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A fair amount of weight gain

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Eleanorld

New Born Pup
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So I’ve got 2 piggies, that we think are girls, one is 2.5 months and the other is 2 months.

The last time we weighed them was the 15th June and they weighed 453g and 450g. I’ve weighed them today and the heavier one has gained 80g! (The other only gained 35g)
Is this normal? I’m sure I read somewhere that I should be concerned if they gain / lose 60g+..

She looks quite bloated too, defiantly noticeable when I handle her or watch her walk around, could we have mis-sexed her friend and she could be pregnant?
Our vets are only open for appointments if we know for sure that there’s a real issue that needs addressing, should I make an appointment?

Any advice would be great! :)
 
That’s normal. I would say outlet check he friend. I’ll link to the sexing guide below for you. You are looking for a fleshy sealinaide the slit. You can check your other piggy and compare. You can also post clear photos in the pregnancy and sexing section. We can help but it still needs to be hands-on.
Illustrated Sexing Guide
 
Eleanorld said:
So I’ve got 2 piggies, that we think are girls, one is 2.5 months and the other is 2 months.

The last time we weighed them was the 15th June and they weighed 453g and 450g. I’ve weighed them today and the heavier one has gained 80g! (The other only gained 35g)
Is this normal? I’m sure I read somewhere that I should be concerned if they gain / lose 60g+..

She looks quite bloated too, defiantly noticeable when I handle her or watch her walk around, could we have mis-sexed her friend and she could be pregnant?
Our vets are only open for appointments if we know for sure that there’s a real issue that needs addressing, should I make an appointment?

Any advice would be great! :)
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Hi!

Sows have their season normally between 4-6 weeks and a pregnancy lasts on average about 10 weeks. that means that 1-6 babies only happen from about 14-16 weeks onwards. For the first about two thirds of that you won't notice anything. The big weight gain in a large litter only happens in the last 2-3 weeks when the babies grow quite visibly around the middle and you should notice signs of baby balls, especially with with more babies. In smaller litters a pregnancy is usually showing a lot less but also the weight gain is not as great.

Anyway, we strongly recommend to double-check the sex of any new arrivals. You still run the risk of a pet shop pregnancy (i.e. the mis-sexing of a baby has happened at the commercial supply breeder, during transport or at the back of the shop) before the sale.
New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites

This kind of weight gain is unusual but how much are you feeding, especially in terms of veg and the percentage of sugar rich calorific veg like carrots, sweet corn and fruit and even more so in terms of pellets?
Piggies grow in spurts and if you offer a lot more than in the shop/at the breeder's then a massive growth can result. I had a new sow once who put on 150g in three weeks without being pregnant (although she looked like it and produced some hard fat balls) without me overfeeding - my suspicion is as she is very timid that she may have been bullied. She did stop putting on weight for a while after that and has eventually settled in a normal adult weight range.

If you worry about a potential pregnancy please open an ongoing support guide in our specially monitored pregnancy section and read our comprehensive pregnancy, birth and mother/baby care information. Without a vet scan/x-ray in the last third of a pregnancy the only alternative is to sit it out.
Pregnancy, Mother & Baby Care Guides
 
I feed them roughly 2tbsp of pellets each a day, give or take a bit..
I try to feed them a monitored diet and I make sure their calcium intake is in check and to be honest they are REALLY picky about fruit and sugary stuff - they’ll smell it and give it a nibble and just leave them! xD They’re not too keen on carrots either ...

I mainly feed them romaine Lettuce, Savoy cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber and parsley every now and again. The only thing new I’ve introduced is the savoy cabbage, could this be causing a growth sprout?
 
keep cabbage limited as it can cause bloating issues if fed in too large a quantity. Tomatoes also shouldn’t be fed regularly as they are too acidic and can cause a cheilitis (feeding a small amount no more than once per week is fine but no more than that )
 
Oh okay, I’ll edit the plan then :)

Do you have any suggestions of other veg I can try them with? I’ve tried them with a fairly large variety but they only like the ones I said before 🥴 they are the pickiest pets I’ve ever had!
 
Eleanorld said:
I feed them roughly 2tbsp of pellets each a day, give or take a bit..
I try to feed them a monitored diet and I make sure their calcium intake is in check and to be honest they are REALLY picky about fruit and sugary stuff - they’ll smell it and give it a nibble and just leave them! xD They’re not too keen on carrots either ...

I mainly feed them romaine Lettuce, Savoy cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber and parsley every now and again. The only thing new I’ve introduced is the savoy cabbage, could this be causing a growth sprout?
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No - but don't feed it too often as it can derail the calcium balance in your diet depending on how hard and mineral rich your water is)and lead to bladder stones in the longer term; especially in a medium to hard water area.
Also be careful about how often you feed tomato; they are an acid rich fruit that can cause cheilitis (lip infection) by creating tiny crack in the lips through which bugs can get in (fungal, bacterial but sadly also a variety of pox virus that can be fatal; I know somebody it has happened to because tomato was their piggy's favourite).
Please have a look at our very comprehensive practical diet guide with a sample diet picture. The guide looks at all food groups:
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Guinea Lynx :: Cheilitis
 
I’ve got one other issue I’ve noticed also, their nails could do with a trim but I don’t think any of us could do it 😬 we’d panic which would probably make them panic too..
just wondering would it be stressful for them to get a vet to trim their nails every 6-8 weeks or so?
 
