Is this low weight for 11 weeks old sows?

[Pigglywiggly09]

Hi there, so I have recently got 2 new sows from pets and home(which I now know wasn't a good choice). I have had them for 2 weeks and I've been ill so I haven't been able to weigh them until today. Cookie weighs only 349g and Sprinkles 335g. This seems really low for 11 weeks. When I bought them they said they were around 8-10 weeks, I put them at 9 weeks so I had a guesstimate for their birthdays.They are settling in really well and seem healthy. They eat unlimited amounts of hay and nuggets and they have fresh veggies twice a day which includes a variety of lettuces, Cucumber and red pepper(which they eat last). I also give them carrot, apple and strawberries occasionally. Should u take them to the vets to get them checked over? Should I be worried?

 

[Lady Kelly]

Usually pets at home piggies are around 6 weeks old when they are sold so I would say your weights are appropriate for 8 weeks of age. These are roughly the same weight as my Poppy had at 7 weeks. You need to weigh weekly and gradual gain is expected to be seen for healthy pups more than the starting weight

 

[Wiebke]

Hi there, so I have recently got 2 new sows from pets and home(which I now know wasn't a good choice). I have had them for 2 weeks and I've been ill so I haven't been able to weigh them until today. Cookie weighs only 349g and Sprinkles 335g. This seems really low for 11 weeks. When I bought them they said they were around 8-10 weeks, I put them at 9 weeks so I had a guesstimate for their birthdays.They are settling in really well and seem healthy. They eat unlimited amounts of hay and nuggets and they have fresh veggies twice a day which includes a variety of lettuces, Cucumber and red pepper(which they eat last). I also give them carrot, apple and strawberries occasionally. Should you take them to the vets to get them checked over? Should I be worried?

Hi!

As long as your babies are lively and fine in themselves, you need not worry. Birth weights in babies vary massively, and this difference gets bigger as they grow. The individual variance in guinea pigs is huge. What counts is that they are a good weight/size ratio at any stage and that they aren't overweight or underweight at any age - whatever their individual weight and size. During their first two years guinea pigs have the ability to catch up from any underweight caused by malnutrition.

What you should do for the sake of long term health and a longer lifespan is to NOT overfeed, especially not on pellets, fattening veg like carrots and too much fruit. The more hay your piggies eat, the longer they will live provided that there are no other factors in play.
They may grow more slowly at first, but will continue to grow sustainably for longer during their first year and will come to realise their genetically determined optimum weight/size with the added advantage that they are as healthy and as fit as can be for the long haul - and that any risk of dying in an operation is also smaller due to them not having a thick layer of yellow fat around the organs. .

You may find these guides here helpful. they are part of our new owners' guide collection, which addresses all the areas in detail that we get the most questions and concerns about.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight

Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

 

[Pigglywiggly09]

I thought that may have been the problem looking into it more Ladykelly.
The babies are very lively! I've been doing a lot of research into their diet and how much to give. I will take a look at those links, thank you Wiebke. Thank you so much for your replys.

 

[Bill & Ted]

I’ve just looked at Bill and Ted’s weight spreadsheet and they where about 425 gm at 10 weeks so I wouldn’t worry as long as they are eating well and gaining weight each week. My two boars are quite hefty now at 1330 and 1260 gms, piggies are like people and come in all shapes and sizes. Your little ladies sound a normal weight to me x

 

[PigglePuggle]

At 12 weeks Puggle was 360g and Piggle was 420g and they are both almost a year old now- Puggle is petite at 800g and Piggle weighs just over 1kg. Some piggies start small and stay small, others start small and catch up once they get a good diet and are happy! Also sometimes pet shop pigs are sold a bit younger than claimed. Weigh weekly and review the weights monthly and there should be an overall gain of maybe 30g a week on average- but dont panic if there's no gain one week, then a 50g gain the next- as long as it evens out as a steady increase!