Uk Heatwave - Weight loss

[adavies2]

Hello all,

The UK has had some pretty high temperatures in recent weeks, and ive noticed my black and tan Abyssinian (Fig) has lost a little weight.

She was around 1.2kg about a month ago, and this morning shes 978 grams.
Shes still eating hay and salad, but just a little anxious about the weight loss.

Fig has not had a single health issue yet, I used to post a lot about my piggy Honey who had ovarian cysts and passed away earlier in the year.

Am I being a little paranoid?
My flat reaches around 36 degrees C in the heatwaves, and being in a UK house, I dont have AC. She had ice bottles keeping her cool as well as the fan in the room to circulate cooler air (not directly on the cage). And at night we would sit on the balcony to enjoy cooler breezes.

Shes still active, eating, very eager for treats. Overall, shes fantastic, just wondering if its normal for guinea pigs to lose a little in the extreme heat

Thanks again.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry to hear this.
This means she has lost 222g which is of concern and means she has not been eating enough hay.
It’s not strictly normal for them to lose weight in heat. They should still be eating sufficient hay. It therefore means that if heat is affecting their appetite then that can be a symptom of heatstroke.

Switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh her daily so you can monitor hay intake more closely.
If she loses more weight again over the next morning or two then step in with syringe feeding and speak to your vet.

I hope she is ok

Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels

 

[adavies2]

Thank you for your kind reply.

Her weight has been stable at 980ish, so i am thinking she was fatigued from the heat, bordering heat stroke.
Its so tricky keeping them cool in this heat, thankfully the past few days have been nice and cool.

Thanks again, this forum is great for overthinkers

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your kind reply.

Her weight has been stable at 980ish, so i am thinking she was fatigued from the heat, bordering heat stroke.
Its so tricky keeping them cool in this heat, thankfully the past few days have been nice and cool.

Thanks again, this forum is great for overthinkers

Hi

I am very sorry. We have information on heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Please also take into account that high humidity can also impact on your piggies, not just the temperature or temperature jumps.
Loss of appetite/GI stasis is usually a hangover from a heat stroke/acute heat exhaustions that has been survived but your piggy will need feeding support since the impact on the gut can be longer lasting and will make her more prone to another bad reaction or secondary complications if there is another high heat spell. We still have August and now sadly also September to get through.
I would recommend that you have your girl vet checked.

You may find the information and the wide range of tested (and not just handed around) tips helpful.
Keeping piggies cool starts with keeping the room as cool as possible because when you see your piggies plastered to any cooling device in their cage, they are definitely overheated and uncomfortable. In our experience it is lots of little measures that can together make quite a difference but since we live in widely different places and accommodations, everyone of us has to work out what combination works best for themselves.

This is our comprehensive hot weather guide, which looks at all aspects and tries to offer the widest range of practical advice and tips possible: Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike