Guinea pig concern

[Sarina]

Hello I have a concern I got two male guinea pigs from pet smart they both only weight 1.2 pounds each I just started to weight them kn the 11 this month I got one first which was September 29 and the second one October 3 they both eat their pellets and fruits but not much of the hay they are still very skittish if there’s noise they don’t come out I hold both of them everyday regardless I initially offered orchard grass hay and have offered them Timothy hay as well they don’t eat it that well either

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

It can take months for them to settle in and be more confident to allow you to touch them or not be quite so scares by noises. Piggies are naturally very nervous so you have to take your time with them. As prey animals noises are going to scare them and send them back into hiding.

We recommend that they are left alone for the first week. in the second week you sit by their cage and talk to them. From the third start offering food from your hand (which the probably won’t take to begin with) and then slowly start offering your hand to them to see if they will sniff you and eventually build up to letting you touch them.
I would not force them to be held at this stage if they don’t want to. I try to encourage trust with them and then work up to handling them. you have to be able to handle them for the weekly health and weight checks, and in case they ever need medication but generally speaking most piggies don’t like to be cuddled.

I have added guides below to help you.

New Guinea Pigs: How to Best Manage Arrival and Settling In
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

Hay is the most important part of their diet.
Make sure they have large loose piles odbir in their cage floor at all times. Don’t use hay racks or bags as it restricts their access to hay. They also like to play in hay.
You cannot gauge hay intake by eye so the weight checks are the only way to know they are eating enough.

You mention fruit. They should not eat any fruit. It is too much sugar and not good for them.
They can have one cup of vegetables per day - a small mix of lettuce, bell pepper, cilantro and cucumber.
Pellets - they can have just one tablespoon each per day. They are not important in the diet.
If you over feed veg and pellets then you can cause them to not eat enough hay so it is important you are accurate in the veg and pellet quantities and to keep both those items limited.
Ive added our diet guide below to help you further.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

As you have boys, space is very important. Make sure their cage measures 70x24 inches and it should be on one level. Anything less than those measurements will be too small for boars.
Also make sure you have two of everything in the cage and ensure all hides have two exits. Don’t use any single exit hides as it can cause one piggy to trap the other inside and cause fights.

I’ve added a guide below about boars as there are some specifics to keeping them

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

 

[Sarina]

Sorry I meant vegetables not fruits :/ I do give them but as a treat once a week I thought it was 1/8 cup per pig ? That’s what I was told by someone else with guinea pigs they do have piles of hay ! I’ll show a picture now

 

[Sarina]

Hello I have a concern I got two male guinea pigs from pet smart they both only weight 1.2 pounds each I just started to weight them kn the 11 this month I got one first which was September 29 and the second one October 3 they both eat their pellets and fruits but not much of the hay they are still very skittish if there’s noise they don’t come out I hold both of them everyday regardless I initially offered orchard grass hay and have offered them Timothy hay as well they don’t eat it that well either

I meant vegetables not fruits sorry

 

[Piggies&buns]

Veg is one cup per per pig per day
Pellets are one tablespoon per pig per day. This is how you will see the advice everywhere on the forum.
We don’t tend to use cup measures in the UK (although we will refer to veg in cups as it’s easier due to the differing densities of vegetables).
It looks like google says 1/8 cup is two tablespoons so (if that is a correct conversion) then you can give 1/8 cup once a day for them to share, but they shouldn’t have 1/8 cup each as that could mean they are getting double the amount they should have. (As I say this is based on a google conversion as we do not really use cup measures here)

What is vital is that you don’t over feed pellets - you are better off to under feed them (there are some of us on here (myself included) who don’t feed pellets at all). Too many pellets can stop them eating enough hay but also pellets contribute a lot of calcium into the diet which can lead to poor bladder health (sludge and stone formation).

Provided you don’t over feed veg and pellets (which are purely supplementary in the diet and only jointly make 20% of their daily food intake (15% for veg and 5% for pellets, hay being 80%) then if their weights are going up (if they’re young) or stable (if they’re adult) then you will know are eating enough hay.
Weigh them once a week (or daily if you have heath concerns) to monitor their hay intake.

