guinea pigs don’t eat when i’m gone

[theparenttoaperuvianandtexel]

I'm not completely sure where i should write this but hopefully this will work.
my guinea pigs don’t eat very much when i’m not the one feeding them or when i’m not home. is that normal? and if not what can i do to prevent it?
they’re both nine months old and i’ve had them since they were three weeks.
since i got them during quarantine, i’m usually constantly in the room with them and i’ve found that when i leave for 24+ hours they don’t eat as much.
i was gone for a week and they didn’t eat as much hay (they did eat a lot but not the normal amount for them) and they didn’t eat their pellets.
is it possible that they have separation anxiety or something like that?

 

[Merab]

I can’t advise but wanted to welcome you to the forum.
One of the experts will be along to help.
Your post is in the right place

 

[Wiebke]

I'm not completely sure where i should write this but hopefully this will work.
my guinea pigs don’t eat very much when i’m not the one feeding them or when i’m not home. is that normal? and if not what can i do to prevent it?
they’re both nine months old and i’ve had them since they were three weeks.
since i got them during quarantine, i’m usually constantly in the room with them and i’ve found that when i leave for 24+ hours they don’t eat as much.
i was gone for a week and they didn’t eat as much hay (they did eat a lot but not the normal amount for them) and they didn’t eat their pellets.
is it possible that they have separation anxiety or something like that?

Hi!

Are you weighing your piggies once weekly as part of your regular life-long health monitoring in combination with a weekly health check and are you switching to weighing daily at the same time if you have any specific health concerns or during illness?
Otherwise you won't be able to check whether your piggies are actually eating enough in your absence or not. Normal kitchen scales from a supermarket or ebay are perfectly fine for the job. We cannot help you without a concrete measurement as to whether your piggies are actually losing weight or not if you are away for over a day or not. Just checking by eye can be deceptive.

Please be aware that guinea pigs should only get 1/8 cup = 1 tablespoon of pellets per piggy per day anyway. Has the carer in your absence cleaned the pellet bowl daily in case you piggies have peed into it and then stopped eating them? And has the hay been just refilled? How much veg are your piggies fed while you are away? If it is a larger amount than usual, then that will mean that they will eat and drink less of their other staples.

Please take the time to read these information guides here, which you will hopefully find helpful:
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Guinea pig body quirks - What is normal and what not?

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

I hope that you are getting a better grip on the situation when you have clear proof of whether your piggies are actually eating less or not.

 

[theparenttoaperuvianandtexel]

I can’t advise but wanted to welcome you to the forum.
One of the experts will be along to help.
Your post is in the right place

thank you!

 

[theparenttoaperuvianandtexel]

Hi!

Are you weighing your piggies once weekly as part of your regular life-long health monitoring in combination with a weekly health check and are you switching to weighing daily at the same time if you have any specific health concerns or during illness?
Otherwise you won't be able to check whether your piggies are actually eating enough in your absence or not. Normal kitchen scales from a supermarket or ebay are perfectly fine for the job. We cannot help you without a concrete measurement as to whether your piggies are actually losing weight or not if you are away for over a day or not. Just checking by eye can be deceptive.

Please be aware that guinea pigs should only get 1/8 cup = 1 tablespoon of pellets per piggy per day anyway. Has the carer in your absence cleaned the pellet bowl daily in case you piggies have peed into it and then stopped eating them? And has the hay been just refilled? How much veg are your piggies fed while you are away? If it is a larger amount than usual, then that will mean that they will eat and drink less of their other staples.

Please take the time to read these information guides here, which you will hopefully find helpful:
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Guinea pig body quirks - What is normal and what not?

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment

I hope that you are getting a better grip on the situation when you have clear proof of whether your piggies are actually eating less or not.

i do weigh them weekly, however i did forget to last week because of how unusually busy i was
the last time i weighed them they were 818 grams and 750 grams and they are now 798 and 858
the person taking care of them followed my directions daily, so every amount was normal for them. however they did continue to give them pellets even though they weren’t eating them so they had quite a lot in their cage when i got home. i wasn’t aware of this, but i put them back when i noticed. so that’s one way i know they weren’t eating as much.
and no worries, i make sure to only give them 1/4 cup of pellets divided into two bowls (it’s not exact because they share lots so it’s impossible to assure they eat only 1/8 cup each but i’d say it’s pretty even based off of my observations in the past)
i know they didn’t lose a bunch of weight from what i’ve seen, but i’m worried it might become a problem in the future especially because in july i’ll have to be gone for three weeks.

 

[Siikibam]

You can scatter feed the pellets. It can be enrichment for them to go looking for them as they eat.

 

[Swissgreys]

Our piggy Ruby is very people orientated (well one person in particular) and I will say that she did tend to loose a little weight when her favourite person was away.
BUT I would also say that after a few days this tends to stop, as the piggies settle into their new routine and get used to the changes.
It's like when you first bring them home - it takes time for them to settle, but they are actually very adaptable and hardwired to survive.

