Guinea Pig is losing weight...

[hrsrdr]

I have a guinea pig that's about 5 years old, and is a male. Lately he has been losing weight. I can feel his spine and hip bones, and he weighs 1.5 pounds. He has been eating normally. (Pellets, hay, water) No diarrhea, no discharge from mouth or eyes or nose. He has been pooping and peeing regularly. His legs have small patches of fur missing, and he has been much more skittish. He bit me twice today, and I noticed that he left a little white powder where he bit me. Does anyone know what this is? It's been going on for a few weeks, and hasn't seemed to get better or worse.

 

[Gem789]

I have a guinea pig that's about 5 years old, and is a male. Lately he has been losing weight. I can feel his spine and hip bones, and he weighs 1.5 pounds. He has been eating normally. (Pellets, hay, water) No diarrhea, no discharge from mouth or eyes or nose. He has been pooping and peeing regularly. His legs have small patches of fur missing, and he has been much more skittish. He bit me twice today, and I noticed that he left a little white powder where he bit me. Does anyone know what this is? It's been going on for a few weeks, and hasn't seemed to get better or worse.

If he's suddenly biting along with the weight loss that makes me think he's in pain. The white spots are excess calcium, the odd one is OK but if you see them regularly you may want to check what you're feeding etc. Your Piggie definitely needs to see a vet x

 

[Lady Kelly]

I agree with the above. The bald patches could be self barbering which is usually a sign of pain too. Please see a vet asap, it's highly likely he is eating but not as much as he needs to

 

[Piggies&buns]

I completely agree. He needs to see a vet. There is something wrong with him and only a vet is going to be able to diagnose the problem.
If he is losing weight, then he isn’t eating his normal amount. Given hay needs to be the biggest part of their diet and you can’t gauge hay intake by eye. You can only do it by keeping track of their weight. How much weight has your piggy lost?

 

[hrsrdr]

I don't know. I'm still trying to find his vet records. He feels thinner when I pick him up. I keep feeding him the same amount though, and he eats the same amount. I started giving him more hay after my friend(also a piggie owner) suggested that his digestive system was off balance and he wasn't getting enough nutrients from the food he ate. As of right now, he is about a pound and a half.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hay needs to make up over 80% of their daily food intake. Pellets and vegetables are supplementary and should be kept limited. Give one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day, and around 50g of vegetables. Ensuring get calcium rich vegetables are strictly limited and that drinking water is filtered to reduce calcium intake. The links below will help with further information.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading

Weighing your piggy is important. They should be weighed weekly as a matter of routine, but daily where there are health concerns. Any losses above normal fluctuations (ie full/empty bladder/tummy) should be cause for concern.

Weight - Monitoring and Management

Any suggestion that there may be pain, or any other concerns such as the patches of missing fur and your pig should see a vet.

 

[hrsrdr]

Thankyou for everyone's help! Took my piggy to the vet, and turned out he had an oral infection. He's better now though!