I’ve added weight guides below to help further.
You will see everything is referred to in grams. Google conversion says that 1.2lbs is around 540g so I’m guessing your piggies are babies.

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support

The other thing to try to help them feel secure and settle is to cover half their cage. Piggies don’t like to feel exposed so clipping a blanket over one half of the cage and putting their hay under the covered side can help them feel safer.

 

[Sarina]

Veg is one cup per per pig per day
Pellets are one tablespoon per pig per day. This is how you will see the advice everywhere on the forum.
We don’t tend to use cup measures in the UK (although we will refer to veg in cups as it’s easier due to the differing densities of vegetables).
It looks like google says 1/8 cup is two tablespoons so (if that is a correct conversion) then you can give 1/8 cup once a day for them to share, but they shouldn’t have 1/8 cup each as that could mean they are getting double the amount they should have. (As I say this is based on a google conversion as we do not really use cup measures here)

What is vital is that you don’t over feed pellets - you are better off to under feed them (there are some of us on here (myself included) who don’t feed pellets at all). Too many pellets can stop them eating enough hay but also pellets contribute a lot of calcium into the diet which can lead to poor bladder health (sludge and stone formation).

Provided you don’t over feed veg and pellets (which are purely supplementary in the diet and only jointly make 20% of their daily food intake (15% for veg and 5% for pellets, hay being 80%) then if their weights are going up (if they’re young) or stable (if they’re adult) then you will know are eating enough hay.
Weigh them once a week (or daily if you have heath concerns) to monitor their hay intake.

I’ve added weight guides below to help further.
You will see everything is referred to in grams. Google conversion says that 1.2lbs is around 540g so I’m guessing your piggies are babies.

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support

The other thing to try to help them feel secure and settle is to cover half their cage. Piggies don’t like to feel exposed so clipping a blanket over one half of the cage and putting their hay under the covered side can help them feel safer.

I’ve been giving them double the amount starting tomorrow I will for sure do the right amount then thank u so much and I’ will cover half their cage and put the hay there as well and no sadly they are not babies they told me at the pet store they are adults ! Thats why I’ve been concerned but they both eat their vegetables well and love it the pellets as well it’s just the hay I see they don’t eat as much should I maybe they are loving the vegetables because for sure PetSmart didn’t give them any of that but the pellets and hay .

 

[Piggies&buns]

Did they tell you an age or did they just say adult?
Adult is from 15 months onwards.

If they really are adult then at just 540g that is hugely of concern. Adult boars generally are 800-1600g.
You should weigh them every day to monitor their hay intake. Don’t over feed veg and pellets and keep a very close eye.
I would get them to a vet for a health check asap.

If they are not used to eating veg then you cannot just suddenly give them a normal amount of veg. They have to be built up very slowly and carefully - literally one sprig of a herb for several days: then give two sprigs of herb for several days: then add in a very thin slice of lettuce for several days. *
Monitoring them constantly for any signs of digestive issues (soft poops etc). Too much veg on unprepared guts can cause bloat.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Sorry, didn’t finish my sentence properly

* And build veg intake up from there, adding variety every few days and then increasing the amount slowly until they are at the recommended amount

 

[Sarina]

I’ve been giving them double the amount starting tomorrow I will for sure do the right amount then thank u so much and I’ will cover half their cage and put the hay there as well and no sadly they are not babies they told me at the pet store they are adults ! Thats why I’ve been concerned but they both eat their vegetables well and love it the pellets as well it’s just the hay I see they don’t eat as much should I maybe they are loving the vegetables because for sure PetSmart didn’t give them any of that but the pellets and hay .

I’ve been giving them double the amount starting tomorrow I will for sure do the right amount then thank u so much and I’ will cover half their cage and put the hay there as well and no sadly they are not babies they told me at the pet store they are adults ! Thats why I’ve been concerned but they both eat their vegetables well and love it the pellets as well it’s just the hay I see they don’t eat as much should I maybe they are loving the vegetables because for sure PetSmart didn’t give them any of that but the pellets

Did they tell you an age or did they just say adult?
Adult is from 15 months onwards.

