Weight Loss... Due To Change In Diet?

RingoandOlly

RingoandOlly

Junior Guinea Pig
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So yesterday I posted in the health and illness section about my boar Olly losing 93g in 9 days whilst Ringo's weight went down some too. I was freaking out so I instantly assumed he was ill.
However, my friend just pointed out that I changed their diet 9 days ago so Olly has lost about 10g a day since then.
Could it be that I was feeding too much before and now I'm giving them a healthy, balanced diet, he is losing weight in fat? He is a very chubby pig compared to Ringo which could be why Ringo is losing less.
I'm asking mainly because we seriously doubt that they are ill and because they have both lost weight at the same time and just after the change, so it seems to be more diet related.
Thanks! xx
 
I would take them to the vet to be sure as only your vet will be able to make a right diagnosis. Weight loss is the fist sign that something is wrong with a guinea pig and although a guinea pig may look and act perfectly healthy they hide there illness until it is too late usually. It won't hurt taking them for a check up and should only cost around £30 each providing there is no health problems and if there is a health problem you will have caught it early so it should very treatable. Good luck!
 
Weight loss can be a sign of dental issues -something that not all vets are great at spotting unless they're very experienced with guinea pigs.

What kind of changes have you made to their diet? Is it just that you're feeding less? Ideally any changes in diet should be done slowly to avoid any tummy upsets/stress.
Are they both still losing weight daily?
 
Like @Beans&Toast said - I think it would depend on what sort of dietary changes you have made.
I don't think cutting out a few veg will have made a huge difference (unless you were feeding a lot of sugary veg like carrots and fruits) but if you reduced pellet this could make a difference (in my very limited experience).

Over the Summer the amount of grass mine have been eating has increased dramatically. I am actually at the point now where it is the major part of their diet.
It was a at this point that Ruby decided she didn't like the new bag of nuggets that I bought (same brand they have been eating for a year, just a new bag) and stopped eating them.
All of the others still eat nuggets and grass and unlimited hay of course.
Ruby slowly lost about 100 grams over the period of a month, and has stayed at the consistently lower weight ever since.
But she has been health checked, the weight loss has stopped, and she is fine.
She just like to drive me insane with worry....
 
If I don't remember wrong, the piggie who lost that weight weighed 1300g... quite a lot! :roll:
here vets (the best vets) are starting considering fat a piggie who weighs 1100-1200g because they have started considering not only the scales, but also the fat under the skin.
If your old diet produced a lot of fat and now the new diet is adjusting the body in a different way, it does not mean that the piggie is falling ill and your piggie was even checked by the vet (if I am not wrong).
Honestly I would not worry at all... (I would worry if my pet would be too chubby).
My vet, just like the vet of the rescue, did not even worry when my Calipso was skin&bones. He said "she will grow up, don't overfeed her, don't give her many pellets, otherwise she will develop fat mass only".
Don't forget that the fat produces hormones (estrogens)... and hormones need to be well balanced.
Pellets= Mc Donald's :sly:
 
Swissgreys said:
Like @Beans&Toast said - I think it would depend on what sort of dietary changes you have made.
I don't think cutting out a few veg will have made a huge difference (unless you were feeding a lot of sugary veg like carrots and fruits) but if you reduced pellet this could make a difference (in my very limited experience).

Over the Summer the amount of grass mine have been eating has increased dramatically. I am actually at the point now where it is the major part of their diet.
It was a at this point that Ruby decided she didn't like the new bag of nuggets that I bought (same brand they have been eating for a year, just a new bag) and stopped eating them.
All of the others still eat nuggets and grass and unlimited hay of course.
Ruby slowly lost about 100 grams over the period of a month, and has stayed at the consistently lower weight ever since.
But she has been health checked, the weight loss has stopped, and she is fine.
She just like to drive me insane with worry....
Click to expand...
Ruby... keep in mind that you are talking of a valued Language Teacher, not a common piggie:))... And important people don't eat processed dried food maybe...:cool:
A friend (language teacher!) of mine started a healthy diet at home and her (normal weight) husband transformed himself in a skeleton. Everybody started being seriously worried of him, having lost 9kg in few weeks, and doctors sent him for blood tests and scans, thinking about a cancer. After three years (and no evidence of diseases) his collegues are still sure that he is about to die for some disease, but actually this man is healthy and all his past allergies and his eczema have disappeared... They cut off only gluten and processed foods. He is the only one at home to have been lost so much weight and he is keeping his (too low!) weight eating like a pig and feeling fine with a great energy (he is 50).
Pets are not that different...
 
My porky pig Anselmo weighed 1400g. We stopped feeding him any pellets due to calcium/bladder issues and over the course of a few months he lost 200g. He was being monitored by a vet at the time so it wasn't illness related.

So, it's entirely possible that changing a diet could make them lose weight.
 
Jaycey said:
My porky pig Anselmo weighed 1400g. We stopped feeding him any pellets due to calcium/bladder issues and over the course of a few months he lost 200g. He was being monitored by a vet at the time so it wasn't illness related.

So, it's entirely possible that changing a diet could make them lose weight.
Click to expand...
porky pig! ahahahah!XD and Anselmo sounds as a funny name for a pet, too! (I had a relative called Anselmo and he probably looked like your piggie! he used to drink too much wine... and his doctor-and his wife- scolded at him a lot and put him on diet...:)))
 
When I weighed him last night he felt different, puffed up. I was very worried about bloat so we rang the emergency vets and got him there in about an hour after noticing this. However, it turned out that he was fine. The vet said it was probably trapped wind or something and maybe mild constipation (he was squeaking as he pooped poor baby), but as long as he is pooping, peeing and being active he doesn't have bloat. She said it was quite a considerable weight loss (1219g-1126g) but that it sounds like it was the change of diet to her because he looked to be in 'generally perfect condition and happy in himself' (smug piggy mama moment). She also checked his teeth, eyes and temperature which were all 'perfect' so we basically paid £109.96 for an 'out of hours' consultation to be told that he was pretty much fine. I was so so so relieved! He is now 1151g which I am happy with. xxxxxx
 
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