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guinea pig weight issue

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Jessicaandteddy

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hello, so my 5 year old piggy (Reggie) has the best appetite every he always eating he finishes the pellets and asks for more when he's finished the veggies and ask for more I haven't really seen him eat much hay but drinks plenty of water but every year during winter we seem to have a problem of him loosing weight and then cant put it back on until spring/summer where he has his spring grass and gets fat again now ive started to give him oats in his pellets and he looks skinny and when touching you can feel his bones which is dishearten now I cant go to the vets as the only person in my house who can drive is currently suffering with covid so that's not and option, is this old age catching up with him, he sleeps a lot which he's always done once he's finished eating but I hate seeing him underweight his cage friend (clover) is a decent weight but she doesn't steal the food as Reggie eats all of it and mainly scares her away so I'm confused why is Reggie skinner any quick solutions to get his weight up. thank you please no hate
 
Hay is the most important part of the diet and losing weight is caused by not eating enough. You cannot judge hay intake by eye and the routine weight checks are the only way to know they are getting enough.
If a piggy is not eating enough hay and is losing weight, then it is essential you step in with syringe feeding a fibre rich recovery feed or mushed pellets to stop the weight loss, as well as seeing a vet for a hands on check and diagnosis.

Please ensure you weigh him every week as part of routine care, but weigh daily where there are health concerns.

He will need to see a vet for a hands on check to see if there is a reason for this. Please do make an appointment for as soon as you can. A virtual vet is not a hands on check so may not necessarily be able to give any substantive answers.

There are no quick solutions for getting weight back on particularly if there is an ongoing medical issue, until that issue is addressed. At this point what you are looking to do is stop weight loss by syringe feeding and ensuring he is getting enough fibre.
Regaining lost weight takes longer than losing it and is done through plenty of hay intake. You can given a small amount of oats to help, but hay needs to be the main part of the diet with syringe feeds if piggy is continuing to lose weight.

When he asks for more pellets do you give him more? Pellets should always be kept strictly limited to one tablespoon per pig per day and too many pellets can stop them from eating enough hay.

You say it happens every winter. Is your piggy being kept warm enough?

If you could update your profile to show which country you are in, then it can help us tailor our advice more easily

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Weight - Monitoring and Management

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
Piggies&buns said:
Hay is the most important part of the diet and losing weight is caused by not eating enough. You cannot judge hay intake by eye and the routine weight checks are the only way to know they are getting enough.
If a piggy is not eating enough hay and is losing weight, then it is essential you step in with syringe feeding a fibre rich recovery feed or mushed pellets to stop the weight loss, as well as seeing a vet for a hands on check and diagnosis.

Please ensure you weigh him every week as part of routine care, but weigh daily where there are health concerns.

He will need to see a vet for a hands on check to see if there is a reason for this. Please do make an appointment for as soon as you can. A virtual vet is not a hands on check so may not necessarily be able to give any substantive answers.

There are no quick solutions for getting weight back on particularly if there is an ongoing medical issue, until that issue is addressed. At this point what you are looking to do is stop weight loss by syringe feeding and ensuring he is getting enough fibre.
Regaining lost weight takes longer than losing it and is done through plenty of hay intake. You can given a small amount of oats to help, but hay needs to be the main part of the diet with syringe feeds if piggy is continuing to lose weight.

When he asks for more pellets do you give him more? Pellets should always be kept strictly limited to one tablespoon per pig per day and too many pellets can stop them from eating enough hay.

You say it happens every winter. Is your piggy being kept warm enough?

If you could update your profile to show which country you are in, then it can help us tailor our advice more easily

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Weight - Monitoring and Management

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
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hello when he asks for more is strictly dont give him anymore he's always favoured pellets over hay since he was a baby.
his pellets are selective guinea pigs can i just mush that up and syringe feed it
he lives him my bedroom so m assuming he's warm enough but i possibly could be wrong

he currently munching on his pellets what can I do to make him eat more hay
he is also a lot perky than he was yesterday much more himself

I'm in the uk
 
Jessicaandteddy said:
hello when he asks for more is strictly dont give him anymore he's always favoured pellets over hay since he was a baby.
his pellets are selective guinea pigs can i just mush that up and syringe feed it
he lives him my bedroom so m assuming he's warm enough but i possibly could be wrong

he currently munching on his pellets what can I do to make him eat more hay
he is also a lot perky than he was yesterday much more himself

I'm in the uk
Click to expand...

