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My guinea pig is losing weight but is acting normal

PaytonMichelle

PaytonMichelle

Junior Guinea Pig
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I am on break from school and have recently moved my guinea pigs to a new location. Same cage but new place. The piggies seem happy and act 100% normal. I was doing their weekly weigh ins and noticed that my pig Winston has lost some weight. On December 11 he was 822 but yesterday he was 808 and today we was 806. He is eating and running around and pop corning as usual. He does not have any hair loss nor any respiratory problems. He also appears normal in looks like he doesn’t look skinny or frail. Is losing a little weight like that okay? Is he just stressed? Is it because he’s just getting used to his new location? Any one have any tips to make sure he maintains his weight?
 
that’s not much weight lost. it’s been quite a while too. i wouldn’t worry. my pigs are gaining 30 g per week and my adult varies between 1000 g and 1070 g per 2 weeks or so
 
Honeybun said:
that’s not much weight lost. it’s been quite a while too. i wouldn’t worry. my pigs are gaining 30 g per week and my adult varies between 1000 g and 1070 g per 2 weeks or so
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but then again i’d trust someone with a bit more experience than me. ;)
 
30g is the weight of a full bladder, so it doesn't sound on the face of it as though your pig's weight is anything to worry about. Do you weigh at the same time in the feeding cycle?
However if he is a young pig, overall he should probably be gaining weight still , 800g is quite light for an adult.
 
No he is still a baby I think...I’m not 100% sure since we did get him from PetSmart
 
I would keep on weighing to see if you notice a pattern of weight loss. That amount of weight loss could just be a matter of an empty bladder versus a full bladder. In the meantime, keep an eye on his poops to make sure they are not small or thin or otherwise abnormal, which is an early indicator that he is not eating as much as usual. Hopefully it will just be one of those little things. It's definitely a good sign that he appears healthy and active.
 
:agr:
I agree with freela. That isn’t a huge amount of weight loss, 30g fluctuations are within the normal range. But definitely keep an eye on things. If his weight continues to go down, then you should step in with support feeding and get him to a vet.
The problem is that they can appear to be eating normally but because hay needs to be the biggest part of their diet you cannot accurately gauge that they are eating enough hay just by watching them, which is why weighing is important. Loss of weight can mean they aren’t eating enough so medical issues need to be looked into).
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
30g is the weight of a full bladder, so it doesn't sound on the face of it as though your pig's weight is anything to worry about. Do you weigh at the same time in the feeding cycle?
However if he is a young pig, overall he should probably be gaining weight still , 800g is quite light for an adult.
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They are both babies still
 
This is sort of an old thread. Are you referring to your own or the OP’s?
 
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