Do guinea pigs get skinny when they get older?

[HumanWithFurryPotats]

Hello, my guinea pig, Alexa, is 4-5 years old (don’t exactly know) and I noticed looks skinnier than her cage mate (who is 1) and her younger self. I believe she is eating well, and I have given her veggies considered as weight gaining veggies, (cilantro, bell peppers), but she hasn’t gained much weight. Does this mean something serious like an illness or she is just “old skinny”.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello, my guinea pig, Alexa, is 4-5 years old (don’t exactly know) and I noticed looks skinnier than her cage mate (who is 1) and her younger self. I believe she is eating well, and I have given her veggies considered as weight gaining veggies, (cilantro, bell peppers), but she hasn’t gained much weight. Does this mean something serious like an illness or she is just “old skinny”.

Hi!

Please switch from the life long weighing once weekly health monitoring to weighing daily at the same time if your piggy suddenly looks skinny or smaller. Have your piggy vet checked. While older piggies gradually lose condition and the muscles go south, it is a very slow process.
This link here explains how weight changes throughout life, how to check whether your piggy is a good weight for its size at any time of life and when you need to see a vet.

Any quick weight loss is cause for major concern and needs to be seen a by a vet promptly.
Keep in mind that over 80% of the daily food intake should be hay. You cannot control this by eye; but your piggy can lose a LOT of weight very quickly while still eating veg or chewing on crud...
Here are our bridging care tips: Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

 

[HumanWithFurryPotats]

The weight loss was gradual and not sudden in any way, so I am guessing she is old skinny

 

[Wiebke]

The weight loss was gradual and not sudden in any way, so I am guessing she is old skinny

It would be good if you still had her vet checked; I do so with all my elderlies to make sure that it is not related to an underlying illness or organ problem.

And please keep monitoring the weight. it also helps your vet when checking your piggy over, not just you when you know roughly how much your piggy has lost over a certain amount of time and whether the weight loss is gaining speed or not.

 

[Little Ones]

I definitely agree that you should still get her checked. My boy gradually lost weight over a few months. He was 800grams at the end, he was diagnosed with liver disease which is terminal and unfortunately passed away, he was 4 and a half.
At first I hadn’t realised how skinny he’d actually gotten, when it’s gradual you slowly adjust and so don’t see it as clearly until suddenly realise how big they were before to how they are now, how you can feel bones.
Please get her checked

 

[Freela]

I would start weighing regularly to see if her weight is leveling out, and a vet check never hurts. Guinea pigs (like people) can lose muscle mass in their older age. I find that you can feel this most in the shoulders and hips- they lose the padding of the muscle there and you are more able to feel their hip and shoulder bones. That said, the first thing is always to rule out an illness or issues with their teeth, especially given that your piggie is not really that old (my older pigs certainly felt older by age 6 or so, but at 4 or early 5 I didn't necessarily feel many body differences.) Hope this helps!

 

[Munching Maniac]

I recommend for you to go to the vet as soon as possible because if you leave it you don’t know what’s going to happen to Alexa. I remember one of my old guinea pigs was acting strange but I left it and the next day my guinea had to be put down because he had an Ulcer in his eye. Please go to the vet

 

[HumanWithFurryPotats]

The vet said she probably has ovarian cysts, and doing a surgery could be fatal. They will give an antibiotic if she doesn’t eat anything.