orange juice and giving her about 1 mL of fresh squeezed orange juice each day for vitamin C. She also eats romaine lettuce. She has constant access to unlimited Timothy Hay, water, and Oxbow Baby Guinea Pig pellets. She has been peeing and pooping normally and has been drinking water. She has two cage mates, but we are gradually introducing her as she is much smaller than our older girls and they are being quite dominant with her. I'm hoping it's nothing to worry about, but we had a baby guinea pig die suddenly (from unknown causes) a few weeks ago at the emergency veterinarian so now I am hyper-vigilant and very worried. Should I be rushing her to the vet or monitoring for another 24 hours to see if the weight comes back on? Thank you so much for the help!

 

[Bill & Ted]

Hello and welcome to the forum
Her seems to be increasing in an upward trend apart from today but it’s only 7 grams which is not a major amount. If she is happy, eating well, pooping and peeing then I would keep on monitoring her. you may well find tomorrow the weight is back on. Make sure you weigh her daily at the same time as weight throughout the day can vary due to mealtimes, full bladder etc.
I would have a looking in the Guinea Pig Guides in the green bar near the top of the page, there are lots of info including expert bonding techniques which will help you and greatly add to your bonding success. Ideally being a baby she really should be bonded with your adult females ASAP x

 

[Siikibam]

I’m sorry for your earlier loss. I’ll address two things. The first is that 7g loss isn’t significant in the grand scheme of things, though I can understand why you’re worried due to your past experience. I would switch to weighing her weekly at the same time. For example, I do it before I give them their morning lettuce.

I would cut out the squeezed orange juice. Pellets are fortified with vitamins, of which she only needs one tablespoon. I would stop them if they contain alfalfa (lucerne) as it’s high in calcium and no longer needed. She can have two tablespoons of normal (grass based) pellets. Hay and fresh grass also contain vitamin c. This is the diet they were evolved to eat hence it covering their needs. You could try her in fresh coriander/cilantro - another good source of vitamin c - or the other colours of bell pepper. Sometimes you need to be persistent. If she hasn’t eaten veg before she doesn’t know what’s ‘safe’.

The second thing is introduction. At such a young age she really needs to be with older piggies. Regardless of age, when you do introductions you need to leave them together for several hours in a neutral area.You can then move them into their thoroughly cleaned and rearranged cage.

When you ‘put them to bed’ separately, you’re continually interrupting the bonding process. This continues for two weeks after they’ve moved into the cage together. So you will need to introduce them on neutral ground and leave them to it. Then you can move them into the cage. Chasing is normal. You will likely hear her squeaking in submission. When bonding you only need a pile of hay and/or veg in the neutral area, no hides.

I’m sorry it’s such a long post. Have a read of the guides below to learn about the dominance behaviours.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

 

[Hope4gem]

Hello and welcome to the forum
Her seems to be increasing in an upward trend apart from today but it’s only 7 grams which is not a major amount. If she is happy, eating well, pooping and peeing then I would keep on monitoring her. you may well find tomorrow the weight is back on. Make sure you weigh her daily at the same time as weight throughout the day can vary due to mealtimes, full bladder etc.
I would have a looking in the Guinea Pig Guides in the green bar near the top of the page, there are lots of info including expert bonding techniques which will help you and greatly add to your bonding success. Ideally being a baby she really should be bonded with your adult females ASAP x

Thank you so much for the advice. It is a relief to hear that. I need to make sure that I weigh her at the same time each day because I have been weighing her at different times. I will definitely continue to weigh her and hopefully the weight will come back on soon. I have read the basic care guides on this forum, but will have a look again in case I missed any tips on bonding or at least to refresh my memory. We have 5 piggies now, but still are relatively new to being piggy owners. (We got our first piggy during the Summer of 2021). Thanks again for the help! It is very much appreciated!

 

[Hope4gem]

I’m sorry for your earlier loss. I’ll address two things. The first is that 7g loss isn’t significant in the grand scheme of things, though I can understand why you’re worried due to your past experience. I would switch to weighing her weekly at the same time. For example, I do it before I give them their morning lettuce.

I would cut out the squeezed orange juice. Pellets are fortified with vitamins, of which she only needs one tablespoon. I would stop them if they contain alfalfa (lucerne) as it’s high in calcium and no longer needed. She can have two tablespoons of normal (grass based) pellets. Hay and fresh grass also contain vitamin c. This is the diet they were evolved to eat hence it covering their needs. You could try her in fresh coriander/cilantro - another good source of vitamin c - or the other colours of bell pepper. Sometimes you need to be persistent. If she hasn’t eaten veg before she doesn’t know what’s ‘safe’.

The second thing is introduction. At such a young age she really needs to be with older piggies. Regardless of age, when you do introductions you need to leave them together for several hours in a neutral area.You can then move them into their thoroughly cleaned and rearranged cage.

