elderly pig not eating pellets?

[Noxandmonty]

Hi guys, I’m a bit new here but as a guinea pig mom to elderly guys, I thought it would be good to have an account for any questions I had.
So recently, my old man Nox (almost 6 yrs) has just completely stopped eating pellets. He still eats his hay and salads/veggies/fruits and is enticed by treats. He’s lost a bit of weight recently, but not enough to run to the vet quite yet.
He’s mostly acting normal, however I suspect he might be going blind or deaf because he’s acting a bit senile, but I don’t think that has much to do with his eating habits.
I looked in his mouth and couldn’t find any ulcers, and he still eats hard foods - just not pellets. I haven’t changed brands although I switched him to the senior pellet variety, but he had stopped eating them a few days before I made the switch.
Pellets aren‘t his favorite thing in the world, so I’m not super worried, but they were always gone or mostly gone by the next day. Now, they haven’t been touched (unless he knocks the bowl over).
I’m just worried about him losing too much weight or not getting certain benefits of pellets. He was always a MASSIVE boar, so seeing him lose even a tiny bit of weight has me a bit sad.
I’m not quite sure what to do, or if I’m making a big deal out of nothing. But since he’s so old, I’m always so worried at even the slightest change.
Any info or advice is welcome, thank you so much :3

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

How much weight has he lost?

Any weight loss over 50g requires you to monitor his weight daily, step in with syringe feeding and see a vet.
His weight should be being maintained by hay intake, not eating pellets should not have a significant impact on weight (in the exception if they are being overfed pellets and not eating enough hay). Pellets should be given at just one tablespoon per pig per day (approx 10g a day), and you don’t want them having access to them all day.

If he is losing weight (beyond 50g) then it’s because he isn’t eating enough hay (unless you are overfeeding pellets) and that always needs a vet to investigate the reasons behind it.
Not eating pellets on its own is not of concern (given they don’t actually need them) but it may indicate other issues brewing (might not, he just might not want the pellets anymore!) but with an elderly piggy, it’s always best to err on the side of caution.

You will not be able mouth properly, only a vet can do that with specialist tools.

So, at this point, I would switch to daily weight checks so you can more closely monitor. Step in with syringe feeding and book a vet appointment for a check if his weight loss is over 50g.

Weight Monitoring and Management
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Picturesy

 

[Wheekallweek]

Nuggets are really only a small part of a piggy's diet anyway, it's good he's still eating his hay and veggies!
I would switch to daily weighing to make sure he is getting enough food, and if he is continually losing weight despite eating his hay and veggies well perhaps a check over by the vet is in order

Edit: cross posted with @Piggiesandbuns

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. All elderly piggies will lose some weight as they age. It doesn’t really matter if they don’t have pellets but as you’ve said he’s lost some weight I’d keep a close eye on his weight and take to the vets if you are worried.