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Ideal Weight For Guinea Sows

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stephaniecham

stephaniecham

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My two girls are apparently the same age (according to the pet shop who I bought them from), and they will both be a year old in May 2015. I just weighed them both out of curiosity, and Agnes is 2.4lb and little Margo is 1.1lb..... Margo is a lot smaller than Agnes and I am concerned that Margo is underweight. Am I worrying too much or I this is perfectly normal.
Agnes does eat a lot, they don't fight for food or anything, and they both love their fruit (I know not to give them too much fruit as they re high in sugars).
Any advice would be greatly appreciated :0) .........
 
I can't think in lb and oz, so I'll convert the weights to g - Agnes is just over 1 kg and Margo is about 500g, which is pretty low. My rule of thumb about weight is: if the ribs can be felt really easily - too thin, if you can just about feel them - just right, if you can't find them - too fat! All piggies are different of course, but it would be worth getting Margo checked out at the vet, just to make sure there aren't any underlying problems that may be causing her to be underweight. It may be that she is just small.
I would also recommend getting into the habit of weighing them regularly (every week) so that you can spot a change. Weight loss is often the first sign of illness as piggies, being a prey species, are very good at hiding it if they are unwell.
 
There is a really wide range of normal weights... my biggest sow weighed in at close to three pounds at her heaviest, and my smallest one never got much more than 1 lb 10 oz. I would suspect that Agnes is probably just on the small side, as you are not seeing any signs of illness, but if you are concerned you can always take her for a checkup just in case.
 
I agree with @Elwickcavies.

However, Agnes sounds slightly on the larger side, while Margo sounds slightly on the lighter side - I question whether Agnes is taking more than her fair share of feed. . . How is Agnes, and Margo's relationship - Have you witnessed any bullying?! Is Agnes, and Margo housed indoors?! Do you have two of everything - For example, food bowls, and water bottles?!

I would also agree with/ recommend weighing Agnes, and Margo on a weekly basis.
 
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