hi,
Our handsome teddy has always been a bit up and down weight wise. We have had him since June when he was maybe around a year we estimate. He hit his heaviest ever weight in December at 1066g (must have been festive over indulgence!) and we weigh regularly. In the last month he has lost a total of 64g (30g in the past week) and is now 980g.
My question really is how much weight loss is normal/acceptable? He has always been a smaller framed piggy and appears happy and healthy but want to make sure we aren't missing anything.
TIA
A X X
Hi! If your boy was at an all time high in December and is now just below his long term average weight, then there is no major reason to worry. However, if the gradual weight loss you have seen over the last month continues (please weigh weekly), then it is time for a health check at the vets.
Adult guinea pig weights are usually stable within a ca. 50g range over the course of a year or a day depending on where in the digestive cycle they are and how full their bladder is.
Around 4-5 years when they grow elderly they gradually loose some weight as part of the aging process. The top piggy in a pair or group is usually a bit fatter because of the privileged access to food; this is more pronouced in a group. Some guinea pigs are greedier than others. Just take that into your considerations, too.
You can see a vet if your boy is getting more than 40-50g below his average band of weight and there is a gradual weekly downhill trend over several weeks. See a vet latest once the gradual weight loss is hitting 100g (irrespective of age). This usually points to a slowly developing underlying health problem.
If your boy loses 50-100g in a day or a week, then you are dealing with acute illness/loss of a appetite and need to see a vet either as an emergency or as soon as possible during regular hours, depending on the symptoms and the rate of deterioration. Switch to weighing daily at the same time and start offering fibrous syringe feed and water.
If you have got a piggy with less stable weight, then it is worth investigating with a vet why these swings are getting larger. Your boy is a young adult. His weight should be stable or still increase a little. A guinea pig is usually at the peak of its life and its all time high weight when it is 2-3 years old.
An overweight guinea pig can suffer a dramatic weight loss very quickly, simply by using up its weight reserves, but can put that back on a too rich diet again. If you have got a dainty piggy that is not overweight, then a smaller weight loss is correspondingly more serious. Your piggy is at the lower edge of the overall ideal weigh range for average piggies, so his overall weight is nowhere near worryingly low; just so you can place him.
How you can check for whether your boy's weight is right for his size and whether he is feeling underweight or not is explained in this guide. As long as the 'heft' of your boy is still in the normal range, then it is geenrally more a matter of observation for any emerging weight trends.
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight
I hope that that helps you?
