is my piggie underweight?

[babygerl66]

He is about 14 weeks old and weighs 450 grams. i thought I was doing ok until I saw on another post someone has a baby who is nearing the 400 grams mark. I feed him a whole bowl of Veggies every day, plus his hanging Veggie ball is always full. he has hay on tap but doesn't seem to eat much so I put some forage stuff with it to tempt him. He also has a full bowl of pellets but takes two or three days to empty it.

I feel like I've got it all wrong?

What can I do to get his weight up if infact he is underweight? Is it ok to feed critical care if they are not poorly? I sprinkled a bit on his veg today as he loves the stuff and hoped it would tempt him to eat more of them. That was probably the wrong thing to do right?

 

[Wiebke]

No, don't worry - that weight is perfectly OK and your youngster is doing fine!

Guinea pigs normally grow until they are 12-15 months old, but they have the ability to make up for lost ground until they are about two years old. A single baby (like mine) tends to weigh more at birth and has the benefit of getting all of mummy's milk, so it will have a head start. However, that evens out eventually. My little monster baby will probably come close to her ideal weight sooner and her growth rate will slow down that bit earlier. She has just been weaned, and her growth rate has already started to slow down a bit.

Your boy is well within the acceptable weight limit for a healthy youngster and has the full potential of realising his own ideal adult weight without any need of feeding more than a normal good diet.

Adult guinea pigs can weigh anything between 800-1800g, although 900-1400g seem to be the average for well kept piggies on here. This wide range is the reason why absolute weight charts just don't work for piggies.

 

[babygerl66]

Thank you ever so much, had myself in a right tizz!

 

[Connie]

Great info wiebke, Just to add, the best way to tell if you piggy is doing ok is to weigh him weekly. This will let you know if his weight drops indicating he isnt eating propperly. I keep a diary that i put both their weights in, then also when they have their nails clipped or visit the vet.

 

[babygerl66]

Thank you, I do weigh him, I just wasn't sure if he was putting on enough weight. Thanks guys xx

 

[Little Pig]

Not sure if I read your post correctly, but it sounds like he has a constant supply of vegetables? If so, this probably explains why he isn't eating so many nuggets or hay. Try just feeding vegetables twice a day and it may encourage him to eat more hay?

 

[babygerl66]

Yes he does have a constant supply, as he will eat a bit when its put in and then leave it, then later eat a bit more and so on. how long would you leave his veg in there before taking it out?

 

[liquorice allsorts]

mine get fed veg in the morning, then clean hay and pellets in the eve, the next morning, i take out any leftover veg, as it can quickly go stale, and give fresh- then the whole cycle begins again x

 

[Wiebke]

Ideally, he gets only about a cupful of mixed veg a day in one or two servings. Up to 80% of the daily food intake should be hay. Unlimited pellets until his growth rate is starting to slow down between 6-9 months old, then reduce the amount VERY slowly to the handful or half fully grown adult piggies need.

Please weigh your piggy once weekly. At his current age, the weekly growth rate seems to be about an average of 20g, but it can go up to 30g occasionally. The most important thing is that he is healthy, alert and active and weighing a bit more every time you put him on the scales!