Is my guinea pig ok?

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Launey

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One of my guinea pigs is always sleeping and the other one is awake, he has been doing this for a few days and I’m getting worried because he never used to do this
 
Hello and welcome to the forum.

I’m sorry your piggy is worrying you. Any change in behaviour needs to be checked out by a vet to rule out illness first of all. I’d get him seen as soon as possible. Also I’d start weighing him daily to make sure he’s not losing any weight. Good luck. I hope he is ok.


Abi_nurse

Thread 'How Soon Should My Guinea Pig See A Vet? - A Quick Guide'

Overview
1 Does my guinea pig need to see a vet?
2 Emergency: Things that need immediate action
3 See promptly: Things that could wait until the next day (24 hours)
4 See during regular hours: Things that could wait a few days
5 First aid, emergency and bridging care links


1 Does my guinea pig need to see a vet?

In short - yes, if your worried its always best to see or speak to a vet or nurse about any concerns, however there are...
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Last edited:
I agree with weepweeps.
If you are concerned about a potential health issue; please switch from the routine weekly weight checks and instead weigh your piggy each morning. This allows for you to more closely monitor hay intake. Any weight loss then do ensure you step in with syringe feeding.
Please do also see a vet for any change in behaviour.

I hope your piggy is ok


Wiebke

Thread 'Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support'

1 Weight and Weight Loss
- Why regular weight monitoring matters
- How weight changes over a lifetime
- How to weigh on your kitchen scales (with video)
- The weight loss rules
- How critical is the weight loss for my piggy?
- Possible causes for weight loss
2 Body Mass Index (BMI) or 'Heft'
- Why is understanding your piggy's weight so important?
- 'Average' weight vs. individual weight - the big trip up
- How to check for the BMI...
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Welcome to the forum.
I agree with the previous posts.
With any concern a vet trip is advised.
At best you will be reassured if there’s no problem but if something is amiss the sooner it can be diagnosed and treated the better.
Hope all is well.
 
Welcome to the forum. As advised by everyone else, any concerns that don't obviously require a vet check and I go straight for daily weight checks.
 
Ok, I have weighed him and he is a bit underweight but not too much he is 2 pounds so I will get him to the vet to figure out what is causing this and what I need to do
 
The weight ie the number on the scales is not indicative of whether they are under or overweight. Being just under 2lbs which is 907 grams doesn’t make him underweight because the average adult weight range covers something like 600g to 1600g.
The weight tells you whether he has eaten enough the previous day. You need to weigh him every morning while you are concerned for his health. If he has lost 50 grams more than that tells you he urgently needs to be syringe fed to stop any further daily weight loss. Weight loss means his hay intake has reduced and that usually happens due to illness.

Being underweight is confirmed by checking his heft ie putting your hands around his ribs and seeing how easy it is to feel ribs through a fat layer. If the ribs are very prominent and there is no fat layer then he is underweight.
 
Piggies&buns said:
The weight ie the number on the scales is not indicative of whether they are under or overweight. Being just under 2lbs which is 907 grams doesn’t make him underweight because the average adult weight range covers something like 600g to 1600g.
The weight tells you whether he has eaten enough the previous day. You need to weigh him every morning while you are concerned for his health. If he has lost 50 grams more than that tells you he urgently needs to be syringe fed to stop any further daily weight loss. Weight loss means his hay intake has reduced and that usually happens due to illness.

Being underweight is confirmed by checking his heft ie putting your hands around his ribs and seeing how easy it is to feel ribs through a fat layer. If the ribs are very prominent and there is no fat layer then he is underweight.
Click to expand...
Thank you, he does feel very bony on his ribs so I am gonna get him to the vet as soon as I can, I also don’t see him eat as much as his cage mate
 
Launey said:
Thank you, he does feel very bony on his ribs so I am gonna get him to the vet as soon as I can, I also don’t see him eat as much as his cage mate
Click to expand...

Hay intake cannot gauged by eye.
If his weight is stable at every weight check then he is eating enough.
If he is losing weight then he is not eating enough. You must urgently step in with syringe feeding a recovery feed or mushed pellets and see a vet
 
Piggies&buns said:
Hay intake cannot gauged by eye.
If his weight is stable at every weight check then he is eating enough.
If he is losing weight then he is not eating enough. You must urgently step in with syringe feeding a recovery feed or mushed pellets and see a vet
Click to expand...
The few days I have weighed him he has not lost weight so he might be ok, I will continue to weigh him for a while to be sure
 
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