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Worried About The Size.

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Cavy Lover

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hello,
My pigs Cookie and Beano were two years old on the 5th of January this year. They have only grown a small bit since I got them nearly two years ago. I don't know is there such thing as pygmy guinea pigs. Does anyone have a picture of what size a two year old pig should be?
Thanks.
 
How much do they weigh? That is the best way of judging if they are a good size.
 
Each piggy is a different size, some are naturally small, some can grow a great deal.
Do you know what their weights are?
Unfortunately there are no set rules for weights though.
 
I will check now. Do you think they just lost weight because they just gave birth? Beano gave birth at the end of July and Cookie gave birth on the 6th of July.
 
It is a good idea to weigh them weekly. That will help you to monitor them and note any changes.
 
Sorry I took so long repling I was weighing the pigs though only three of them would let me. Peaches my boar is scittish and feisty but it should go when I get him neutered. Anyway:
Cookie who is two years old and she is 815g.
Beano who is also two years old is 700g.
Smudge is Cookie's daughter and is about six months old is 600g.
I was unable to weigh Peaches.
I'm hoping that is about right otherwise is there anyway to help the pigs gain/lose weight.
Thanks.
 
Beano and Cookie are petite for their age but within the healthy ranges. Do they eat lots of hay?

Neutering will not change Peaches behaviour just his ability to make babies.
 
Bless them, as long as they otherwise appear healthy and haven't been losing weight for an unknown reason. My jemima only weighs about 850g which is small compared to my others. She's definitely healthy though and is the boss of the trio lol
 
Beano and Cookie are petite for their age but within the healthy ranges. Do they eat lots of hay?

Neutering will not change Peaches behaviour just his ability to make babies.
Cookie and Beano eat loads of hay and I top up their two hay racks about three times a day and there is hay on the roof on their pigloo for Cookie cause she is always up on top. How is Smudge is she the right weight? After Peaches gets neutered, when I can put him in with the girls, will they teach him not to be scared or will they just help him learn along with laptime?
 
It takes six weeks before a neutered boar can safely be put with sows. Do you know how to bond them on neutral ground? I am not sure about Smudges weight as I do not know about babies.

It will take time to earn Peaches trust and get him used to you.
 
It takes six weeks before a neutered boar can safely be put with sows. Do you know how to bond them on neutral ground? I am not sure about Smudges weight as I do not know about babies.

It will take time to earn Peaches trust and get him used to you.
Thanks. I don't know about bonding on neutral ground just about bonding normally.
 
Tagging @Wiebke as she has experience with pregnancy/babies. I think there is a guide on here for bonding but struggling to find it on my phone
 
Your adult piggies are on the small side (800g is usually the lower end of the normal range); it depends on their background. Runts are more frequent in later pregnancies with a larger number of pups, especially when sows have been overbred. Thankfully the good news is that even very small piggies can have a happy normal life, so I wouldn't worry as long as are eating normally.

I would however strongly recommend to weigh all your piggies once weekly for control. The one big disadvantage is that smaller guinea pigs have less extra weight to lose when they are ill, so you want to catch things as early as possible. Weighing is an important tool in health monitoring.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/the-importance-of-weighing-ideal-weight-overweight-and-underweight.38805/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/recommendations-for-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/


You will have to factor in a full 6 weeks post op wait after neutering until a boar is 100%. He can live next door to his future wives with interaction through the bars; that will make for better acceptance. You will find that he will come out of himself in the company of sows. Although my timid Terfel still prefers to hide behind his blind wives in a crisis!
Please try to find a vet with as much practice in guinea pig neutering and small furry operations as possible in order to minimise the risks of post op complications. We can give you tips on how to prepare for the operation and post op care, as well as bonding tips.
 
Your adult piggies are on the small side (800g is usually the lower end of the normal range); it depends on their background. Runts are more frequent in later pregnancies with a larger number of pups, especially when sows have been overbred. Thankfully the good news is that even very small piggies can have a happy normal life, so I wouldn't worry as long as are eating normally.

I would however strongly recommend to weigh all your piggies once weekly for control. The one big disadvantage is that smaller guinea pigs have less extra weight to lose when they are ill, so you want to catch things as early as possible. Weighing is an important tool in health monitoring.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...deal-weight-overweight-and-underweight.38805/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/recommendations-for-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/

You will have to factor in a full 6 weeks post op wait after neutering until a boar is 100%. He can live next door to his future wives with interaction through the bars; that will make for better acceptance. You will find that he will come out of himself in the company of sows. Although my timid Terfel still prefers to hide behind his blind wives in a crisis!
Please try to find a vet with as much practice in guinea pig neutering and small furry operations as possible in order to minimise the risks of post op complications. We can give you tips on how to prepare for the operation and post op care, as well as bonding tips.
Thanks. I have chosen two vets which I think are good so now I just have to choose between those two.
 
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