When you ‘put them to bed’ separately, you’re continually interrupting the bonding process. This continues for two weeks after they’ve moved into the cage together. So you will need to introduce them on neutral ground and leave them to it. Then you can move them into the cage. Chasing is normal. You will likely hear her squeaking in submission. When bonding you only need a pile of hay and/or veg in the neutral area, no hides.

I’m sorry it’s such a long post. Have a read of the guides below to learn about the dominance behaviours.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

Thank you so much for all of the advice. I appreciate knowing that 7 grams is not that much and it sounds like I'm probably worrying too much. It was the exotic vet that suggested the fresh squeezed orange juice, but I will certainly consider cutting it out. Thanks for the suggestion of the different colored bell peppers. I've primarily stuck to green for our other piggies because it's lower in sugar, but it sounds like it might be a good idea to let the new baby try a different color pepper to at least introduce her to that type of veg. I appreciate the tips on bonding too. I'm trying to convince my family to let the piggies hash it out. None of the piggies have been aggressive with her, just dominate, and we end up feeling bad because the baby gets scared. No need to apologize for the long post. I really appreciate all the info and the tips! We work very hard at being good piggy parents. We love them so much and want to do what's best for them. Thanks again!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

Please take the time to read these guide links here. You will hopefully find them very helpful as they explain everything in practical and easy to follow detail put also put things into perspective. It normal to be more jittery after a loss. The information in the guides will hopefull help you.

Weekly health monitoring:
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Guinea pig body quirks - What is normal and what not?
Early Signs Of Illness

Diet information:
If your piggy is not keen on one food, then there are always other options. Try to keep closer to the original grass/hay based diet supplemented with herbal forage for more vitamin and trace elements and if possible avoid high sugar/starch or calorific foods except as a very special treat in small quantities because they can contribute to dysbiosis - overgrowth of the wrong kind of bacteria in the gut, resulting in diarrhea or bloating. Fresh herbs and kale are for instance higher in vitamin C and trace elements than most fruit (and certainly oranges, which are very high in sugar). Peppers are actually a compromise, so don't get hung up over them.
The problem is that while lots of foods are edible for guinea pigs, it doesn't necessarily say how good they are for them. The more green and leafy you can keep the diet, the better.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading

All these guides are part of our much more comprehensive and really useful information collection, which specifically addresses all the areas we get the most questions and worries about, as well as helping you to understand guinea pig behaviour (including a spot of 'piggy whispering) and their species needs and learn how to spot what is normal and what. Plus what you can do in an emergency/health crisis und all the usual care advice. You may want to bookmark the guide, browse, read and re-read at need.
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

 

[Hope4gem]

Hi

Please take the time to read these guide links here. You will hopefully find them very helpful as they explain everything in practical and easy to follow detail put also put things into perspective. It normal to be more jittery after a loss. The information in the guides will hopefull help you.

Weekly health monitoring:
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Guinea pig body quirks - What is normal and what not?
Early Signs Of Illness

Diet information:
If your piggy is not keen on one food, then there are always other options. Try to keep closer to the original grass/hay based diet supplemented with herbal forage for more vitamin and trace elements and if possible avoid high sugar/starch or calorific foods except as a very special treat in small quantities because they can contribute to dysbiosis - overgrowth of the wrong kind of bacteria in the gut, resulting in diarrhea or bloating. Fresh herbs and kale are for instance higher in vitamin C and trace elements than most fruit (and certainly oranges, which are very high in sugar). Peppers are actually a compromise, so don't get hung up over them.
The problem is that while lots of foods are edible for guinea pigs, it doesn't necessarily say how good they are for them. The more green and leafy you can keep the diet, the better.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading

All these guides are part of our much more comprehensive and really useful information collection, which specifically addresses all the areas we get the most questions and worries about, as well as helping you to understand guinea pig behaviour (including a spot of 'piggy whispering) and their species needs and learn how to spot what is normal and what. Plus what you can do in an emergency/health crisis und all the usual care advice. You may want to bookmark the guide, browse, read and re-read at need.
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

Thank you very much for the advice. I never knew that Bell Peppers were a compromise. I thought they were the "go to" fresh veg for piggies because they are high in vitamin C and low in calcium/sugar. I will add more Kale and start looking into fresh herbs for them. I have read the guides before, but will certainly give them a read again. Thanks so much again for all the help! It's appreciated more than you can know. Have a wonderful day/night!

 

[Siikibam]

Just be careful with the kale as it’s also high in calcium. So perhaps only once a week and not in the same week as other high calcium veg (spinach, parsley). It’s quite a balancing act but you’ll find what works soon. The feeding guide is really good as well.

 

[Hope4gem]

Just be careful with the kale as it’s also high in calcium. So perhaps only once a week and not in the same week as other high calcium veg (spinach, parsley). It’s quite a balancing act but you’ll find what works soon. The feeding guide is really good as well.

It definitely is a balancing act. I'll keep at it and try to incorporate some other vegetables that are suggested in the guides. Thanks again!

