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Weird Weights

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Hi, it's been a while since I last weighed my guinea pigs (I know, it's bad) and I checked them all today and the results surprised me so much.
I have five girls, and their weights were all so different, but what concerns me is that the average for girls is 700-900 grams.

My guinea pigs weighed in at:
Noodles (1yr) 1003g
Popcorn (1yr) 1121g
Butterscotch (1yr) 976g
Ginger (Older?) 1252g
Pepper (7 months) 757g

Pepper is the only one within the range and she's still quite small, so I'm finding it weird.

With Ginger, it's understandable as she is a texel, and they're naturally big, but Popcorn is an Abyssinian, Butterscotch is a sheltie and Noodles is a Merino, and they're all standard size piggies.

I know the numbers online are just an estimate, but is there anything to worry about?

I don't overfeed. They have unlimited hay, veggies once a day (romaine lettuce or kale) and one bowl of pellets a day.
 
I have always found this guide to be a bit low for my sows. Most of mine weigh in at the 1-1.2 kg mark! My rule of thumb for weight is if you can feel their ribs they are underweight; if you can just feel them, they are fine; if you can't feel the ribs at all, they are too fat! The important reason to weigh your piggies is to check whether they are losing weight, as this is often the first sign of illness. Weekly weighing is recommended and a weight loss of more than 50g in a week is a warning sign and over 100g is an emergency. You can also keep track of gradual weight loss, which can creep up on you if you are not careful.
 
GuineaWiggles said:
Hi, it's been a while since I last weighed my guinea pigs (I know, it's bad) and I checked them all today and the results surprised me so much.
I have five girls, and their weights were all so different, but what concerns me is that the average for girls is 700-900 grams.

My guinea pigs weighed in at:
Noodles (1yr) 1003g
Popcorn (1yr) 1121g
Butterscotch (1yr) 976g
Ginger (Older?) 1252g
Pepper (7 months) 757g

Pepper is the only one within the range and she's still quite small, so I'm finding it weird.

With Ginger, it's understandable as she is a texel, and they're naturally big, but Popcorn is an Abyssinian, Butterscotch is a sheltie and Noodles is a Merino, and they're all standard size piggies.

I know the numbers online are just an estimate, but is there anything to worry about?

I don't overfeed. They have unlimited hay, veggies once a day (romaine lettuce or kale) and one bowl of pellets a day.
Click to expand...

These weights are for breeder piggies, and are usually on the too low side, as is the vast majority of guinea weights in the literature because it is based on breeder information and guinea pigs kept on a formula diet and not so much on fresh veg and lots of hay.
Your girls are all a good weight within the normal range of well looked after adult pet piggies, which is about 900-1300g; most sows should come in around a kilo to twelve hundred grams at the peak of their lives, but about 20 % are higher and lower than that. They will lose some of that weight as they age - generally more if they are on the high side, and less if they are on the low side. Where they come in, doesn't impinge on their longevity, as long as they are well and healthy within themselves - you judge that by feeling the "heft" around the ribcage - the ribs should be just about noticeable, but not stand out and not be buried in fat. ;)

You may find this link here helpful in working out whether your girls are in fine nick and a good weight for their individual size. My own sows all fall (and have fallen) into that range, and the vast majority has lived or is living to a normal age or even a bit more, despite them often being rescued from horrible surroundings. I've had sows ranging from just making 800g to those that weighed a hefty 1500g at the peak on their lives on the same diet, and both of these sows lived to 7-8 years of age! ;)
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight
 
All seems fine to me, just check their heft as suggested.

My 7 years 8 month old sow with several health problems is still weighing over a kg at 1030g, so I certainly wouldn't worry about those weights.
 
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