Babies at a low weight?

[AnnaHeartsGuineaPigs]

Hello!

About 2 weeks ago I adopted 2 baby girls (sisters) from a home that had adopted a male and female and just kept reproducing due to a lack of education about when to split the babies and how to sex them.

Today I weighed them (they have been extremely shy and haven't even let me get close until today) and one is 217 grams while the other is 260 approx.

From my research this is very low for 2 guinea pigs that are nearly 6 weeks old. They both seem healthy and eats loads and poop normally. They were born to a young mom and were a relatively large litter (5-6 pups I think) so maybe those could be contributing factors to their size, but I can still worry.

How could I help them gain weight? I give them bell pepper, romaine lettuce, coriander everyday and then mix in some cucumber, parsley and green leaf lettuce on other days. They get BUNNY pellets for young guinea pigs under 5 months and of course loads of hay.

Also since one is quite a bit heavier than the other, what changes would you suggest I make so the smaller one can catch up (I'm worried her sister bullies her)?

Thank you

 

[Siikibam]

The smaller one may not catch up. It’s about individual builds and genetically ‘assigned’ weights. A bit like us humans, we come in all different shapes and sizes. I don’t weigh the same as my siblings.

Make sure to provide lots of hay (the largest part of their diet). Veg and pellets are a small part of their diet and don’t contribute to (healthy) weight gain. I would suggest you go slow on the salad mix with parsley. It’s high in calcium and shouldn’t be fed more than once a week, in small quantities.

Are the pellets for rabbits? If so, are you able to get them those for guinea pigs? They have different dietary needs to rabbits and so those pellets wouldn’t be suitable.

Weigh them weekly at the same time. If they’re putting on weight then they’re eating enough (hay). It may be they were small due to the size of the litter. And if it was a back-to-back pregnancy then I think that can also be a contributor. Along with genetics.

 

[AnnaHeartsGuineaPigs]

The smaller one may not catch up. It’s about individual builds and genetically ‘assigned’ weights. A bit like us humans, we come in all different shapes and sizes. I don’t weigh the same as my siblings.
She has loads of energy and behaves completely normal like her sister so I'm sure this is at least a part of the case
Make sure to provide lots of hay (the largest part of their diet). Veg and pellets are a small part of their diet and don’t contribute to (healthy) weight gain. I would suggest you go slow on the salad mix with parsley. It’s high in calcium and shouldn’t be fed more than once a week, in small quantities.
Yeah I've only ever given it max twice a week. but I'll try to slow down with it
Are the pellets for rabbits? If so, are you able to get them those for guinea pigs? They have different dietary needs to rabbits and so those pellets wouldn’t be suitable.
No they are the guinea pig version

Weigh them weekly at the same time. If they’re putting on weight then they’re eating enough (hay). It may be they were small due to the size of the litter. And if it was a back-to-back pregnancy then I think that can also be a contributor. Along with genetics. It was back to back and the mom was really young/small so I'll be sure to weigh them and just (hopefully) track the steady weight gain.

Thanks! This definitely calmed me down a bit

 

[Wiebke]

Hello!

About 2 weeks ago I adopted 2 baby girls (sisters) from a home that had adopted a male and female and just kept reproducing due to a lack of education about when to split the babies and how to sex them.

Today I weighed them (they have been extremely shy and haven't even let me get close until today) and one is 217 grams while the other is 260 approx.

From my research this is very low for 2 guinea pigs that are nearly 6 weeks old. They both seem healthy and eats loads and poop normally. They were born to a young mom and were a relatively large litter (5-6 pups I think) so maybe those could be contributing factors to their size, but I can still worry.

How could I help them gain weight? I give them bell pepper, romaine lettuce, coriander everyday and then mix in some cucumber, parsley and green leaf lettuce on other days. They get BUNNY pellets for young guinea pigs under 5 months and of course loads of hay.

Also since one is quite a bit heavier than the other, what changes would you suggest I make so the smaller one can catch up (I'm worried her sister bullies her)?

Thank you

Hi!

Birth weights can differ from around 40g -120g; that means that the smallest babies are three times smaller than the largest, and this carries on.

Please don't fall into the 'average weight' trap and concentrate on a good normal diet with unlimited grass and hay (ca. 80%) of the daily food intake, and a reduced pellet and veg intake - the two latter food groups replace the supplementary role of whild forage. Be aware that the extra amounts needed in young guinea pigs are actually minute and that if you give them via 1 tablespoon of pellets per piggy per day, you do not need to add any extra calcium to the small food bowl per piggy per day.
Personally, I would recommend to switch a daily slice of cucumber for the romaine, which is not the best to feed daily.

In the long run, your normal good care and a normal good diet will win out and allow your babies to realise their optimal genetically determined healthy weight and size - and by not overdoing it, they have actually a better chance at living longer than if you throw the kitchen sink at them.

They will never be the largest but can I assure you that they can still have a perfectly normal healthy life span?
My dainty (800g in their best times) sisters Hedydd and Heulwen from an uncontrolled 'cat's takeway' breeding situation in the garden lived both to celebrate their 8th birthday and my sisters Mererid and Morwenna who were rescue born to a highly pregnant sow coming out of a long term inbreeding hellhole masquerading as a sanctuary have just passed their 7 1/2 years anniversary - and that despite Morwenna just being 40g when born and needing a helping hand in the early days. She has been the smallest of the Triplets but it rather looks she may actually be the longest lived of the three.
Just to show that apart from the genetic inheritance, it doesn't matter whether they are smaller than average or not - your normal long term care is ultimately more important than complying with a completely arbitrary concept of 'normal' that condemns half of the perfectly healthy piggies as not 'normal'.

My baby adoptees from whatever background have never had any extras; they just had what the group eat but have still mostly lived perfectly healthy and long lives in line with my other adoptees. As said, any extra amounts are truly tiny and already mostly covered in a normal good diet. Baby pellets have not been created because they are necessary but to cash in on the crowd of worried owners wanting to be 'extra' good. It is big business, but no real need.

I hope that this allays your concerns. Since your babies won't reach adulthood until 15 months and can make up nutritional deficits until about 2 years of age, there is no hurry in terms of catching up. Rather concentrate on long term health than your babies being on 'average'.

You may find the information in these guides here helpful:
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Journey through a Lifetime: The Ages of Guinea Pigs