• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Balding guinea pig and weight loss

MagicandSpice

MagicandSpice

New Born Pup
Joined
Oct 28, 2017
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Points
65
My guinea pig Magic is balding quite a bit on her nose and area on her side. Every-time I stroke her more fur is coming out so much so that it’s become dark brown even though her fur has always been black. She is 5 and 4 months so maybe it’s just old age :(
 

Attachments

  • C9E7EC8C-CA5C-45D2-9E44-D38E87852216.webp
    C9E7EC8C-CA5C-45D2-9E44-D38E87852216.webp
    44.7 KB · Views: 10
  • 83FEE5B9-8620-4293-A438-C7BCBFAF4654.webp
    83FEE5B9-8620-4293-A438-C7BCBFAF4654.webp
    72.7 KB · Views: 10
I'd get Magic a check up at the vets... There are lots of things that can cause hair loss and she'll need a hands on examination in order for the vet to find out what is going on.
Good luck!
 
MagicandSpice said:
My guinea pig Magic is balding quite a bit on her nose and area on her side. Every-time I stroke her more fur is coming out so much so that it’s become dark brown even though her fur has always been black. She is 5 and 4 months so maybe it’s just old age :(
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

Old guinea pigs do not suffer natural hair loss.

Please have your piggy vet checked. The hair loss pattern is not typical for skin parasites or ringworm but hair loss can have many other reasons. Is her weight stable?
Guinea Lynx :: Hair Loss
 
Wiebke said:
Hi and welcome

Old guinea pigs do not suffer natural hair loss.

Please have your piggy vet checked. The hair loss pattern is not typical for skin parasites or ringworm but hair loss can have many other reasons. Is her weight stable?
Guinea Lynx :: Hair Loss
Click to expand...
She has actually lost weight recently and weighs the smallest she ever has but she’s eating perfectly fine
 
MagicandSpice said:
My guinea pig Magic is balding quite a bit on her nose and area on her side. Every-time I stroke her more fur is coming out so much so that it’s become dark brown even though her fur has always been black. She is 5 and 4 months so maybe it’s just old age :(
Click to expand...
Actually she’s 6 and 4 months if that helps?! I always forget she’s getting older 😭😭 surely that’s just why she’s lost fur?
 
MagicandSpice said:
She has actually lost weight recently and weighs the smallest she ever has but she’s eating perfectly fine
Click to expand...
MagicandSpice said:
Actually she’s 6 and 4 months if that helps?! I always forget she’s getting older 😭😭 surely that’s just why she’s lost fur?
Click to expand...

No, they don’t lose fur just because they are getting older. There will be a reason for her hair loss so she needs to see a vet to find out what it is.

How much weight has she lost?
As she is losing weight then she is not eating properly - weight loss means they are not eating as much hay as they should be. Hay is 80% of the daily food intake and you cannot tell they are eating enough by watching them hence the importance of weight checks.
Please step in and support feed her (with either mushed pellets or a proper recovery feed) to stop the weight loss. You will need to weigh her daily so you can monitor that she is getting enough syringe feed to stop the weight loss. Please also see a vet about the weight loss

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
 
Piggies&buns said:
No, they don’t lose fur just because they are getting older. There will be a reason for her hair loss so she needs to see a vet to find out what it is.

How much weight has she lost?
As she is losing weight then she is not eating properly - weight loss means they are not eating as much hay as they should be. Hay is 80% of the daily food intake and you cannot tell they are eating enough by watching them hence the importance of weight checks.
Please step in and support feed her (with either mushed pellets or a proper recovery feed) to stop the weight loss. You will need to weigh her daily so you can monitor that she is getting enough syringe feed to stop the weight loss. Please also see a vet about the weight loss

All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Click to expand...
But she always eats her nuggets, and hay and veg I’m just so confused!
 
