Fluctuation in weight.

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Ilovemyguineapigs21

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I am so confused about my guinea pigs fluctuation in weight. 2 weeks ago, they werent gaining much weight, last week they gained a lot of weight, they gained 40 grams, with normal poop and everything. However this week, they lost a little weight and are having small poops. And all of this is with the same diet with the exception that somedays, I didnt have red cabbage because I ran out which they eat pretty regularly, they also had a few days off of herbs (I dont give the same herb everyday, and I give it in moderation of course, but the herbs I give are dill, parsley, basil, and mint). I am confusedd and really stressed about it.
 
Hay is the most important part of the diet and it is eating that which is the thing which makes them gain weight. Veg doesn’t make much of a difference as they should only have one cup of veg per day.
Their weight will fluctuate depending on an empty/full bladder/tummy.
If they consistently lose weight and have small poops, then they aren’t eating enough hay.
Don’t let them eat too much cabbage as it can cause tummy upests/bloating

Do read these guides below

Weight - Monitoring and Management
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
Yeah Ok but I think its been 2 days that theyve been having smaller poops so if its because of the hay, it wouldnt make sense cause I provide them with unlimited fresh hay that i change during breakfast and dinner and they eat alot of it. So idkk
 
Ilovemyguineapigs21 said:
Yeah Ok but I think its been 2 days that theyve been having smaller poops so if its because of the hay, it wouldnt make sense cause I provide them with unlimited fresh hay that i change during breakfast and dinner and they eat alot of it. So idkk
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Having it doesn’t mean they are eating enough of it. It’s only their weight which is the gauge of whether they are eating enough hay, you cannot gauge they are eating enough by eye.

Smaller poops are often down to a gut disturbance/not eating enough. Are you feeding the limited
amount of veg - one cup/50 grams per day and limited amount of pellets (one tablespoon). Keeping these items limited will encourage them to eat plenty of hay.
Are all three of them having small poops? I would just concentrate on ensuring they get plenty of hay, monitor their weight and see how things go for a little while

How much weight have they lost? If it is under the ‘alert’ level then i really wouldn’t be too concerned about weight at this point. I remember mine having a week where they didn’t gain much, then the next when they gained a lot. As long as the general trend of weight is up and not down and there isn’t a serious amount of weight loss in one go, then See how their weight goes at the next weigh in. The guide explains what is an acceptable level of fluctuation.
 
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Piggies&buns said:
Hay is the most important part of the diet and it is eating that which is the thing which makes them gain weight. Veg doesn’t make much of a difference as they should only have one cup of veg per day.
Their weight will fluctuate depending on an empty/full bladder/tummy.
If they consistently lose weight and have small poops, then they aren’t eating enough hay.
Don’t let them eat too much cabbage as it can cause tummy upests/bloating

Do read these guides below

Weight - Monitoring and Management
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
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Also a question anout cabbage, red cabbage is safer than green cabbage right?
Piggies&buns said:
Having it doesn’t mean they are eating enough of it. It’s only their weight which is the gauge of whether they are eating enough hay, you cannot gauge they are eating enough by eye.

Smaller poops are often down to a gut disturbance/not eating enough. Are you feeding the limited
amount of veg - one cup/50 grams per day and limited amount of pellets (one tablespoon). Keeping these items limited will encourage them to eat plenty of hay.
Are all three of them having small poops? I would just concentrate on ensuring they get plenty of hay, monitor their weight and see how things go for a little while

How much weight have they lost? If it is under the ‘alert’ level then i really wouldn’t be too concerned about weight at this point. I remember mine having a week where they didn’t gain much, then the next when they gained a lot. As long as the general trend of weight is up and not down and there isn’t a serious amount of weight loss in one go, then See how their weight goes at the next weigh in. The guide explains what is an acceptable level of fluctuation.
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Ohhh, this is very useful info cus I'm pretty sure I give more than a cup of veggies and more thna a tablespoon of pellets, and Ill check next week for the trend of weight. Is losing 30 grams bad? And I'm pretty sure all of them is having small poops cause when I spot cleaned, the majority of the poops were small. Ok thanks alot
 
Piggies&buns said:
Having it doesn’t mean they are eating enough of it. It’s only their weight which is the gauge of whether they are eating enough hay, you cannot gauge they are eating enough by eye.

