Froggerella
Junior Guinea Pig
My oldest sow, Jenga (4 years old now) has had a slow decline in her weight over the last year. She's had a couple of upper respiratory tract infections which have been treated by a vet each time, and the vet has monitored her weight too, as she appears to have dropped weight each infection. On the last visit he commented that she's a little underweight but didn't appear concerned beyond that.
Of all my cavies she's noticeably the skinniest, and sits around the 850g mark these days. I've been watching her closely and she still eats perfectly normally - she'll dive on any fresh veg as soon as it's in front of her, she's always munching on hay, has kibble available too as a back up. She lives with one other sow (her daughter) but there's no signs of dominant behaviour that would mean Jenga isn't getting her food - and when I watch them, they eat the food equally.
Jenga remains energetic, there's been no other signs that would concern me. She's prone to chest infections but they get treated quickly and she recovers. However, I can't help but worry about her low weight. She also drinks a lot - she seems to be obsessed with water, and the bottles in my girls' hutch need refilling noticeably more frequently than my boys' bottles. We've raised this with the vet in the past and he doesn't seem to think there's any reason to be concerned about this particular trait.
Jenga has recently (last couple of weeks) taken to shouting at us, even after fresh food has been topped up. This is a change in behaviour for her. She'll continue to eat, but will often stand up and shout at us for a minute first. This could mean something, it could mean nothing.
Essentially, I'm asking if I need to worry, and if anyone has any suggestions? I have some critical care and I've started trying to top up her diet this week with small amounts, in the hope I can try and slowly get her weight up again... Am I doing the wrong thing? Is there more I can be doing? As I say, she's still as energetic as ever, definitely eating her food and drinking her water, no issues with her hutchmate, and has seen the vet regularly over recent months.
Of all my cavies she's noticeably the skinniest, and sits around the 850g mark these days. I've been watching her closely and she still eats perfectly normally - she'll dive on any fresh veg as soon as it's in front of her, she's always munching on hay, has kibble available too as a back up. She lives with one other sow (her daughter) but there's no signs of dominant behaviour that would mean Jenga isn't getting her food - and when I watch them, they eat the food equally.
Jenga remains energetic, there's been no other signs that would concern me. She's prone to chest infections but they get treated quickly and she recovers. However, I can't help but worry about her low weight. She also drinks a lot - she seems to be obsessed with water, and the bottles in my girls' hutch need refilling noticeably more frequently than my boys' bottles. We've raised this with the vet in the past and he doesn't seem to think there's any reason to be concerned about this particular trait.
Jenga has recently (last couple of weeks) taken to shouting at us, even after fresh food has been topped up. This is a change in behaviour for her. She'll continue to eat, but will often stand up and shout at us for a minute first. This could mean something, it could mean nothing.
Essentially, I'm asking if I need to worry, and if anyone has any suggestions? I have some critical care and I've started trying to top up her diet this week with small amounts, in the hope I can try and slowly get her weight up again... Am I doing the wrong thing? Is there more I can be doing? As I say, she's still as energetic as ever, definitely eating her food and drinking her water, no issues with her hutchmate, and has seen the vet regularly over recent months.
