Different Sized Brothers

[Andrej Stopar]

Hi, I'm slightly concerned about the size of my little piggies Chilli and Pepper. They're brothers and at 8weeks old Chilli (318g) is almost twice the weight of his little brother (168g). They both seem to eat and poo all the time (first time owner and find this fascinating hehe) so I don't know what might be the problem. If there is one? Does little Pepper just need more time or is Chilli being greedy when eating? They're sharing the cage so it's kind of impossible to feed them seperately. Thank you for your help and suggestions.

Andrej

 

[sport_billy]

Hello

Welcome to the forum.

First off are you sure of the exact age?

How is pepper weight comparing week on week at weigh days? If you don't weigh already then please start doing so and recording the weights. I would be expecting pepper to be gaining weight week on week now. His weight is a little low for a 8 week old @Wiebke would you agree with that? He could be the smallest of the litter it does happen, but I'd still expect him to be growing each week

You could hand feed them at tea times in the cage if they are tame enough so you can tell Pepper is getting a fair amount of food. If you hand feed Pepper a sprig of Coriander of parsley does it get ate okay? No over chewing motions etc or pawing at mouth? Just want to make sure that dental all okay which i am sure it will be...

Pooing is normal by the way, pigs are furry tubes on legs... poo is good sign

Could you add your location to your profile as it helps us tailor any advice if ever needed to your geographical location

Welcome again
Lee

 

[Julie M]

Aww they are gorgeous.

I don’t know what will be causing one to be smaller. It might just be that he’s a small piggie. I would have 2 food bowls and 2 hay areas incase he’s being chased from the food.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi, I'm slightly concerned about the size of my little piggies Chilli and Pepper. They're brothers and at 8weeks old Chilli (318g) is almost twice the weight of his little brother (168g). They both seem to eat and poo all the time (first time owner and find this fascinating hehe) so I don't know what might be the problem. If there is one? Does little Pepper just need more time or is Chilli being greedy when eating? They're sharing the cage so it's kind of impossible to feed them seperately. Thank you for your help and suggestions.

Andrej

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View attachment 76225

Hi and welcome!

Both boys are small for the age they are supposed to be.
The birth weight in pups can vary between 40-140g.; this carries on as the babies grow up. Siblings can vary in weight quite a lot and the differences tend to get larger as they get better. One of my pairs of siblings differed 500g at the peak of their lives; they both lived to a good age. Smaller, energetic Nia to nearly 6 years (she ran a large group despite being one of the smallest) and her massive sister Nerys to over 8 years. Good health is more important than size.

As long as your boys are both well in themselves and are lively and eating well, I would not worry. At this age, all they need to do is weigh more with each week.

Weigh them once weekly and feed them pellets and veg in small portions that can be eaten in one go in a bowl each per piggy to minimise food hogging. As hay should make over 80% of the food intake, this also encourages your boys to eat as much hay as possible in the meantime. Do not be tempted to overfeed; they will grow into their genetically determined optimal size and weight on a good diet and will be healthier and longer lived than otherwise. Your boys won't reach adulthood until they 15 months old, so they have got plenty of time to grow as much as they are individually wired to.
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diet
New Owners' Problem Solver And Information Collection

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[Andrej Stopar]

First of all thanks for the quick replies...
I'm pretty sure they're the same age as I got them from a friend but will double check. As I mentioned I'm pretty new at this so I've only just started weighting them - next weight in two days. I actually have a few feeding stations around their cage but they always seem to eat together - weirdos so far I noticed they really like bell peppers, salad (normally give them a mixture of romaine, basil, mint, parsley and rocket), cherry tomatoes and apples but they're not really fussed on shop bought "treats". Probably best in the long run hehe.
Need to get some coriander then...

 

[Wiebke]

First of all thanks for the quick replies...
I'm pretty sure they're the same age as I got them from a friend but will double check. As I mentioned I'm pretty new at this so I've only just started weighting them - next weight in two days. I actually have a few feeding stations around their cage but they always seem to eat together - weirdos so far I noticed they really like bell peppers, salad (normally give them a mixture of romaine, basil, mint, parsley and rocket), cherry tomatoes and apples but they're not really fussed on shop bought "treats". Probably best in the long run hehe.
Need to get some coriander then...

Please be careful to feed fruit (including tomato) only twice a week in small quantities. Too much fruit acid can lead to lip infection (cheilitis), which can kill in its severe form. You may find the sample diet in our diet guide helpful as the basis to work from.
Shop treats are there to make money. Most piggies don't like them, so don't feel like you have spend a lot of money on them!

 

[Andrej Stopar]

Oh yes, I did read that much on their diet, they don't get fruit often and when they do it's just a small amount

 

[Squeak Dreams]

When my three piggies were born ( one had a different mother) the siblings were the same where as the other baby was tiny. We think she was born early due to stress because of the other pregnant sow being close with her. Although Mum and baby are now 3 nearly 4 and only 3 months apart , baby ( precious) is still tiny compared to Mum ( bubbles ) even though baby is heavier.

- side note I bought the piggies pregnant without realising I don’t breed

 

[Squeak Dreams]

I also forgot to say congrats they are absolutely adorable!

 

[Freela]

They're both adorable! I agree with what others have said about getting frequent weights on them to make sure they are both trending upwards and putting on weight. There can be a wide variety of adult sizes, so it's possible that they just will end up at with different adult sizes, even if they are siblings. Having multiple bowls is a good idea, as it will ensure that no one hogs the food (one of my pigs actually used to pull the food dish into the pigloo and hoard it in there! LOL!) They may well even out or they may be differently-sized adults (the two pigs I have right now, though not related, are very different sizes... one is about half the weight of the other. One is a big, solid girl with big bone structure, the other is a dainty little thing!)

 

[Katiedid]

When I got Binky and Zigg they were 9 weeks and underweight. Binks was 195g and Zigg 300g. 10 weeks later they have steadily grown (although not as much as they should have as they were both very ill) and Binks is now 640g and Zigg 675g.

I weigh them daily (or every other day) just to watch as they ave had a rocky start but they are upward trending which is the main thing.

 

[Reenie]

My Groucho and Chicco are twins - Groucho is well over 800g and Chicco is a tiny 700g. Even Little Dude, who is a month younger has caught up and overtaken Chicco (they're about 9 and 10 months). He gains weight most weeks, and he's the most dominant of the three, so no worries.... He's just a smout.

 

[Andrej Stopar]

Just thought I'd share this week's update on their weight. So the good thing is both have gained weight in the last week, Pepper is now at 220g and Chilli at 420g talking about a big brother eh? Hehe