Weight of my 7 week old piggies

[mary70]

i have weighed them this morning seed is 254g sunflower who was the runt is only 154g does that seem ok ?.
I am going to weigh them again next week and see how they are getting on

 

[Suzygpr]

Hi Mary70

Are you certain that the ages/weights are correct? The weight for the average 6-8 week old baby would be 400g - this is the minimum rehoming weight among reputable rescues and also the minimum as set by the British Cavy Council.

I am concerned that such small babies are outside in a hutch as the temperature at night is now dropping quickly. I would advise bringing them inside if at all possible as this would mean that their food is going into growing well, rather than maintaining their body temp which is harder for those with a small body mass.

If you are unable to house them inside, do you have snuggle safe heat pads that can go in the bedroom compartment to help keep them warm? I find them very effective.

Suzy x

 

[mary70]

Hi Mary70

Are you certain that the ages/weights are correct? The weight for the average 6-8 week old baby would be 400g - this is the minimum rehoming weight among reputable rescues and also the minimum as set by the British Cavy Council.

I am concerned that such small babies are outside in a hutch as the temperature at night is now dropping quickly. I would advise bringing them inside if at all possible as this would mean that their food is going into growing well, rather than maintaining their body temp which is harder for those with a small body mass.

If you are unable to house them inside, do you have snuggle safe heat pads that can go in the bedroom compartment to help keep them warm? I find them very effective.

Suzy x

i am 100% sure that the age is right and i have weighed them myself today, i am starting to worry now as a few people have said the same, they are very lively and are starting to get very vocal, they both seem to be eating ok although not alot of food

 

[Shellza]

i am 100% sure that the age is right and i have weighed them myself today, i am starting to worry now as a few people have said the same, they are very lively and are starting to get very vocal, they both seem to be eating ok although not alot of food

They are very tiny for 7 weeks old. What feed are you giving them? If you aren't already I would suggest feeding something like Burgess Excel Blackcurrant and Oregano pellets or Wagg Optimum as the pellets are best to prevent selective feeding and these two usually go down quite well with piggies. The pellets are small too so will be easier for little mouths .
I know some people will feeds oats to fatten up piggies, but I'm not sure of the best way to feed them. Hopefully they will start to put on weight soon as they are very, very tiny. As Suzy mentioned, is it possible for you to house them inside? I would worry about them being outside because they are so small.

 

[mary70]

They are very tiny for 7 weeks old. What feed are you giving them? If you aren't already I would suggest feeding something like Burgess Excel Blackcurrant and Oregano pellets or Wagg Optimum as the pellets are best to prevent selective feeding and these two usually go down quite well with piggies. The pellets are small too so will be easier for little mouths .
I know some people will feeds oats to fatten up piggies, but I'm not sure of the best way to feed them. Hopefully they will start to put on weight soon as they are very, very tiny. As Suzy mentioned, is it possible for you to house them inside? I would worry about them being outside because they are so small.

i have been and bough tiny pellets this morning, the wolf dandilion leaves down, i am def going to get them indoors somehow, i am so worried now, mt daughter loves them to bit and will be devastated if anything happens to them, so will i

 

[PottyForPiggies]

The weights are low for young piggies, however what matters is you are a wonderful, responsible owner by asking for advice when you are unsure, and taking on board what people are telling you I hope they are getting plenty of veggies as well, yummy things are always good to encourage them to eat There is a suggested shopping list of veggies on this thread:

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42

It's worth mixing and matching - particularly while they are young, you can find out what things they like. Mine are not as receptive to new things now they're a bit older

Please let us know how they are getting on, and please keep an eye on their weights. You can always keep an Excel spreadsheet if that will help to track them. Try and weigh them at the same time of day as well: I always weigh mine before feeding in a morning as it's the most accurate time for them.

 

[Claire W]

Hi,

As others have said they are very small for their age but you are a great and caring owner. Try not to worry, they seem happy and healthy in themselves.

One of my girls was the runt of the litter and was tiny when I adopted her. She was perfectly healthy though.