Smaller poops are often down to a gut disturbance/not eating enough. Are you feeding the limited
amount of veg - one cup/50 grams per day and limited amount of pellets (one tablespoon). Keeping these items limited will encourage them to eat plenty of hay.
Are all three of them having small poops? I would just concentrate on ensuring they get plenty of hay, monitor their weight and see how things go for a little while

How much weight have they lost? If it is under the ‘alert’ level then i really wouldn’t be too concerned about weight at this point. I remember mine having a week where they didn’t gain much, then the next when they gained a lot. As long as the general trend of weight is up and not down and there isn’t a serious amount of weight loss in one go, then See how their weight goes at the next weigh in. The guide explains what is an acceptable level of fluctuation.
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Oh also, I'm only concerned about Willow, my guinwa pig because unlike the other 2, she isnt gaining weight and shes always around 520 grams when I weigh her, she also has the smallest appetite and she eats really slowly. Should I take her to the vet?
 
I’d keep all types of cabbage limited - feed in moderation and rotate it in and out of the diet so that some days they don’t have any etc. Same goes for all veg though where possible, - a nice variety ensures they get a good mix of nutrients and keep interested in their veg.

Definitely ensure pellets are kept limited. Pellets aren’t particularly healthy for them (although they can bridge the gap between nutrients) and overfeeding pellets (and unfiltered drinking water) can contribute excess calcium to the diet (excess calcium can lead to bladder issues).
30g is not an alarming amount if it is just a one off and next week she gains again. Anything over 50g in one go or a consistent sustained loss is concerning.
 
Ilovemyguineapigs21 said:
Oh also, I'm only concerned about Willow, my guinwa pig because unlike the other 2, she isnt gaining weight and shes always around 520 grams when I weigh her, she also has the smallest appetite and she eats really slowly. Should I take her to the vet?
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If you’re worried there may be an issue, then definitely take her to the vet. It’s never worth leaving concerns unchecked.
Are the other two definitely allowing her to eat? A trio can sometimes cause an outsider situation occurring so perhaps she isn’t getting her share of hay. Ensure there are hay piles everywhere around the cage
 
Piggies&buns said:
If you’re worried there may be an issue, then definitely take her to the vet. It’s never worth leaving concerns unchecked.
Are the other two definitely allowing her to eat? A trio can sometimes cause an outsider situation occurring so perhaps she isn’t getting her share of hay. Ensure there are hay piles everywhere around the cage
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Yes, actually shes the one that nips at the others the most when theyre eating next to her. But Ill take her to the vet just in case she has teeth problems or anything
 
Piggies&buns said:
If you’re worried there may be an issue, then definitely take her to the vet. It’s never worth leaving concerns unchecked.
Are the other two definitely allowing her to eat? A trio can sometimes cause an outsider situation occurring so perhaps she isn’t getting her share of hay. Ensure there are hay piles everywhere around the cage
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Hey since veggies and pellets make them eat less hay, should I try to make them go a day without it and just timothy hay? I wanna see if their poops go back to normla
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You’ve misunderstood. Pellets and veg don’t make them eat less hay. But if you overfeed pellets in particular then that isn’t good for them.

Feed them hay in unlimited amounts. Keep their veg to one cup per day and their pellets one tablespoon per day - think of them as snacks, not a meal and dont let them have constant access to pellets or veg. They will eat hay at all other times.

Feed them as normal and weigh them to see what is happening with their hay intake. There will be fluctuations in weight but as long as there aren’t any sudden large drops in one go and not a downward trend, then that’s fine.