My 6 year old guinea pig Magic has recently lost a lot of weight in the last few weeks, and is about 800g when she used to be 1200g in the summer. Is this due to old age or do I need to be concerned? As she’s still eating normally.

Thanks for the help x
 
MagicandSpice said:
But she always eats her nuggets, and hay and veg I’m just so confused!
Click to expand...

Hay is 80% of their daily food intake. You cannot tell they are eating enough hay by watching them. Any reduction in hay intake means potentially a large part of their food intake has been lost hence weight loss.
Veg is just one cup per pig, making up around 15% of the daily food intake.
Nuggets are just one tablespoon per day, making up 5% of the daily food intake. Again, eating them does not make up enough of their daily food intake.

As hay is the largest proportion any reduction in intake (which only shows by weighing your piggies, you cannot see they have reduced the amount they eat by eye) will cause them to lose weight. Any weight loss through reduction in hay intake is cause for concern and requires vet checks, syringe feeding, daily weight checks

How much weight has she lost?
 
Piggies&buns said:
Hay is 80% of their daily food intake. You cannot tell they are eating enough hay by watching them. Any reduction in hay intake means potentially a large part of their food intake has been lost hence weight loss.
Veg is just one cup per pig, making up around 15% of the daily food intake.
Nuggets are just one tablespoon per day, making up 5% of the daily food intake. Again, eating them does not make up enough of their daily food intake.

As hay is the largest proportion any reduction in intake (which only shows by weighing your piggies, you cannot see they have reduced the amount they eat by eye) will cause them to lose weight. Any weight loss through reduction in hay intake is cause for concern and requires vet checks, syringe feeding, daily weight checks

How much weight has she lost?
Click to expand...
Like 350g
 
MagicandSpice said:
Well she was like 1200g in the summer and I don’t regularly weight her but I just did and she’s about 800g
Click to expand...

They ideally need to weighed every week throughout their lives. Now there are clearly concerns about her, you should weigh daily.

As I said, she has lost a lot of weight and you now need to step in with support feeds and a vet check to find out why she has lost so much weight and why she is losing her hair.

The guides I have linked in explain support feeding and weight management
 
Piggies&buns said:
They ideally need to weighed every week throughout their lives. Now there are clearly concerns about her, you should weigh daily.

As I said, she has lost a lot of weight and you now need to step in with support feeds and a vet check to find out why she has lost so much weight and why she is losing her hair.

The guides I have linked in explain support feeding and weight management
Click to expand...
Ok I’ll try but also 6 is old for a Guinea pig right? And normally when we get old we do lose weight and hair?
 
MagicandSpice said:
Ok I’ll try but also 6 is old for a Guinea pig right? And normally when we get old we do lose weight and hair?
Click to expand...

Yes 6 is old but guinea pigs do not lose hair just because they get old.
Older piggies can lose muscle tone, get a bit bony and not maintain their weight so well and require additional daily support feeding.
A vet check is advisable given the amount of weight she has lost, combined with hair loss, to investigate potential medical causes. Assuming it’s because of old age is not advisable.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Yes 6 is old but guinea pigs do not lose hair just because they get old.
Older piggies can lose muscle tone, get a bit bony and not maintain their weight so well and require additional daily support feeding.
A vet check is advisable given the amount of weight she has lost, combined with hair loss, to investigate potential medical causes. Assuming it’s because of old age is not advisable.
Click to expand...
But also if the vet find out what are they going to do? They can’t exactly operate on a guinea pigs or anything
 
MagicandSpice said:
But also if the vet find out what are they going to do? They can’t exactly operate on a guinea pigs or anything
Click to expand...

Piggies are indeed operated on, when the situation requires it.

What the vet will do depends on their findings - there is a lot that can be done to help maintain the condition and ensure an older piggy is comfortable.

Please do read the guides which have been linked in.

