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Severely Underweight Piggie?

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Sid and Henry

Sid and Henry

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Hi, I have two Abyssinian boars and I believe they are brothers. I got them November 16 2013, and I was told that they were 8-12 weeks old then. However, the smaller one of the two, Sid, is very underweight. I believe they should weigh around 800-1000grams at that age? The problem is, Sid weighs a TINY 344grams! I'm so worried and it looks a teeny weeny bit like he has flaky skin on his his bottom right of the back! I told mom I want to take him to the vet tomorrow but she refused until "real" symptoms wer showing! I have hand fed him lots today and will take him in for extra hand feeding every day until he reaches a stable wegiht and if he does not gain much, I will take him to the vet. i will also weigh him daily. Henry on the other hand is much bigger but I did not get to weigh him today, he seems happy though. But I will close Henry off for a while when they get their food so Sid can get a good share of what's left!
Pease help avout what I can feed to help weight-gain for him?
 
He is definatley eating and drinking on his own completely fine! He doesn't seem to hate the food :) also, where can I go to clip their nails? They don't stand still at all >.<
 
If Sid is not putting on weight despite your best efforts then it looks like he may have a problem with food absorption.

Most vet clinics offer to do your nails or show you how to do them for a fairly small price. Youngsters are usually worst to do because they are so wiggly. You may find that they don't need to have their nails trimmed quite yet.
 
Most vets will clip nails for a small fee, so its worth ringing up and asking, otherwise some members here will have advice on that. As per weight, has he been getting heavier since he came to live with you? Because that is one very small piggy you have there and if he isn't putting weight on he definitely needs a vet visit to rule out some serious causes. With piggies weight loss is usually the first sign of illness.

What pellet food/mix are your boys on, and how much of it are they eating? Perhaps you could give us a little more info about their diet :)
 
I'm not certain if this is excessively underweight. How much does Sid's companion weigh? In September I fostered 4 boars who were approximately 5 to 6 months old & they weighed between 628 grams & 804 grams so 344 for a boar 1/2 the age is probably not far out. If there is a big difference in weight, try taking Sid out & giving him some extra food before they get fed together. This is what I've been doing with Minky who's been suffering from head tilt & eating very slowly so not getting her fair share. By feeding her separately she's improved tremendously & tonight I put her back in with the other two & she held her own with a good share of the food.
 
Connie said:
Most vets will clip nails for a small fee, so its worth ringing up and asking, otherwise some members here will have advice on that. As per weight, has he been getting heavier since he came to live with you? Because that is one very small piggy you have there and if he isn't putting weight on he definitely needs a vet visit to rule out some serious causes. With piggies weight loss is usually the first sign of illness.

What pellet food/mix are your boys on, and how much of it are they eating? Perhaps you could give us a little more info about their diet :)
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Thanks! They were originally on EXCEL guinea pig pellets with a little mint but while I was gone, my parents bought the Petsathome pellets however they seem to eat up the 50grams I give each a day. Also, I think Sid lost weight very abruptly because I only noticed it one day and got very anxious. They have Excel forage hay in their hideys and eat Timothy hay daily.
 
Stewybus said:
I'm not certain if this is excessively underweight. How much does Sid's companion weigh? In September I fostered 4 boars who were approximately 5 to 6 months old & they weighed between 628 grams & 804 grams so 344 for a boar 1/2 the age is probably not far out. If there is a big difference in weight, try taking Sid out & giving him some extra food before they get fed together. This is what I've been doing with Minky who's been suffering from head tilt & eating very slowly so not getting her fair share. By feeding her separately she's improved tremendously & tonight I put her back in with the other two & she held her own with a good share of the food.
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Thankyou, I have already started hand feeding him alone, I started immediatlely when I found out about his weight!
 
Obviously all pigs are different but 344gms does seem a little low if you are saying he is 5-6months old now? He is more a 8-12 week weight at 344gms. But you say he was 8-12 weeks then?. For comparison I have a trio of girls at 8-12 weeks who all weigh around 400gms and I have a boar born on 31/10 who weighs around 550gms but he is a skinny.

I would get to vets if he's losing weight.
 
Briony_Y said:
Obviously all pigs are different but 344gms does seem a little low if you are saying he is 5-6months old now? He is more a 8-12 week weight at 344gms. But you say he was 8-12 weeks then?. For comparison I have a trio of girls at 8-12 weeks who all weigh around 400gms and I have a boar born on 31/10 who weighs around 550gms but he is a skinny.

I would get to vets if he's losing weight.
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Yes, I am aware, thankyou. I have asked my mom 1000 times and she finally agreed that if he isn't gaining weight by next week, she'll take him, but as much as, I really wish I could go sooner, I can't. I will hand feed him alone so he gets a fair share of the meal and hopefully he gains weight. They live in an outdoor hutch with underfloor heating so they are warm so I don't think it's a cough or cold! Thanks for the reply! :)
 
Sid and Henry said:
Yes, I am aware, thankyou. I have asked my mom 1000 times and she finally agreed that if he isn't gaining weight by next week, she'll take him, but as much as, I really wish I could go sooner, I can't. I will hand feed him alone so he gets a fair share of the meal and hopefully he gains weight. They live in an outdoor hutch with underfloor heating so they are warm so I don't think it's a cough or cold! Thanks for the reply! :)
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No problem I hope he is feeling better soon x
 
it would be ok for him to have a few more pellets than his friend if he is needing to gain weight, also if you soak the pellets in boiling water and wait for them to cool, they will be soft so maybe see if he will take them like this (its much easier for a piggy to eat the softened pellets) incase his problem is with his mouth or teeth :)
 
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