So I would say a small amount of weight loss is ok (and even normal) for some piggies, but it shouldn't be huge. and it will settle down if you are gone for longer.
Over the time we have owned Ruby we have been away for as long as 5 weeks (with regular trips of 3+ weeks), and her slight weight loss at the start had actually sorted itself out by the time we got back.

So personally it isn't something I would worry about.
Unless there is an underlying medical condition no guinea pig will starve themselves to death!

 

[weepweeps]

I can relate to your worries. I have a dog who only eats when I’m in the room with him! Such a stress when I’m away on holiday. But he does get over it after a few days. I’m sure your piggies will be fine.

 

[Wiebke]

i do weigh them weekly, however i did forget to last week because of how unusually busy i was
the last time i weighed them they were 818 grams and 750 grams and they are now 798 and 858
the person taking care of them followed my directions daily, so every amount was normal for them. however they did continue to give them pellets even though they weren’t eating them so they had quite a lot in their cage when i got home. i wasn’t aware of this, but i put them back when i noticed. so that’s one way i know they weren’t eating as much.
and no worries, i make sure to only give them 1/4 cup of pellets divided into two bowls (it’s not exact because they share lots so it’s impossible to assure they eat only 1/8 cup each but i’d say it’s pretty even based off of my observations in the past)
i know they didn’t lose a bunch of weight from what i’ve seen, but i’m worried it might become a problem in the future especially because in july i’ll have to be gone for three weeks.

Hi

Do your weights mean that both piggies have gained around 40-50g or that one has lost 20g (the equivalent of two full bladders) and the other has gained over 100g? In the first case, there is nothing to worry about and in the second case it looks like your second piggy has been stuffing themselves while the other has mostly maintained their weight but should be vet checked in the slow and so far minimal weight loss continues. We usually speak of weight loss only over 50g because the weight swing over the course of 24 hours is usually about 30-40g, depending on how full/empty the belly and bladder are.

Please always do not overfeed on pellets (they contain a lot of empty fillers and - because they soften as soon as they come into contact with saliva), they do not help to grind down the crucial backteeth that have evolved against the natural amount of fresh grass (which is actually high in vitamin C and the reason why guinea pigs never had to make their own) and hay. Always empty the pellet bowl at the end of the day and clean it. Your piggies will ultimately live longer and be healthier if you do not overfeed pellets. Remove any food bowls between meals in order to encourage the intake of hay.
They are also not at risk of vitamin C deficiency as our own long term experiences over 15 years and literally tens of thousands of piggies passing through here are showing. Most of the actually very few scruvy-related issues we are contacted over are in fact the result of long term overdosing of vitamin C.

 

[theparenttoaperuvianandtexel]

Hi

Do your weights mean that both piggies have gained around 40-50g or that one has lost 20g (the equivalent of two full bladders) and the other has gained over 100g? In the first case, there is nothing to worry about and in the second case it looks like your second piggy has been stuffing themselves while the other has mostly maintained their weight but should be vet checked in the slow and so far minimal weight loss continues. We usually speak of weight loss only over 50g because the weight swing over the course of 24 hours is usually about 30-40g, depending on how full/empty the belly and bladder are.

Please always do not overfeed on pellets (they contain a lot of empty fillers and - because they soften as soon as they come into contact with saliva), they do not help to grind down the crucial backteeth that have evolved against the natural amount of fresh grass (which is actually high in vitamin C and the reason why guinea pigs never had to make their own) and hay. Always empty the pellet bowl at the end of the day and clean it. Your piggies will ultimately live longer and be healthier if you do not overfeed pellets. Remove any food bowls between meals in order to encourage the intake of hay.
They are also not at risk of vitamin C deficiency as our own long term experiences over 15 years and literally tens of thousands of piggies passing through here are showing. Most of the actually very few scruvy-related issues we are contacted over are in fact the result of long term overdosing of vitamin C.

it’s the first situation sorry it was a little confusing.
as far as i know i don’t overfeed them pellets. they get 1/8 cup each. i am wondering though, am i giving them too much vitamin c? they have pellets, a variety of fruits (only once a week of course) and veggies, and unlimited hay but i also give them vitamin c tablets since that’s what a lot of places suggested.

 

[Piggies&buns]

it’s the first situation sorry it was a little confusing.
as far as i know i don’t overfeed them pellets. they get 1/8 cup each. i am wondering though, am i giving them too much vitamin c? they have pellets, a variety of fruits (only once a week of course) and veggies, and unlimited hay but i also give them vitamin c tablets since that’s what a lot of places suggested.

They don’t need additional vitamin c supplemented to them. They get all they need from their healthy diet od hay, veg and one tablespoon of pellets (guinea pig pellets are already fortified with vit c)