Weighing Guinea Pigs

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keli

keli

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Everyone here seems to weigh their pigs to keep an eye on their health but it's one thing I've never done.
What kind of weighing scales do you use?
And is there some kind of chart you can follow to see if your guinea pig is in good health?
 
I just use my kitchen weighing scales, not digital just normal ones. I just check that they are putting on weight(they are still babies) and that they haven't dropped in weight. I weigh them about once a fortnight :)
 
I weigh mine once a fortnight and just record it in an exercise book, I use digital kitchen scales I brought from asda for £5. Thye are a little bit small to fit the girls on so I use a bowl for them to sit in and just reset the scales.
 
Just to add, their weights can fluctuate up to 50 grams (difference between whether they've eaten and also when they've pooed/peed), but if more it may be something to look out for.
 
Cool thanks guys. I'll be heading to argos to get a scales today so!
I want to keep an eye on my new baby pig and my little female
 
we were weighing ours regularly and then forgot for about two months I would say and we got a really big fright with JUles especially as he had lost nearly 300g to what he had been - straight on here to get advice fae all these lovely people and then booked into the V.E.T - he has now started to gain weight again and I think it may have been that he needed wormed (eternal thanks tyo Laura_CCC4 for suggesting this :) ). We have been weighing them every day just to keep an eye on them but once Jules reaches a more "normal" weight for him we will go back to once a week

we just use the kitchen scales too hehe
 
I weight Goofy on daily basis as after his op he lost around 150g. Now he weights around 1080g and does not want to go any higher although foe the healthy male the weight should be about 900-1200g.

I also use a digital scale and put Goofy in a bowl so he stays still for a little while to check the scale
 
Thanks for the info Laura, I was just looking for what I could use. I thought a digital one would be more accurate but I guess I can use my normal kitchen scales :) Am off to weigh them.
 
Here are tips about what to look out for when you are weighing and especially about what kind of weight loss needs acting upon:
http://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html

I use my digital kitchen scales, but I have an old cracked oval bowl that is just the right size for the piggies. If I am worried about a piggy's health, I weigh daily; it is good to have an idea of how much a piggy is weighing normally, so you can spot any problems early and tell the vet just how much they have lost. I weigh my healthy fully grown adults about fortnightly, as long as their heft feels "right" when I pick them up for a cuddle.

AS long as your girls are still growing a lot, I would weigh weekly; the growth rate will slow down when they are between 6-9 months old and will normally stop between 12-15 months when guinea pigs become full, hormonally settled adult.
 
Mimi said:
Now he weights around 1080g and does not want to go any higher although foe the healthy male the weight should be about 900-1200g.
Click to expand...

I just wanted to clarify on this...healthy weight (for either males or females) can be as varied as 800g - 1800g. Most of mine weight in at 900g - 1100g although I have some that are 1200g - 1400g and still perfectly happy, healthy and not overweight. Some pigs are naturally chunkier than others!
 
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