Old Age Piggies

[Midge&Panda]

A quick question to the slaves of piggies that have reached the age of 5+ yrs. Do you find it difficult maintaining their body weight and do you have any tips for keeping weight on/ weight gain for them. Thanks.

 

[Wiebke]

It is much more difficult to maintain weight or regain weight, especially once health issues come into play. I have some piggies where pretty much nothing is working to get their weight up past a certain (low) level.

 

[alisont]

When I've had elderly guineas it often seems to have been health issues that kicked in and made them lose weight like dental issues or bladder stones more recently.
I've now got 4 young boars who eat anything given and one elderly boy with health issues.

Artie I've had 2 years and he was anything from 5 + when he came into rescue before I got him. He was a neglected guinea before rescue and was I think about 600g on arrival at rescue, he's stayed around high 800's with me but now has a small tooth abscess so is now about 810g but I'm watching him/weight carefully,

He eats pretty well and now I know what is wrong medically I think I can get his weight back up a little. He is sat eating away as I type!

I tend to give smaller regular feeds of green and tend to let him have what he wants - he loves spinach so he gets it daily (younger ones don't as I'm aware of high calcium foods with them having had a bladder pig)

I'm trying alternatives treatment wise for Artie like Manuka honey on his abscess area which does seem to be helping.

If he ever stops eating I shall have to arrange a long trip to see a dental vet but at the moment he's happy and eating well.

I always keep a recovery feed in stock and syringes in case he needs a build up. I hope not as with being at work I would only be able to do morning and evening feeds but there is always a way round things.

I keep a weight sheet record on the computer - weekly for the young ones and every few days for Artie as I'm monitoring him.

 

[Claire W]

My Eliza is nearly 6.5 years old now. She had an eye removed in September where her weight dropped slightly but she managed to regain and hovers around the 900g mark.

Eliza used to weigh around 1150g at her heaviest when she was in her prime a has steadily dropped some weight since the age of about 4.5 years.

If you are concerned about anything, it may be worth a vet visit just for a general check up.

During the course of last week, Eliza suddenly became very boney around her back and shoulders despite eating like a horse and Sod's law, I had no working scales.

So, we went to the vet on Monday where she had a full check over including her teeth and poos. Turns out she is perfectly healthy and hasn't lost any weight but in fact gained 30g since her last weigh in.

Eliza has plain porridge oats daily, baby corn / corn on the cob a few times a week, Timothy hay with dandelion and marigold (fed in moderation), barn dried grass and I have just ordered some alfalfa hay again to feed in moderation on top of the meadow hay I use for bedding which they also eat.

I have no idea if any of this helps to maintain her weight but I like to think it is helping.

 

[Midge&Panda]

Thanks Claire. She's going for a checkup this week, it sounds like I'm doing the same things as you although because Midge has bladder issues I'm cautious about adding alfalfa to her diet saying that though I have 2 rescues who are fed a Lucerne mix which I think is just another name for alfalfa. She will often have a small amount as a treat. As for the porridge oats they're just there to be walked in. I've read somewhere about giving wheetabix. Is this something to be considered?

 

[Claire W]

My piggies wouldn't touch porridge oats but since I started to sprinkle them in the dry food, they eat them although I'm not sure what the difference is.

I have heard the same about wheetabix but I'm not sure to be honest. Guinea pigs can eat bran so it may be worth a try. I guess it depends on the ingredients