If they really are adult then at just 540g that is hugely of concern. Adult boars generally are 800-1600g.
You should weigh them every day to monitor their hay intake. Don’t over feed veg and pellets and keep a very close eye.
I would get them to a vet for a health check asap.

If they are not used to eating veg then you cannot just suddenly give them a normal amount of veg. They have to be built up very slowly and carefully - literally one sprig of a herb for several days: then give two sprigs of herb for several days: then add in a very thin slice of lettuce for several days. Monitoring them constantly for any signs of digestive issues (soft poops etc). Too much veg on unprepared guts can cause bloat.

I’ve been weighing everyday and I get 1.2 pounds everytime unless my scale doesn’t work properly .and okay I will do that for the vegetables then thank you I’m looking for a. exotic vet tomorrow near me that I can take them too

 

[Sarina]

Sorry, didn’t finish my sentence properly

* And build veg intake up from there, adding variety every few days and then increasing the amount slowly until they are at the recommended amount

And no they didn’t say ,asked and said they didn’t know . Just said adults

 

[Piggies&buns]

So they either are babies and aren’t growing (albeit you haven’t had them long) (usually you would see babies weights go up each week) or they are adult with stable but very low weights.
As I say, we do use grams on the forum so I am needing to convert your lbs measurements back so there may be slight inaccuracies

Let us know how you get on with the vet

 

[Piggies&buns]

One, unreliable, way to help assess is to look at their nails - baby nails tend to be thin and pointy. Adult nails are thicker.
It’s not a guarantee or reliable but it may give a bit of an idea before you see the vet

 

[Sarina]

Here is one of them the other one is not letting me get him now but they both show the same weight when I weigh them both same place just got them like a week apart

 

[Sarina]

One, unreliable, way to help assess is to look at their nails - baby nails tend to be thin and pointy. Adult nails are thicker.
It’s not a guarantee or reliable but it may give a bit of an idea before you see the vet

They nails are thin and pointy not thick at all !

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’d be guessing babies then but hopefully the vet will able to give you a better idea

 

[Sarina]

I’d be guessing babies then but hopefully the vet will able to give you a better idea

How are the vets able to tell ?

 

[Piggies&buns]

How are the vets able to tell ?

They can’t tell you exactly but by looking at them, feeling them, checking nails and teeth etc they may get an idea of whether they are baby or adult and therefore whether they are small as adults or will still be expected to grow as babies
We obviously can’t do that for you as we can’t have hands on your piggy

 

[Sarina]

They can’t tell you exactly but by looking at them, feeling them, checking nails and teeth etc they may get an idea of whether they are baby or adult and therefore whether they are small as adults or will still be expected to grow as babies
We obviously can’t do that for you as we can’t have hands on your piggy

I’ve started watching videos since u mentioned the nail thing and there nails are definitely really think and sharp I even get light scratches on me when I pick them up I hope i get a good idea at the vet since I have been feeding the adult guinea pig food now I feel horrible I didn’t imagine the pet store would lie to me or just say anything basically

 

[Piggies&buns]

They do all come in different shapes and sizes but 580g as adults is small. Although weight does only tell you about their hay intake; you check their heft to determine whether they are a good size for themselves (as per the weight guide I added).

I currently have two three year old boys. One weighs 1100g and the other just 850-900g.
The two piggies who passed away last year weighed 1250g in adulthood and the largest was 1550g in adulthood.
All are perfectly fine on heft - just very different.

They should eat the adult guinea pig food regardless of their age.
Baby piggy food is a complete gimmick and entirely unnecessary. It contains alfalfa which piggies shouldn’t eat.

 

[Sarina]

They do all come in different shapes and sizes but 580g as adults is small. Although weight does only tell you about their hay intake; you check their heft to determine whether they are a good size for themselves (as per the weight guide I added).