Yes, to syringe feed, you mush normal pellets with water and use a 1ml syringe with the end cut off. The guides I linked in explain

How much pellets is he being given? Does he have access to a bowl all the time?
Do you have a thermometer in your bedroom?
 
Piggies&buns said:
Yes, to syringe feed, you mush normal pellets with water and use a 1ml syringe with the end cut off. The guides I linked in explain

How much pellets is he being given? Does he have access to a bowl all the time?
Do you have a thermometer in your bedroom?
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okay i will do that then how often should I syringe feed

he being given a scoop full in the morning to last him till the evening the scoop just says 50 on it but it is a small scoop
he has acces to the bowl 24/7
no i do no
 
Jessicaandteddy said:
okay i will do that then how often should I syringe feed

he being given a scoop full in the morning to last him till the evening the scoop just says 50 on it but it is a small scoop
he has acces to the bowl 24/7
no i do no
Click to expand...

Ok that is far too many pellets and can result in reduced hay intake.
They should have just one tablespoon of pellets once per day and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Remove the bowl and no more until the next day. They should never have constant access to pellets.
Depending on brand, one tablespoon of pellets amounts to around 10 grams per pig per day only

Cut his pellets down to encourage him to eat more hay. He needs to be filling up on hay and not anything else.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Ok that is far too many pellets and can result in lower hay intake.
They should have just one tablespoon of pellets once per day and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Remove the bowl and no more until the next day.
Depending on brand, one tablespoon of pellets amounts to around 10 grams per pig per day only
Click to expand...
oh right I did not know that does that mean if i cut back he will start eating hay again
 
Jessicaandteddy said:
oh right I did not know that does that mean if i cut back he will start eating hay again
Click to expand...

I cannot answer that with any certainty. If he has never been used to eating plenty of hay then it may be a struggle. All you can do is cut down the pellets to encourage him to fill up on hay instead, weigh him daily to see he does eat more hay, step in with syringe feeding using a fibre rich recovery feed and see a vet to find out if there is a medical issue causing his reluctance to eat hay.
 
Piggies&buns said:
I cannot answer that with any certainty. If he has never been used to eating plenty of hay then it may be a struggle. All you can do is cut down the pellets to encourage him to fill up on hay instead, weigh him daily to see he does eat more hay, step in with syringe feeding using a fibre rich recovery feed and see a vet to find out if there is a medical issue causing his reluctance to eat hay.
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okay thanks, I'm just confused on one bit you said to cut back on pellets but then said syringe feed mushed up pellets but that just causing him to have the same intake
 
Jessicaandteddy said:
okay thanks, I'm just confused on one bit you said to cut back on pellets but then said syringe feed mushed up pellets but that just causing him to have the same intake
Click to expand...

Yes it sounds confusing.
Your original post is about weight loss. Weight loss occurs because of reduced hay intake. Reduced hay intake can occur for a number of reasons - all of which need a vet to diagnose.
Syringe feeding is therefore essential to replace the fibre which piggy is losing through not eating enough hay. Hay and fibre is essential for gut function, a piggy who is not eating hay because they are ill needs help to support gut function to stop stasis occurring. The best thing to syringe feed with is a fibre rich recovery feed (which is higher in fibre than pellets and designed to help when they are unwell and losing weight), but mushed pellets is the emergency measure until you can get a proper recovery feed.
If there is a medical issue causing your piggy to lose weight, then its essential you get to the bottom of that medical issue but syringe feeding is just as important to keep the guts functioning when they aren’t eating enough hay.

Youve then said your piggy has constant access to pellets, this might be the reason for reduced hay intake - it’s like offering a child a chocolate bar and an apple - they’re going to choose the chocolate bar. Piggies will choose the unhealthy bits over the healthy bits ie the pellets over the hay.

