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Is Daisy small for her age?

Spaniel

Spaniel

Teenage Guinea Pig
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I’m trying to build a divide in the cage and having trouble making it work/over-lapping the c&c grids so most of the little squares are as is.

I’m paranoid that Daisy is going to get stuck!

She’s 16 weeks old (so we were told) and she’s 460g. She has definitely grown since we got her but is she still small?

Never had a baby before! The tip of her snout definitely goes through but does that mean her head could? She’s trying to reach through to steal hay on the other side lol.

Her new friend is on his way so I need to work something out. He’s also young, 5 months so same potential issue? Not sure.
 
She didn’t want to pose next to it for reference lol but here’s the divide.

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Hi

The weight difference between newborns can be as much as 40g - 120g (or rarely even a little more) - that means that the largest pups are three times the size than the smallest. This carries through. Daisy is within acceptable limits. Please don't get fixated on 'averages' and numbers.

The good news is that she still has months in your good normal care to optimise her individual genetically determined weight/size ratio and that the body size doesn't determine how long a piggy lives.

My Morwenna was born in rescue to a highly pregnant arrival in a very bad state. She was just 40g and needed a helping hand in her first days. Yet she and one of her larger litter sisters have outlived the majority of my other piggies to not only celebrate her 8th birthday (her sister Mererid sadly passed away from old age 9 days before that landmark birthday) but she lived to become my so far only piggy to celebrate her 8th adoption anniversary. A third litter sister, Myfina (the largest of the triplets), sadly died on Christmas 2017 from a blockage, coming up to 4 years.
You can never tell...
(Morwenna 'White Seas' - Myfina 'My Little Lovely One' - Mererid 'Margaret/'Pearl')
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What counts is your good normal care to keep her in the ideal weight range as much as possible. That is in your control. The rest isn't. But several of my most long-lived piggies have been those that were hovering around the lower end of the adult weight range throughout the prime of their lives.

You may find this guide here helpful in putting things into perspective: Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support
 
Thank you :)

I think she has a small head :)

I managed to over-lap some more grids as best I could and I’m glad I did because she’s doing a very good job of trying to break through to get to her new neighbour who is a very lovely and handsome boy :)
 
Spaniel said:
Thank you :)

I think she has a small head :)

I managed to over-lap some more grids as best I could and I’m glad I did because she’s doing a very good job of trying to break through to get to her new neighbour who is a very lovely and handsome boy :)
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The head shape is genetic. Nothing you can do about that. Good that you can secure the grids without risking her to get her head stuck in the grids.
 
How exciting having new and young piggies! Please forgive me for asking if you already have this planned, but I did notice you have both sexes and didn’t mention anything about them not remaining separated or getting either one fixed. Or perhaps one of them already is? Sorry if I’m stating the obvious.
 
Janey said:
How exciting having new and young piggies! Please forgive me for asking if you already have this planned, but I did notice you have both sexes and didn’t mention anything about them not remaining separated or getting either one fixed. Or perhaps one of them already is? Sorry if I’m stating the obvious.
Click to expand...

He’s newly neutered so they’re in a split cage until they can be bonded :)
 
Spaniel said:
He’s newly neutered so they’re in a split cage until they can be bonded :)
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Aww, I almost didn’t ask, but pleased it’s all in hand! Hope you didn’t mind!
 
She’s not attempted to squeeze through thankfully but she’s been bar biting, digging and ripping newspaper so I think she really wants to get to him :( I think she might be younger than we were told. Is live alongside company ok if she’s 4 months but possibly less? Still got six weeks to wait until he’s safe after neutering!
 
He’s meant to be only a month older but he’s a lot bigger than she is, probably just under half bigger I would say although his hair is wild so that makes him look bigger too :)
 
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