I currently have two three year old boys. One weighs 1100g and the other just 850-900g.
The two piggies who passed away last year weighed 1250g in adulthood and the largest was 1550g in adulthood.
All are perfectly fine on heft - just very different.

They should eat the adult guinea pig food regardless of their age.
Baby piggy food is a complete gimmick and entirely unnecessary. It contains

 

[Sarina]

They do all come in different shapes and sizes but 580g as adults is small. Although weight does only tell you about their hay intake; you check their heft to determine whether they are a good size for themselves (as per the weight guide I added).

I currently have two three year old boys. One weighs 1100g and the other just 850-900g.
The two piggies who passed away last year weighed 1250g in adulthood and the largest was 1550g in adulthood.
All are perfectly fine on heft - just very different.

They should eat the adult guinea pig food regardless of their age.
Baby piggy food is a complete gimmick and entirely unnecessary. It contains alfalfa which piggies shouldn’t eat.

Okay thank u so much yes like I mentioned they don’t seem to eat much of the hay should I try to change it while I can get them to the vet and should I check they heft when they are stretched out or ?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Okay thank u so much yes like I mentioned they don’t seem to eat much of the hay should I try to change it while I can get them to the vet and should I check they heft when they are stretched out or ?

You need to find a hay which they like - you can try a different one, it’s trial and error.

To check your heft you just put your hands around their ribs - no stretching them out needed

 

[Sarina]

You need to find a hay which they like - you can try a different one, it’s trial and error.

To check your heft you just put your hands around their ribs - no stretching them out needed

I just Checked if they had ate any hay and they ate way more than they have the past few days I just gave them Timothy hay instead last night guess they weren’t enjoying the orchard one .

 

[Sarina]

I just Checked if they had ate any hay and they ate way more than they have the past few days I just gave them Timothy hay instead last night guess they weren’t enjoying the orchard one .

A different brand bc they originally didn’t like the other Timothy hay as much either

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum.
It’s good to see that it’s already proving helpful and you sound like a very caring owner.
The piggies are lucky to be in your care.
The one photo you could post shows a very lovely piggy.
Looking forward to more pictures and getting to know you

 

[Sarina]

Welcome to the forum.
It’s good to see that it’s already proving helpful and you sound like a very caring owner.
The piggies are lucky to be in your care.
The one photo you could post shows a very lovely piggy.
Looking forward to more pictures and getting to know you

Yes I love them thank you I’m trying my best since it’s my first time I have a appointment for them two days from now hope they are well since I have concerns about both of their weights

 

[Merab]

Hopefully the vet visit will go well and they will be able to reassure you

 

[lyllica]

Hello I have a concern I got two male guinea pigs from pet smart they both only weight 1.2 pounds each I just started to weight them kn the 11 this month I got one first which was September 29 and the second one October 3 they both eat their pellets and fruits but not much of the hay they are still very skittish if there’s noise they don’t come out I hold both of them everyday regardless I initially offered orchard grass hay and have offered them Timothy hay as well they don’t eat it that well either

 

[lyllica]

They should be eating lot's of Timothy hay and some pellets and fresh water. My GP likes bell pepper, that's practically the only veg she eats. Each pig is different I got my Guinea pig from Petco July, she was about about 3-4 weeks weighed 11.8 oz. August 1 16 oz. September 1, 1.35 lbs. October 14 1.7 lbs.
Take them to the vet for check up if they're not eating. Don't wait, make an appointment

 

[Sarina]

They should be eating lot's of Timothy hay and some pellets and fresh water. My GP likes bell pepper, that's practically the only veg she eats. Each pig is different I got my Guinea pig from Petco July, she was about about 3-4 weeks weighed 11.8 oz. August 1 16 oz. September 1, 1.35 lbs. October 14 1.7 lbs.
Take them to the vet for check up if they're not eating. Don't wait, make an appointment

They are eating everything they love all the vegetables but that hay well they are eating it it’s just ik they should be eating more of it I did make a appointment alr thank you