The rescue were happy for me to take her as her mum had started to get annoyed with her and push her out plus the rescue were confident as she already new me through the forum and didn't live far away.

I fed foods such as carrot (not in large amounts), leafy veg, apple, pepper, cucumber, celery and corn on the cob. Please introduce new veggies slowly. I also sprinkled dry porridge oats over the top of the dry food which all my piggies seemed to love. I *think* you can water the oats down but I didn't as I wasn't sure and they were fine eating them dry.

I feed a combination of nuggets and muesli but as already suggested, excel blackcurrant and oregano and Wagg optimum (which I think is now called Harringtons) are brilliant for small mouths.

Bringing them indoors somehow or at least moving them to the shed will be good. I left mine out but it was a hot summer and she had 3 bigger girls to snuggle up to.

My girl soon put weight on as she grew and is now my second largest piggy

 

[mary70]

Hi,

As others have said they are very small for their age but you are a great and caring owner. Try not to worry, they seem happy and healthy in themselves.

One of my girls was the runt of the litter and was tiny when I adopted her. She was perfectly healthy though.

The rescue were happy for me to take her as her mum had started to get annoyed with her and push her out plus the rescue were confident as she already new me through the forum and didn't live far away.

I fed foods such as carrot (not in large amounts), leafy veg, apple, pepper, cucumber, celery and corn on the cob. Please introduce new veggies slowly. I also sprinkled dry porridge oats over the top of the dry food which all my piggies seemed to love. I *think* you can water the oats down but I didn't as I wasn't sure and they were fine eating them dry.

I feed a combination of nuggets and muesli but as already suggested, excel blackcurrant and oregano and Wagg optimum (which I think is now called Harringtons) are brilliant for small mouths.

Bringing them indoors somehow or at least moving them to the shed will be good. I left mine out but it was a hot summer and she had 3 bigger girls to snuggle up to.

My girl soon put weight on as she grew and is now my second largest piggy

i have been and bought harringtons this morning on someone elses advice and am feeding loads of veg and grass and dandilions which they love, i am so upset about this as we waited weeks and did loads of reasearch before we got them and now i just want to cry as i feel i have failed my daughter and the poor piggies

 

[kaz617]

Mary dont feel you have failed them, as people have said keep them warm lots of veg and hay, plenty cuddles and they will quickly grow. If they are getting vocal thats a good sign also, they are getting to know you and are shouting for food.
if you keep a diary of their weight you will be able to see how much they are gaining.
This forum has someone always around to give advice and a friendly ear too.

Dont worry x

 

[PottyForPiggies]

No way have you failed them! It would have been a failure if you had just done nothing: instead you are doing everything you can to take care of them and keep them healthy

 

[Shellza]

i have been and bought harringtons this morning on someone elses advice and am feeding loads of veg and grass and dandilions which they love, i am so upset about this as we waited weeks and did loads of reasearch before we got them and now i just want to cry as i feel i have failed my daughter and the poor piggies

Aww, don't feel bad. You are doing the best for them now as you have come here for advice! As has been mentioned before, the piggies seem happy in themselves so I would try not to worry too much. At least they are with you now and you will be able to give them all the love and care they need . I'm sure they will thrive in your care, especially with all the help you will get from us here.

P.S. Do you have any piccies of the little ones? |)

 

[Claire W]

You haven't failed at all and I am sure your daughter doesn't feel you have either. Nobody on here certainly thinks you have.

Believe me, there have been horrendous stories on here of neglected piggies (just ask our rescues) and it was the owners of those piggies who have failed.

You have done nothing wrong and it is clear how much you want your piggies to be well. The fact they are being so vocal is a very good sign. It means they trust you already and want their food

The fact they are underweight doesn't technically mean there is anything wrong with them. They probably should have stayed with their mother a bit longer and not been handed over so early but you are definitely on the right track with them and doing the best you can.

Do you have any Timothy hay? That i good for weight gain.

I brought my girls a bag of Harringtons. It is in the cupboard ready to be tried.