One Overweight Guinea Pig , One Underweight.

[Brodier54]

Hi there folks. I'm having a bit of trouble with two of my sows. One of them Penny is currently underweight, she was down from her usual weight of 750g to about 550g and after a bit of nursing she is getting better and is up to 660g. However my other pig Elsa has gone up from her healthy weight of 1250g to 1440g.

So basically my issue is that Elsa and Penny are in the same cage and I can't limit how much Elsa eats without making Penny lose weight again. I have tried limiting the amount of food in the cage and taking Penny out for separate feedings but it just isn't as effective at helping her put weight back on as having food in the cage for her to graze on. I was hoping someone might have come across a similar problem and had a solution to offer.

 

[helen105281]

How old is Penny? has she had a health issue that has been treated? Is there any dominance over food?

Welcome to the forum, please could you update your location on your profile as it helps us tailor our advice to the relevant country.

 

[Mother Hubbard]

The other thing to consider is how many food bowls in the cage, if you have one bowl then that could also be an issue.

 

[Brodier54]

How old is Penny? has she had a health issue that has been treated? Is there any dominance over food?

Welcome to the forum, please could you update your location on your profile as it helps us tailor our advice to the relevant country.

Hi, thanks for replying. Penny is about 18 months old and she was being treated for a URI which was effecting her breathing but she has just finished running a course of antibiotics and she is a lot better but still a little skinny and not gaining weight at any great rate. As for dominance over food if anything she seems to be more dominant than the piggy twice her size funnily enough, Elsa is quite timid though and to answer Mother Hubbard's question there are two bowls in the cage with 3 pigs. As per you advice I have updated some details on my profile, thanks for letting me know .

 

[helen105281]

Has she always been small? how many URIs has she had? do you know if your vet has ever considered a heart issue? A low weight (failure to thrive) and recurrent URIs are 2 of the possible signs. Does she sleep very soundly? does she ever make a hooting noise followed by a cough? If it was the URI that made her drop weight then that's ok but if she was only 750g to start with that is very small for her age. Just something to consider. If the correct diagnosis is made they can do very well on medication. Diagnosis would ideally need to be done by a scan or conscious xray, though I was lucky enough to know someone who could pick heart issues up on a stethoscope really easily which then enabled me to point it out to the vet who could then hear it for themselves. On an xray the heart would possibly be enlarged and there may be fluid.

 

[Brodier54]

She has always been quite small and this is the second time we have had to put her on antibiotics. Our vet has never mentioned the possibility of a heart problem and she seems to sleep fairly soundly. I haven't noticed any hooting or coughing but she does sneeze a few times a day. She is generally of a smaller build so when she is sitting at around 750g she feels like she is carrying a healthy weight. I will make an appointment to go to the vets and see if they can look into potential heart issues. In the meanwhile could you recommend how to control my overweight pig's weight while still giving penny full access to all the food she needs.

P.s. I don't know if its of any relevance or not but the guinea pig we originally had with penny was also awfully small and she died after only having had her for a few months.

 

[Wiebke]

Her small size can be genetic/inherited issue.

There are a few things you can try:
Feed smaller portions of pellets and veg several times a day in 2-3 bowls, spaced ideally at least a body length apart, so that the bigger piggy can't hog it all. You can additionally top the little one up with offering syringe feed, but also place a small portion in the cage at the same time, so your bigger girl won't feel left out.

As an unlimited supply of hay should make up to 80% of the daily food intake, you do not have to worry about them going short in between meals; it actually encourages them to concentrate on the one food group that is vital for long term dental and gut health.

The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight

 

[Brodier54]

Her small size can be genetic/inherited issue.

There are a few things you can try:
Feed smaller portions of pellets and veg several times a day in 2-3 bowls, spaced ideally at least a body length apart, so that the bigger piggy can't hog it all. You can additionally top the little one up with offering syringe feed, but also place a small portion in the cage at the same time, so your bigger girl won't feel left out.

As an unlimited supply of hay should make up to 80% of the daily food intake, you do not have to worry about them going short in between meals; it actually encourages them to concentrate on the one food group that is vital for long term dental and gut health.

The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight

Hi, thanks very much for chipping in. I think that could potentially help a lot so I'll definitely give it a try and see if it helps. What would you recommend syringe feeding her? When she was really bad we were giving her oxbow critical care.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi, thanks very much for chipping in. I think that could potentially help a lot so I'll definitely give it a try and see if it helps. What would you recommend syringe feeding her? When she was really bad we were giving her oxbow critical care.

Try mushed up pellets or a mix of critical care and pellets; often the familiar taste is going down better. It is important that the other guinea pig has at least a smattering of whatever you are feeding, too, as extra feeds can cause bad blood. If you are lucky, your girl will like to scoff it from a spoon or the bowl directly.
Here are more tips: Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

 

[helen105281]

She has always been quite small and this is the second time we have had to put her on antibiotics. Our vet has never mentioned the possibility of a heart problem and she seems to sleep fairly soundly. I haven't noticed any hooting or coughing but she does sneeze a few times a day. She is generally of a smaller build so when she is sitting at around 750g she feels like she is carrying a healthy weight. I will make an appointment to go to the vets and see if they can look into potential heart issues. In the meanwhile could you recommend how to control my overweight pig's weight while still giving penny full access to all the food she needs.

P.s. I don't know if its of any relevance or not but the guinea pig we originally had with penny was also awfully small and she died after only having had her for a few months.

Hopefully Wiebke has helped, I was going to suggest mushed pellets etc too, we do that with our tiny girl Katie. It does sound like it may be genetic if her sister was small but worth getting it checked when you next see your vet.

 

[Brodier54]

Hopefully Wiebke has helped, I was going to suggest mushed pellets etc too, we do that with our tiny girl Katie. It does sound like it may be genetic if her sister was small but worth getting it checked when you next see your vet.

I'll make sure we try our best to fatten her up, i still have some critical care left so ill mash that in with the nuggets. Thanks again for all the help.