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Weightloss - Furby

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lovelygirl

lovelygirl

Adult Guinea Pig
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Not sure why it always has to be Furby who causes me worry but she is at it again, a few weeks ago she had a respiratory infection was treated with baytril and fully recovered she dropped a little bit of weight but regained back to 880g (her normal weight) When i weighed her last night she was down to 800g. I sat a fed her flaked peas till she would not take anymore. I always wait for her to turn up for food before i put it in the cage.

Any ideas on what might be wrong?

Hoping to get to the CCT next week with her
 
Are her teeth ok, any dribbling or drooling?

It's such a worry when they lose weight, does she seem bright enough in herself? Can you judge how much she is actually eating?

Sophie
x
 
She seems to be sleeping a bit more and not speeding around as much, but she is eating she just gives up before the other two. Might sound odd but she is not as dominant as she usually is, but i thought that is because the trio has settled down properly and everyone know their place?

Do you think it is worth feeding her separately from the the other two?
 
It is such a worry when you can't see anything else that's not right.

As I said on FB:

- Weigh daily so you can track if she is continually losing weight.
- If weight loss continues, start syringe-feeds - even if only as supplement to normal diet. Do feed her separately from her friends for a bit so you can see how much she herself is eating.
- Worming - treating with Ivomec + Panacur - may be worthwhile.

Have there been any changes in the diet with hay or pellets?
 
I have started adding a little bit of science selective in with the excel as plan to move off excel after hearing that someone had found dog food in theirs and science selective is made in a meatfree environment! They have been having pampered piggy hay the last two days. She will get some just grass when i get home to mums tomorrow that is her favourite.
 
Weighed her this morning and she has not lost or gained anything which i suppose it good, she seems very alert and happy today. I have decided to give her some metatone for a few days which she seemed to like the taste of! is it worth giving her probiotics aswell?
 
I hope the wee lass is okay hun, sorry only just saw this now.
 
Well i have been wondering whether Furby has lost her place at the top to cottonbud and whether she is being bullied. So I have put another small tray of hay on the upper level so that she can get hay IF cottonbud is not letting her in the hay tray.

On a good note the metatone and extra rations means she has put on 20g! I am so happy she has gained weight hopefully it will carry on in the right direction! :))
 
Piggies that are ill can get bullied by their companions - a sick piggy is a danger to the survival of the whole group in the wild.

Sending poor Furby my best wishes!

Have you had her back teeth checked?
 
The plan is to get to the cct next week for a general mot on all three piggies and thus they will get wormed and ivomec'ed. Cottonbud got a stern talking to last night and told to behave! Also when we are at my mums they will get readygrass which i also find seems to pile on the weight! :)
 
I notice that when a member of a group is unwell it will get between the other members in an effort to keep warm and, presumably, feel secure.
It is probably too extreme to think that pigs will "look after" each other, who knows, anything is possible.
 
Mine seemed too "look after" Freja, but she seemed mostly upset about it. I put hay all over the cage so she wouldn't have to go far and fed her extra pellets, stomped peas and banana during lap time. Hopefully Furby is just a little low and will get goot help at the CCT! Crossing fingers and paws!
 
Well I have instigated and upstair and downstair feeding station, which means if she is getting hassled she can move elsewhere as cottonbud and jive hang around together, although there have been no more arguments between furby and cottonbud today which is a good thing as they have to travel together tomorrow! She seems much more perkier today but is now refusing the peas. Fingers crossed for another weight gain tomorrow and that this weight loss was a blip...
 
Well this morning she has bounced back to her normal weight of 850g not sure what the blip was about but glad she is back to normal! will keep a close eye on her for a while yet!
 
Great to hear that Furby has put on weight, hope that she stays at this weight and I'm sure the check up at the CCT will put your mind at rest. :)
 
I am pleased she's back on track. Some pigs sometimes seem to have a few "down" days, where they are less active and have a slightly reduced appetite; such pigs go back to normal within a day or two. I wonder if that's the kind of thing Furby went through, except with weight loss.
 
She loves metatone! struggle to get the syringe off her! She was supposed to see vedra this evening but my tooth has broken again and chris work thing has gone bad so i think it is going to be wednesday now! Have bought some hay cakes to keep them entertained for the journey!
 
I am glad that Furby is back to her wieght, but sorry about you and your bf. Teeth can be sooo troublesome!
 
YAY good news on the metatone and weight loss.

How long is the drive to Vedra from you BTW?
 
Well it turns out she has mites and the reason she is not eating is because she is uncomfortable but her teeth are fine. I also stand corrected mites also need to be treated by shampoo aswell as ivermectin - always learn something new when i go to the cct, so now have some shampoo to wash them once a week for three weeks leaving it on for 10 mins then put human conditioner on and then nit comb them. I am going to have some very sulky pigs!
 
lovelygirl said:
Well it turns out she has mites and the reason she is not eating is because she is uncomfortable but her teeth are fine. I also stand corrected mites also need to be treated by shampoo aswell as ivermectin - always learn something new when i go to the cct, so now have some shampoo to wash them once a week for three weeks leaving it on for 10 mins then put human conditioner on and then nit comb them. I am going to have some very sulky pigs!
Click to expand...

Was it FleaOrDie Vedra gave you?

Sophie
x
 
yes it was flea or die thought have to wait to friday to start the shampooing
 
It does make sense to wash the dead mites away, although it's not often suggested. (Admit to this myself)

Glad it seems like you've found out what's up with Furby!
 
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