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Weightloss ... after a holiday

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Rachel2709

Rachel2709

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Has any-one any experience of this?

My 2 boys have just come back from a 11 day holiday at my friends while I went to spain and they have both lost alot of weight.

The day before I went I weighed them both and when they came back today I weighed them again.

Frank has lost 66g and Fang has lost 87g.

Is it normal for piggies to loose weight when they go somewhere new?

As soon as I saw the weight loss I filled their cage with fresh veg, hay cookies, parsley & fresh straw :))

They look sooooo small to :( as soon as I saw them I knew they had lost weight
 
My mum had ditto for me a few weeks ago and he never lost any weight, its the first time shes had him at her house, its a busy household with 2 nosey dogs, he hasnt lost anything.. Id be querying your friend on the reason for the weightloss? I find it strange that both have lost so much weight ...
 
Years ago one of mine went to a pet shop for a week. I specified what food he was on and that he must have hay and veggies. When I picked him up he had lost so much weight. The food in his cage wasnt what he was used to, and there was no hay. I went mad at them, and got half of my money refunded. He soon gained weight again, but from then on my sister had them when we went away.
Did they go with their own food? and instructions?
 
How old are they, or how much did they weight before you left? (Just so we know how much they've lost relative to their total body weight! 87g is a lot more for a 500g baby than a 1200g adult, though obviously it's a lot regardless.)

WHY have they lost the weight? Does your friend say how much they were eating while you were away, or did they not pay much notice? If they weren't eating, that's an obvious point and you just need to look for it to pick back up. If they were eating a normal amount and have lost it anyway, the holiday may be a coincidence and there may be a medical concern that a vet needs to diagnose. Are they eating normally now that you're back?

I haven't personally been away for more than few days since I got my two boys, and over a long weekend or what-have-you they seem to eat fine. Mind you, someone looks in on them rather than me moving them to a new place, so they probably don't mind so much. If they're eating well now and seem otherwise in good health I would probably just keep weighing them daily and, if they're piling it back on, put it down to a touch of stress and/or missing you.
 
suem said:
Years ago one of mine went to a pet shop for a week. I specified what food he was on and that he must have hay and veggies. When I picked him up he had lost so much weight. The food in his cage wasnt what he was used to, and there was no hay. I went mad at them, and got half of my money refunded. He soon gained weight again, but from then on my sister had them when we went away.
Did they go with their own food? and instructions?
Click to expand...

yes they had their own food and alot has gone out of it. I also sent hay cookies but only 1 was given to them.
they didnt have any straw in their cage when I picked them up and as soon as I put some in they went straight to it and have been eating it for over 30 minuets now
 
SpinningNickel said:
How old are they, or how much did they weight before you left? (Just so we know how much they've lost relative to their total body weight! 87g is a lot more for a 500g baby than a 1200g adult, though obviously it's a lot regardless.)

WHY have they lost the weight? Does your friend say how much they were eating while you were away, or did they not pay much notice? If they weren't eating, that's an obvious point and you just need to look for it to pick back up. If they were eating a normal amount and have lost it anyway, the holiday may be a coincidence and there may be a medical concern that a vet needs to diagnose. Are they eating normally now that you're back?

I haven't personally been away for more than few days since I got my two boys, and over a long weekend or what-have-you they seem to eat fine. Mind you, someone looks in on them rather than me moving them to a new place, so they probably don't mind so much. If they're eating well now and seem otherwise in good health I would probably just keep weighing them daily and, if they're piling it back on, put it down to a touch of stress and/or missing you.
Click to expand...

Frank weighed 1091g before and now weighs 1025g ... he is 16 months old
Fang weiged 1042g before and now weighs 955g ... he is 7 months old

Alot of food has been used and she said they were both fine & eating
 
Stress and unfamiliar surroundings can make a piggy lose weight. I am sure that they will pick up quickly back in their home. Both boys have a good weight, so I would not worry too much. I have made similar experiences with boarding my piggies in different places over the years.

The rule about weight loss is that 1oz (30g) is daily variation (bladder/bowel), 2oz (ca. 50g) keep an eye on, 3oz (about 100g) see a vet.
 
Their weights now are still fine, I'm sure they'll put the weight loss back on very soon, weigh weekly if you're worried :)
 
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