Guinea Weights

[Rocky and Oreo]

I'm concerned about the weights of my two male guinea pigs. They're about five months old and appear to be in good health apart from their weights. The have hay 24/7, they're on pets at home nuggets mixed in with Tesco's own which i give them everyday and I give them vegetables each day too.The thing is Rocky the more dominant pig is 690g and Oreo is 579g. Oreo has always weighed less than Rocky but recently the gap has widened. I'm worried that Oreo is underweight or Rocky is overweight. I'm hoping someone could tell me how much a 5 or 6 month old guinea pig should weigh and also how much they should weigh when they're a year old.

 

[Wiebke]

I'm concerned about the weights of my two male guinea pigs. They're about five months old and appear to be in good health apart from their weights. The have hay 24/7, they're on pets at home nuggets mixed in with Tesco's own which i give them everyday and I give them vegetables each day too.The thing is Rocky the more dominant pig is 690g and Oreo is 579g. Oreo has always weighed less than Rocky but recently the gap has widened. I'm worried that Oreo is underweight or Rocky is overweight. I'm hoping someone could tell me how much a 5 or 6 month old guinea pig should weigh and also how much they should weigh when they're a year old.

They are both fine; my latest intake is the same age and somewhere in between the two in weight.

Guinea pig weights can vary a lot, even between litter mates; my current three one year old foster litter sisters are about 200g apart, but my previous litter sisters greedy Nerys and energetic Nia were a staggering 400g difference in weight at their peak - and yet they have lived both happy lives to a good age; Nia passed away a year ago at nearly 6 years old and Nerys is about to celebrate her 7th birthday (although much shrunk these days). As long as both boys have the right "heft" (i.e. a good weight/size ratio with just the right amount of meat on their ribs), you need not worry.

If you wish, you can feed them their pellets and veg in 2-3 smaller portions in two bowls placed well apart, so they can eat everything in one go and the dominant boy can't hog more.

You may find these threads here helpful:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...ng-ideal-weight-overweight-underweight.38805/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/

 

[Rocky and Oreo]

They are both fine; my latest intake is the same age and somewhere in between the two in weight.

Guinea pig weights can vary a lot, even between litter mates; my current three one year old foster litter sisters are about 200g apart, but my previous litter sisters greedy Nerys and energetic Nia were a staggering 400g difference in weight at their peak - and yet they have lived both happy lives to a good age; Nia passed away a year ago at nearly 6 years old and Nerys is about to celebrate her 7th birthday (although much shrunk these days). As long as both boys have the right "heft" (i.e. a good weight/size ratio with just the right amount of meat on their ribs), you need not worry.

If you wish, you can feed them their pellets and veg in 2-3 smaller portions in two bowls placed well apart, so they can eat everything in one go and the dominant boy can't hog more.

You may find these threads here helpful:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...ng-ideal-weight-overweight-underweight.38805/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/

Thank you for your response I was just a bit worried there was something wrong. I will keep checking their weights just in case but at least there's nothing to worry about now. I guess I've always been a bit worried about Oreo as he was so tiny compared to his big brother.

 

[emilysfurbabies]

Hi

I'm concerned about the weights of my two male guinea pigs. They're about five months old and appear to be in good health apart from their weights. The have hay 24/7, they're on pets at home nuggets mixed in with Tesco's own which i give them everyday and I give them vegetables each day too.The thing is Rocky the more dominant pig is 690g and Oreo is 579g. Oreo has always weighed less than Rocky but recently the gap has widened. I'm worried that Oreo is underweight or Rocky is overweight. I'm hoping someone could tell me how much a 5 or 6 month old guinea pig should weigh and also how much they should weigh when they're a year old.

My guinea is also underweight. I have a 7 month old male guinea pig who is only weighing 350grams. He has been wormed and is eating

 

[Rocky and Oreo]

Hi

My guinea is also underweight. I have a 7 month old male guinea pig who is only weighing 350grams. He has been wormed and is eating

That's exactly the problem I had I read online that by a year old a male guinea pig should weigh 1kg, I don't know how true this is. I've been feeding my guinea pigs separately and that appears to have helped. Also whilst brushing my smallest guinea pig I saw some little brown/black dots on his back and neck so have started using some parasite spot on. I don't know whether any of these things have helped but he has put on a bit of weight recently.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

My guinea is also underweight. I have a 7 month old male guinea pig who is only weighing 350grams. He has been wormed and is eating

Hi and welcome!

Your boy is very small for his age. Has he been vet checked for dental (including back teeth) or metabolic problems? Is he white with pink eyes, so he could be potentially a lethal?

Some guinea pigs are naturally smaller; they are usually called "runts", but you want to make sure that there is no underlying issue.

If you could please add your country, state or UK county to your details, you will help us a lot, as we have got members from all over the world, and ou advice can vary considerably depending on what is available and possible where you are.

This link here will take you through to our health/illness section. You can find the green button that lets you start your own thread on the right. https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/forums/health-illness.12/

 

[helen105281]

Hi

My guinea is also underweight. I have a 7 month old male guinea pig who is only weighing 350grams. He has been wormed and is eating

Hi, please could you start a thread in the health and illness section. That way we can advise you specifically on your pig. Please could you include some background information and also update your location on your profile as that will affect the advice we can give. It does seem a very low weight for a 7 month old boar.

 

[helen105281]

Wiebke and I posted at the same time.