However, Its not normal for indoor piggies to lose weight every winter. Any piggies hay intake should remain high enough to maintain their weight year round. This is why I asked if they were indoor piggies. Outdoor piggies may lose weight if they are too cold. Older piggies can lose muscle tone as they age which can cause them to become bony.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Yes it sounds confusing.
Your original post is about weight loss. Weight loss occurs because of reduced hay intake. Reduced hay intake can occur for a number of reasons - all of which need a vet to diagnose.
Syringe feeding is therefore essential to replace the fibre which piggy is losing through not eating enough hay. Hay and fibre is essential for gut function, a piggy who is not eating hay because they are ill needs help to support gut function to stop stasis occurring. The best thing to syringe feed with is a fibre rich recovery feed (which is higher in fibre than pellets and designed to help when they are unwell and losing weight), but mushed pellets is the emergency measure until you can get a proper recovery feed.
If there is a medical issue causing your piggy to lose weight, then its essential you get to the bottom of that medical issue but syringe feeding is just as important to keep the guts functioning when they aren’t eating enough hay.

Youve then said your piggy has constant access to pellets, this might be the reason for reduced hay intake - it’s like offering a child a chocolate bar or an apple - they’re going to choose the chocolate bar. Piggies will choose the unhealthy bits over the healthy bits ie the pellets over the hay.

However, Its not normal for indoor piggies to lose weight every winter. Any piggies hay intake should remain high enough to maintain their weight year round. This is why I asked if they were indoor piggies. Outdoor piggies may lose weight if they are too cold. Older piggies can lose muscle tone as they age which can cause them to become bony.
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ah okay makes sense now see hes still eats the pellets so his gut should still be moving as hes still eating but i will reduce his pellet intake from tomorrow as he no point doing it today also will weigh him today as well. so ill syringe feed him today and look for recovery feed with high fibre to order. is there anything else i can do to make him eat more hay

i thought because he wasnt getting the nutrients from spring grass was why he was loosing weight
 
Jessicaandteddy said:
ah okay makes sense now see hes still eats the pellets so his gut should still be moving as hes still eating but i will reduce his pellet intake from tomorrow as he no point doing it today also will weigh him today as well. so ill syringe feed him today and look for recovery feed with high fibre to order. is there anything else i can do to make him eat more hay

i thought because he wasnt getting the nutrients from spring grass was why he was loosing weight
Click to expand...

Fresh grass and hay is their main food source and should be around 80% of what they eat in a day. If he isn’t getting fresh grass he should be eating lots of hay. You should not notice any significant weight change because of this.
My boys spend summer on the lawn and eat lots of fresh grass but still eat lots of hay. Throughout the colder months when they can’t be on the lawn, they only get hay and I will pick handfuls of grass for them when I can. Their weight does not change during the seasons when they are not on grass, because their hay intake always remains high.

Veg (15% of the daily food intake) and pellets (5% of the daily food intake) serves a supplementary role and is equivalent to the leaves and other wild plants which they would be eating. It is not their main food source.

Do speak to a vet as if there is a medical angle going on, then they are the only people who can diagnose that
 
Jasicorn said:
I have a question, I just give a handful to my piggies (Two piggies per handful) that's OK right?
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Do you mean of pellets? It depends how much it is amounting to. A handful is not an accurate amount as each persons handful could be different.

Do bear in mind that for long term health, hay and grass is the best thing they can be eating. It contains the fibre necessary for their specialised guts and for dental health. Lack of hay or grass can also mean their teeth don’t wear properly. Pellets are the one thing they can do without.
Equally, pellets contribute a lot of excess calcium to the diet (along with unfiltered drinking water) and too much calcium can bring about its own health and bladder problems.

Stick to one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day, and ensure hay is the thing they eat most of, with a variety of veggies for vitamins as well as keeping that wet element to the diet (which can help bladder health).
 
Jessicaandteddy said:
is there anything else i can do to make him eat more hay
Click to expand...