Eleanorld said:
I’ve got one other issue I’ve noticed also, their nails could do with a trim but I don’t think any of us could do it 😬 we’d panic which would probably make them panic too..
just wondering would it be stressful for them to get a vet to trim their nails every 6-8 weeks or so?
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Mine always go to the vets to have their nails done. With lockdown I've had to try it myself but it's very nerve-wracking and can't wait till the vets can do it again.
 
I'm not sure what my vets are doing you see, they're only on facebook and their only covid notification was on the 28th of March so I'll call them in the morning I think..
I just noticed their nails were a bit long when they had their floor time today :)

Do yours find the experience stressful or do they get used to it? Our vets is only in the next town along so like a 5-10 min drive
 
I do my piggies nails myself. They don’t like it particularly, but as long as I am prepared and work as quickly but safely as I can, they do tolerate it (and my piggies don’t really like being handled). Mostly it’s fine, I can get them all done before anybody has a meltdown but sometimes though if piggy is being particularly squirmy, I may only manage to do one foot at each sitting - it could take me several days to get through all piggy feet!
 
My girls aren't quite tame yet so I don't want to make them afraid of the nail cutting experience :(
They're getting there though, they take veg from my hands and let me boop their noses and come out while I'm standing around
 
Eleanorld said:
I’ve got one other issue I’ve noticed also, their nails could do with a trim but I don’t think any of us could do it 😬 we’d panic which would probably make them panic too..
just wondering would it be stressful for them to get a vet to trim their nails every 6-8 weeks or so?
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Hi!

Ring your vet clinic and ask whether a nurse would be prepared to do it for you for a little fee. Usually once a month is best with fast growing nails in youngsters and young adults. You'll know that the nails are too long when your piggies stop zooming (running like mad).
 
Eleanorld said:
I'm not sure what my vets are doing you see, they're only on facebook and their only covid notification was on the 28th of March so I'll call them in the morning I think..
I just noticed their nails were a bit long when they had their floor time today :)

Do yours find the experience stressful or do they get used to it? Our vets is only in the next town along so like a 5-10 min drive
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A couple of my piggies don't move while doing their nails but I know it's cos they're very scared. The rest are wriggley and I have to say to them 'oi none of that behaviour, I AM doing your nails' lol. Doesn't always go to plan though.
 
Gem789 said:
A couple of my piggies don't move while doing their nails but I know it's cos they're very scared. The rest are wriggley and I have to say to them 'oi none of that behaviour, I AM doing your nails' lol. Doesn't always go to plan though.
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I always offer them some of their favourite herbs at the same time too which helps.
 
Gem789 said:
A couple of my piggies don't move while doing their nails but I know it's cos they're very scared. The rest are wriggley and I have to say to them 'oi none of that behaviour, I AM doing your nails' lol. Doesn't always go to plan though.
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One of them I think might be fine she's more comfortable being handled but the other gal oh my god she's not a fan of being picked up or held she's just on alert and ready to jump at any second xD
 
Eleanorld said:
One of them I think might be fine she's more comfortable being handled but the other gal oh my god she's not a fan of being picked up or held she's just on alert and ready to jump at any second xD
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My 2 scaredest don't try and move luckily so it's very quick but my others don't keep very still. It's a nerve-wracking experience even with still piggies.
 
Ok so mini update, I phoned my vets and they're fine to do their nails on Monday morning so that's sorted! :)
I weighed Daisy and Maisie again today, since it's been a week, Daisy (the heavier one) has gained another 62g and Maisie has only gained 9g - should I be concerned with their weight gain?
 
They will gain at their own speed. Remember they come in all shapes and sizes ☺️
 
Not at all. As long as they’re mainly eating hay and not gorging on pellets and veg then you’re fine. Heft is the better indicator of their weight.
 
No I just give them a bowl of veg in the morning (between 50g-100g each) and then some lettuce in the evening to tide them over :)
And the TINIEST amount of pellets like 1tbsp each ish
 
Eleanorld said:
So it's nothing to be overly concerned about?
Daisy is such a greedy pig though xD
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As long as you can still just about feel Daisy's ribs, she is not overweight (that is what we mean by feeling the 'heft') as every piggies has their individual weight/size ratio like humans where you are also get a wide variety of sizes, body forms and ages.
 
Eleanorld said:
Oh okay that's fine then :)
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I would see whether sprinkle feeding or feeding the same portion separately may help. One is putting on a bit too much and the other a bit too little for their age.
 
What's sprinkle feeding?
I do try to hand feed Maisie some leafy greens just to make sure she's getting something but she doesn't nibble them like she used to.. we're going to see if the vets will give them a check up when we go for their nails on Monday, just in case
 
Eleanorld said:
What's sprinkle feeding?
I do try to hand feed Maisie some leafy greens just to make sure she's getting something but she doesn't nibble them like she used to.. we're going to see if the vets will give them a check up when we go for their nails on Monday, just in case
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Sprinkle feeding means distributing the food around the cage to encourage foraging behaviour.

Please be aware that unlimited hay makes about 80% of the daily food intake, fresh food around 15% and pellets about 5%. So hand feeding fresh veg is basically in the way of a snack. Not putting on as much weight (average is about 20-30g a week until 4 months but it can vary from nothing to 50g) means that Maisie is likely not eating quite as much hay as she should, either.
If a piggy changes their eating behaviour and loses weight (or doesn't put on much until 4-6 months of age), then please see a vet.

Her friend is obviously hoovering up the leftovers and putting on too much weight instead. You will find that she will stop growing fast sooner rather than later. That is when you have to start monitoring for overweight from about 4-6 months onwards.
 
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