If you think that one piggy is not eating enough and is perhaps unwell or having problems, then speak to a vet
 
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right, oh also, a week ago I just switched my pellets to burgess which is way better than my previous pelllets but does burgess have low fat?
 
Ilovemyguineapigs21 said:
right, oh also, a week ago I just switched my pellets to burgess which is way better than my previous pelllets but does burgess have low fat?
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No pellets are low fat as such - they do all have slightly varying nutrient levels and different ingredients though with some being better than others. As long you always keep pellets strictly limited to one tablespoon (measure them to be sure you’re not overfeeding them) and never think of them as a meal, they are just snack and the least important part of their diet regardless of what brand you give them. even low calcium pellets still contain more calcium than the highest calcium veg.

The nugget comparison chart below gives details on the nutrient levels and whether they are grain feee of a range of pellets

Nugget Comparison Chart
 
Ilovemyguineapigs21 said:
right, oh also, a week ago I just switched my pellets to burgess which is way better than my previous pelllets but does burgess have low fat?
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How do i make sure they each get enough of anything because they eat it from the same bowl/area Since my guinea pigs have drastically different appetites, theres a possibility one guuinea pig gets more than the other. However that doesnt matter with the hay but I'm asking about veggies and pellets
 
Ilovemyguineapigs21 said:
How do i make sure they each get enough of anything because they eat it from the same bowl/area Since my guinea pigs have drastically different appetites, theres a possibility one guuinea pig gets more than the other. However that doesnt matter with the hay but I'm asking about veggies and pellets
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If you’re going to use bowls then they need to be at least one body length distance between each bowl. They will likely stil share a bowl but there will then be plenty of other food elsewhere in the cage for them to move on to. Veg and pellets are much less important than ensuring they get enough hay though.
Ensuring they get their share is something which we all think about when we have multiple piggies but scattering food around their enclosure means they forage for it, they get enough. If there is always hay available, then they will eat that so nobody will be hungry.
 
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Piggies&buns said:
If you’re going to use bowls then they need to be at least one body length distance between each bowl. They will likely stil share a bowl but there will then be plenty of other food elsewhere in the cage for them to move on to. Veg and pellets are much less important than ensuring they get enough hay though.
Ensuring they get their share is something which we all think about when we have multiple piggies but scattering food around their enclosure means they forage for it, they get enough. If there is always hay available, then they will eat that so nobody will be hungry.
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Ok, but I noticed that after a couple hours, they get sick of their hay and not eat it but once I top up new hay they eat it all. But that creates a lot of hay that goes to waste and a lot of time that they dont eat hay. So what do i do?
 
Ilovemyguineapigs21 said:
Ok, but I noticed that after a couple hours, they get sick of their hay and not eat it but once I top up new hay they eat it all. But that creates a lot of hay that goes to waste and a lot of time that they dont eat hay. So what do i do?
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This is normal and what happens.
You need to top up hay regularly so it always fresh. There will be hay wasted - that is what life with piggies is like!
The must always have fresh hay available
 
Ilovemyguineapigs21 said:
A

and also when do u top up hay?
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Mine get hay top ups 3-4 times a day - every morning and just before dark (mine live in a shed) but they also usually need a top up early afternoon and sometimes again late afternoon but that one is less frequent if I put bigger handful in at the lunch time top up.
I remove any wet hay each time
 
Piggies&buns said:
Mine get hay top ups 3-4 times a day - every morning and just before dark (mine live in a shed) but they also usually need a top up early afternoon and sometimes again late afternoon but that one is less frequent if I put bigger handful in at the lunch time top up.
I remove any wet hay each time
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Oh ok. Ive only been topping hay up morning and night 😬.
 
Ilovemyguineapigs21 said:
Oh ok. Ive only been topping hay up morning and night 😬.
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Topping up morning and night is fine, as long as they always have some hay which is fresh and dry. It’s just mine eat a lot of it so they tend to need topping up a bit more, they are adults though
 
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