You could try different types of hay.
Serving it in different ways, using it as enrichment as well as a food source.
My boys are fully bedded on meadow hay and I sprinkle soft timothy amongst it - they spend all their time foraging through it searching for the tasty bits, just sitting in it and nibbling away. I also don’t use food bowls at all and scatter their veg and pellets (when they get them as mine don’t have pellets every day) in amongst hay piles so they spend a lot of time with their noses through hay and inevitably eat it while they search to see if there is anything else hiding in there! It also makes their veg feed time an enrichment activity and keeps them occupied.
If you use hay racks, then try stopping doing so and instead put hay loose in the cage floor, stuffing it in cardboard boxes with holes cut in so they can run through it.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Fresh grass and hay is their main food source and should be around 80% of what they eat in a day. If he isn’t getting fresh grass he should be eating lots of hay. You should not notice any significant weight change because of this.
My boys spend summer on the lawn and eat lots of fresh grass but still eat lots of hay. Throughout the colder months when they can’t be on the lawn, they only get hay and I will pick handfuls of grass for them when I can. Their weight does not change during the seasons when they are not on grass, because their hay intake always remains high.

Veg (15% of the daily food intake) and pellets (5% of the daily food intake) serves a supplementary role and is equivalent to the leaves and other wild plants which they would be eating. It is not their main food source.

Do speak to a vet as if there is a medical angle going on, then they are the only people who can diagnose that
Click to expand...
okay thanks ive just got some fresh grass in and mixed it with their hay which they seem happy about
yeah my piggies spend summer on the grass which they love
okay i will defiantly cut down on pellets starting tomorrow and hoping i see a change
 
Piggies&buns said:
You could try different types of hay.
Serving it in different ways, using it as enrichment as well as a food source.
My boys are fully bedded on meadow hay and I sprinkle soft timothy amongst it - they spend all their time foraging through it searching for the tasty bits, just sitting in it and nibbling away. I also don’t use food bowls at all and scatter their veg and pellets (when they get them as mine don’t have pellets every day) in amongst hay piles so they spend a lot of time with their noses through hay and inevitably eat it while they search to see if there is anything else hiding in there! It also makes their veg feed time an enrichment activity and keeps them occupied.
If you use hay racks, then try stopping doing so and instead put hay loose in the cage floor, stuffing it in cardboard boxes with holes cut in so they can run through it.
Click to expand...
okay thank you ive stopped using hay racks and now have hay over half of the cage floor for them to forage for the food and make it easy access.
tonight when i give them veg i will scatter it in their hay and see if that makes a difference as i normally give it in a bowl
will readigrass do the same as hay a she seems to prefer eating readigras than normal hay
 
Jessicaandteddy said:
okay thank you ive stopped using hay racks and now have hay over half of the cage floor for them to forage for the food and make it easy access.
tonight when i give them veg i will scatter it in their hay and see if that makes a difference as i normally give it in a bowl
will readigrass do the same as hay a she seems to prefer eating readigras than normal hay
Click to expand...

Readigrass is very rich and is something best kept as a treat
 
Piggies&buns said:
Readigrass is very rich and is something best kept as a treat
Click to expand...
oh okay so not something to mix into hay reguarly

i mixed fresh grass into the hay and just caught him foraging through the hay to find the fresh grass is that good
 
hello so my guinea pigs top teeth look to long which may be the reason why he isnt eating any hay now when i look at his face the top teeth over hang the bottom ones by about an inch does that mean they are to long and they also stick out from his lips
 
You will need to have your piggy seen by a cavy savvy vet to address any potential dental issues.
Not eating enough hay can mean their molars do not wear down properly. The incisors are kept in check by properly functioning molars so if you see problems with the incisors, then it can point to problems further back.

ive merged you two threads as they are potentially the same problem. We ask that posts are kept to the same thread so we can see previous advice and offer ongoing support
 
Piggies&buns said:
You will need to have your piggy seen by a cavy savvy vet to address any potential dental issues.
Not eating enough hay can mean their molars do not wear down properly. The incisors are kept in check by properly functioning molars so if you see problems with the incisors, then it can point to problems further back.
Click to expand...
Okay he is eating hard food grass and veggies and treats okay just not hay but my dad won't take him till the vet he says as long as he's eating its okay
 
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