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you very much for the advice. I never knew that Bell Peppers were a compromise. I thought they were the "go to" fresh veg for piggies because they are high in vitamin C and low in calcium/sugar. I will add more Kale and start looking into fresh herbs for them. I have read the guides before, but will certainly give them a read again. Thanks so much again for all the help! It's appreciated more than you can know. Have a wonderful day/night!

Use kale like you would a herb as it is the highest calcium veg and feed either kale or any herbs in the same quantity; you may have to trade off the amount of pellets in order to account for any extra calcium you add to your diet.

Diet is a minefield and very difficult to get right for every individual location.

The best source of vitamin C is actually fresh growing grass, as long as you introduce it carefully to allow the gut to accustom and make sure that it is dog pee free. It is the reason why guinea pigs have never had the need to make their own vitamin C in the first place. You can also grow it in windowsill boxes.

 

[Hope4gem]

Use kale like you would a herb as it is the highest calcium veg and feed either kale or any herbs in the same quantity; you may have to trade off the amount of pellets in order to account for any extra calcium you add to your diet.

Diet is a minefield and very difficult to get right for every individual location.

The best source of vitamin C is actually fresh growing grass, as long as you introduce it carefully to allow the gut to accustom and make sure that it is dog pee free. It is the reason why guinea pigs have never had the need to make their own vitamin C in the first place. You can also grow it in windowsill boxes.

Thanks for the tip! I was tempted to try growing it on the windowsill, but wasn't sure what brand/kind to get.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for the tip! I was tempted to try growing it on the windowsill, but wasn't sure what brand/kind to get.

Ideally opt for organic seed brands.

 

[Hope4gem]

Thanks! I'll look into that.

 

[Hope4gem]

Just an update...the baby guinea pig is doing well. I think we've settled on the name Suzy. She's almost 400 grams now and is gradually learning to eat a variety of veg. Her cage mates have drastically reduced their dominance behaviors and all seem to be getting along well.

 

[Wiebke]

thank you very much for the update! Glad that your baby has made it through the post-intro dominance phase, which is usually short but rather emphatic for new youngsters and is settling in as a fully accepted member of the group now.

 

[Hope4gem]

thank you very much for the update! Glad that your baby has made it through the post-intro dominance phase, which is usually short but rather emphatic for new youngsters and is settling in as a fully accepted member of the group now.

You're welcome! I keep coming back to this forum to learn more. I'm so grateful that this forum exists!

 

[Wiebke]

You're welcome! I keep coming back to this forum to learn more. I'm so grateful that this forum exists!

Thank you! Glad that you are enjoying our forum

You may also find our information resources very helpful; nearly 15 years of practical experiences have gone into our guide collection on a wide range of subjects; some of you may know but quite a bit may be new, fascinating and even surprising for you! It's always useful for bookmarking, browsing and reading... not just for new owners! Especially as you can read a number of guides at different levels of experience and get something new out of them every time.
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

And her is our Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care access link, so you do not have to frantically cast around when in a panic in our down time. Again, good for bookmarking so you can find it easily whenever needed (hopefully never).
Emergency Resources and Critical Illness Care - Contents list and subforum link

 

[Hope4gem]

Thank you! Glad that you are enjoying our forum

You may also find our information resources very helpful; nearly 15 years of practical experiences have gone into our guide on a wide range of subjects; some of you may know but quite a bit may be new, fascinating and even surprising for you! It's always useful for bookmarking, browsing and reading... not just for new owners! Especially as you can read a number of guides at different levels of experience and get something new out of them every time.
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

And her is our Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care access link, so you do not have to frantically cast around when in a panic in our down time. Again, good for bookmarking so you can find it easily whenever needed (hopefully never).
Emergency Resources and Critical Illness Care - Contents list and subforum link

Thank you! Good idea to bookmark them. I bookmarked both.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you! Good idea to bookmark them. I bookmarked both.

Our full and even more extensive information collection is best accessed via the shortcut on the top bar where it is laid out in thematical order. the guides format allows us to update and extend the information resource at need and as we have spare time (the latter sadly not often, considering we are all doing all the moderating for free in our own free time). But it is one of the most comprehensive information resources currently around. With all the changes and advances in recent years, many books are unfortunately outdated rather quickly.

I thought you might appreciate knowing that there is more in-depth information around, especially as we are all still in the process of learning more and gaining a deeper understanding.

 

[Hope4gem]

Our full and even more extensive information collection is best accessed via the shortcut on the top bar where it is laid out in thematical order. the guides format allows us to update and extend the information resource at need and as we have spare time (the latter sadly not often, considering we are all doing all the moderating for free in our own free time). But it is one of the most comprehensive information resources currently around. With all the changes and advances in recent years, many books are unfortunately outdated rather quickly.

I thought you might appreciate knowing that there is more in-depth information around, especially as are all still in the process of learning more and gaining a deeper understanding.

Thanks again! : )