Caring for Older Piggies and Facing the End - A practical and supportive information collection
Journey through a Lifetime: The Ages of Guinea Pigs
Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
MagicandSpice said:
She has actually lost weight recently and weighs the smallest she ever has but she’s eating perfectly fine
Click to expand...
The problem may not be necessarily operable (by far not everything can be solved by operating in the first place) but there are usually medical alternatives to slow down any progress and to minimise any discomfort that the underlying issue may be causing her and keep her as comfortable as can be.

Please have your girl vet checked and do not write her off just because she is old and at a stage of her life where she is at the greatest need of medical support ever.

PS: At least 6 of my own sows had successful operations aged between 5 years and just one month short of 7 years when this was the best option although I usually prefer medical solutions whenever possible for my own oldies.
 
Wiebke said:
The problem may not be necessarily operable (by far not everything can be solved by operating in the first place) but there are usually medical alternatives to slow down any progress and to minimise any discomfort that the underlying issue may be causing her and keep her as comfortable as can be.

Please have your girl vet checked and do not write her off just because she is old and at a stage of her life where she is at the greatest need of medical support ever.

PS: At least 6 of my own sows had successful operations aged between 5 years and just one month short of 7 years when this was the best option although I usually prefer medical solutions whenever possible for my own oldies.
Click to expand...
Do you live in America? X
 
MagicandSpice said:
Do you live in America? X
Click to expand...

No, I am in the UK as you can see when you glance to the left.

We ask our members to please add their country, state/province or UK county to location in their account details (accessed by clicking on your username on the top bar) so it appears to the left on each post they write.

This allows us to adjust any advice to conditions the country and other members from the same country to also help. Our forum is UK based but we have members from all over the world and are aware of the situation in various countries.
 
PS: I think you are rather looking at a medical issue and not at an operable issue since the hair loss pattern doesn't fit with ovarian cysts, either.
 
MagicandSpice said:
My 6 year old guinea pig Magic has recently lost a lot of weight in the last few weeks, and is about 800g when she used to be 1200g in the summer. Is this due to old age or do I need to be concerned? As she’s still eating normally.

Thanks for the help x
Click to expand...
My 6+ year old sow lost 200+ grams last year (from about 1100 -870g). She was diagnosed with arthritis, the pain means she doesn't eat as much as normal (though she always tucks into the fresh hay and grass when I put it in the hutch). The pain also means she doesn't move around much, so she has lost a lot of muscle mass and feels very bony. But, she isn't losing hair, except before the pain was brought under control with meds, when she overgroomed her back legs.
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
My 6+ year old sow lost 200+ grams last year (from about 1100 -870g). She was diagnosed with arthritis, the pain means she doesn't eat as much as normal (though she always tucks into the fresh hay and grass when I put it in the hutch). The pain also means she doesn't move around much, so she has lost a lot of muscle mass and feels very bony. But, she isn't losing hair, except before the pain was brought under control with meds, when she overgroomed her back legs.
Click to expand...
That helps a lot actually thank you xx most people have just said to really care for her more but Ibhave been. Yea magic feels quite boney, I feel her spine. When is your piggies birthday? X
 
She's a lovely old girl and has done very well!
I once had an older girl who was losing hair and it turned out to be some sort of fungal infection that was quite treatable. She lived with cage mates and they didn't have a problem, nor did we owners, but the vet said that when they get older the immune system isn't so good. She'd been scratching a bit but not much - but the vet said that if she'd have been younger we would have seen much more scratching... she was so old and stiff she couldn't quite manage it!
It's best to get a vet visit to be sure. They don't force treatment on you, they just explain your options. I take mine along with a piggy friend in a cat-box!
 
MagicandSpice said:
Well she was like 1200g in the summer and I don’t regularly weight her but I just did and she’s about 800g
Click to expand...

If I'd unintentionally lost a third of my body weight, especially in less than six months, I'd definitely be booking a doctors appointment. I agree with others that a vet check is a good move - there's plenty of treatable things it might be. I hope all goes well 🤞🏻
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top