I Can Feel Her Bones!

[Gizi]

I have no idea why but i can feel honey's and gizi's bones! I can feel their spine and maybe their ribs. Am i under feeding them? I sure hope not! They get unlimited hay, 1 cup of vegetables per day and an eighth of a cup of nuggets. They have the fattest tummies though! They have really big tummies so i'm not exactly sure about all this.

 

[Flutterby]

Do you weigh them regulerly? What are their weights now and their ages?

 

[JackJack1]

Have you checked they are eating what you have given them? Sometimes they do not like the type of hay that you give them and only play at eating it. This might explain why you feel their bones.

I would suggest that you weigh them at the same time each day and see what they weigh and if their weight is steady or if they are losing weight. If their weight is going downwards make an appointment with a vet and get them seen quickly as weight loss is an indication there is something wrong.

A guinea pig will vary in weight depending on size, but tend to be on my own experience, on average around 1100g. Most of mine have been around this weight. Some might be more, but not usually much less than this. A good indication of if they are underweight is also feeling their bones, so you are right to question if they are underweight.

If they are otherwise well and very active, then weighing them should sort out whether they are eating properly, as they will maintain their weight daily. You must weigh them at the same time of day though, as their weight can fluctuate during the day also.

Get a notebook and record their weights and then you can see how their weight varies from day to day and you also have a record for any vet visits also if they are needed. The vet will want to know of any weight fluctuations to make a proper diagnosis.

 

[Gizi]

I always weigh them at 4pm on Sundays every week. They always eat their hay vegetables and pellets. They are very active and popcorn daily
Honey is 2 years old and weighs 997g
Gizi is 7 months and weighs 806g
Honey has never been more than 1050g. She's i guess smaller than a normal piggie.

 

[Chief Guinea Pig]

I always weigh them at 4pm on Sundays every week. They always eat their hay vegetables and pellets. They are very active and popcorn daily
Honey is 2 years old and weighs 997g
Gizi is 7 months and weighs 806g
Honey has never been more than 1050g. She's i guess smaller than a normal piggie.

I know piggies which are much less and a 6 years, those weights seem good.
Check there is no influence in the weight each week. Otherwise I would not worry.

 

[JackJack1]

I always weigh them at 4pm on Sundays every week. They always eat their hay vegetables and pellets. They are very active and popcorn daily
Honey is 2 years old and weighs 997g
Gizi is 7 months and weighs 806g
Honey has never been more than 1050g. She's i guess smaller than a normal piggie.

As you seem a little concerned, to put your mind at rest, I would suggest you weigh them daily for a few days and see if there is any steady weight loss over a few days. This will also help to put your mind at rest if they are maintaining their weight daily for a while and are not gradually losing weight.

It is however a good sign that they are active and you know they are eating their food. Just be careful that one of them is not eating most of the food and the other is not getting their share, as it can be difficult sometimes when you have 2 together to decide if both are eating enough and one is not eating almost all the food. This can be due to dominance. I had 2 guinea pigs once and one was a bit more dominant than the other and this would sometimes cause food issues, so I had to be careful they were both getting enough to eat. One guinea pig would eat their piece of veg and then go after the other's piece of veg and eat theirs if they were not quick enough to eat it. So this may also be a consideration and you can only see this by watching them how they eat their food together.

The other option is also to increase their pellets as this is high energy food for them and they will put on a bit of weight and fill out and cover their bones a bit more. If you increase their pellets and they do not want them, they will leave them anyway.

 

[Wiebke]

Please weigh your piggies once weekly at the same time to see whether the weight is stable. It is normal to feel the bones, especially in very young and older piggies. You test the heft by Feeling the upper Body. For a good weight/Body size Ratio, you should be able to just feel the ribs. If they are all sticking out, a piggy is underweight. If you can't feel them at all, then a piggy is overweight.

How bad is the summer heat where you are?

 

[Gizi]

Please weigh your piggies once weekly at the same time to see whether the weight is stable. It is normal to feel the bones, especially in very young and older piggies. You test the heft by Feeling the upper Body. For a good weight/Body size Ratio, you should be able to just feel the ribs. If they are all sticking out, a piggy is underweight. If you can't feel them at all, then a piggy is overweight.

How bad is the summer heat where you are?

Yes thats it! I can just feel their ribs. The weather is not too bad on some days but there's the days we have to have the air con on even though we know it's expensive

 

[Wiebke]

Yes thats it! I can just feel their ribs. The weather is not too bad on some days but there's the days we have to have the air con on even though we know it's expensive

So rest assured that your piggies are in optimal condition. All the best for you not having another heat wave in your part of the world again like in the last few years!