New bonding advice?

[Ollie the guinea pig]

Hello everyone! I have a similar situation here. There was a female guinea pig that passed away at 3.5 years old (May 24th) and there is a male 3 years old that is still with us. When I noticed that he was losing weght (two weeks after she died), I took him to the exotic vet and he said that everything looks fine, teeth were perfect, so he was probably grieving, so we had to buy another one. I've been looking everywhere in my country to adopt one that is not a baby, but there was not any, so we bought a new piggie (female I think) that is around 3 months old. That was Friday, June 9th. I think bonding was fine, they both show normal dominant behaviour, but my male pig is still losing his weight. Is he still adjusting? May he still be grieving and under a lot of stress, because he had never been alone before? Had anyone had a situation like this? I was wondering when should I be worried and take him to the vet again for further examination.

He had been emasculated at the age of 7-8 months.
He is eating his hay, drinking water in normal amount (around 100ml per day) and is eating around 20-25g of dry pellet food, which is less than he used to eat before.

His weight was 1330-1350g since he matured until recently. When we noticed he was losing his weight, it was June the 2nd and he was around 1090g. Since June 2nd until June 10th he lost another 40g (was around 1050g) and in the last 3 days, since new piggie is with us, he lost another 15-20g. His weight is less in the morning than in the evening, it varies around 20g daily.

 

[piggl]

Hello everyone! I have a similar situation here. There was a female guinea pig that passed away at 3.5 years old (May 24th) and there is a male 3 years old that is still with us. When I noticed that he was losing weght (two weeks after she died), I took him to the exotic vet and he said that everything looks fine, teeth were perfect, so he was probably grieving, so we had to buy another one. I've been looking everywhere in my country to adopt one that is not a baby, but there was not any, so we bought a new piggie (female I think) that is around 3 months old. That was Friday, June 9th. I think bonding was fine, they both show normal dominant behaviour, but my male pig is still losing his weight. Is he still adjusting? May he still be grieving and under a lot of stress, because he had never been alone before? Had anyone had a situation like this? I was wondering when should I be worried and take him to the vet again for further examination.

He had been emasculated at the age of 7-8 months.
He is eating his hay, drinking water in normal amount (around 100ml per day) and is eating around 20-25g of dry pellet food, which is less than he used to eat before.

His weight was 1330-1350g since he matured until recently. When we noticed he was losing his weight, it was June the 2nd and he was around 1090g. Since June 2nd until June 10th he lost another 40g (was around 1050g) and in the last 3 days, since new piggie is with us, he lost another 15-20g. His weight is less in the morning than in the evening, it varies around 20g daily.

Hi, just so you are aware it is best to start your own thread so we can give tailored advice on your specific issue and not derail another posters issue.

That is quite a significant weight loss. Does he show any signs of pain/discomfort.
Is he eating hay?
You have to weigh them at the same time each day as they can fluctuate to around 30g each day.
Pellets are a very small part of the diet, around 8%, so at the most he should be getting 1tbsp of nuggets/pellets a day.

Did his teeth check include the back teeth?
Unfortunately a weigh loss of this amount would need to be seen by a vet, as it is likely caused by another issue in the body.
Weight Monitoring and Management
Signs of Pain in Guinea Pigs

You will need to step in with support feeding at this time. You can buy critical care online but in this moment it is best to create “pellet mush”.
If you take his pellets and soak them in some warm water for a bit, then mush them down, you can administer this to him. Either by a 1ml syringe or try to have him eat it off a spoon.
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
Probiotics, Recovery Foods And Vitamin C: Overview With Product Links

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

I have moved your post to its own new thread for you to receive tailored advice.

The weight loss is significant so I would definitely get him seen by a vet again for further health checks.

Please only weigh once a day in the morning. If you weigh in the morning and evening you pick up too much fluctuation.
Please step in with syringe feeding to stop the weight loss.

I hope he is ok

 

[Ollie the guinea pig]

Ok, I'll try to start my own thread. Yes, he has been eating fine since this new piggie came, he just seems a bit depressed every now and then.
He is eating his hay.
Yes, his teeth check included the back teeth, they were perfect shape and color.

 

[Ollie the guinea pig]

Welcome to the forum

I have moved your post to its own new thread for you to receive tailored advice.

The weight loss is significant so I would definitely get him seen by a vet again for further health checks.

Please only weigh once a day in the morning. If you weigh in the morning and evening you pick up too much fluctuation.
Please step in with syringe feeding to stop the weight loss.

I hope he is ok

Thank you.
He doesn't show any signs of pain/discomfort. He looks just fine, except he is losing his weight and looks a bit depressed...
My exotic vet is in another city so it is complicated for me to take him, but of course I will if this cointinues. They told me to get him company and to look at him closely, that we will be in touch, but I just wanted to ask you here when I should contact the vet again. We were on that vet check up 5 days ago.

I have been weighing him twice a day, but at the same time, in the noon and in the midnight.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’ve moved your post to its own thread - you don’t need to start a new one.

He is losing weight due to not eating enough hay.
I would get him seen by the vet again in case there is something now more obvious come to light.
Please step in with syringe feeding

Please stop weighing him twice a day, it makes things too inaccurate. Weigh him Once first in the morning

 

[Ollie the guinea pig]

Also, his poop looks exactly the same as before, sometimes it's a bit smaller, then again it is the same size as always, and in the right amount.

 

[Ollie the guinea pig]

I’ve moved your post to its own thread - you don’t need to start a new one.

He is losing weight due to not eating enough hay.
I would get him seen by the vet again in case there is something now more obvious come to light.
Please step in with syringe feeding

Please stop weighing him twice a day, it makes things too inaccurate. Weigh him Once first in the morning

Ok, thank you, but he is eating his hay as he always was... Ok, thanks, I will

 

[piggl]

Does he look hunched in a ball and fluffed up when he acts ‘depressed’.
These are both signs of pain/discomfort

Are you doing weekly health checks, checking the eyes, ears, genitals etc. - Have you noticed anything different recently?
Any lumps or bumps?
Have you changed his diet at all?

Stress could cause a bit of upset, but as he has a friend and should be settling down it sounds like there is a separate issue going on.
Also I wouldn’t imagine stress would cause weight loss to this extent.

It does sound like he needs to see a vet unfortunately, if not sooner rather than later.
Stepping in with syringe feeding will give him the best chance (more about this in the green links attached above).

All the best x

 

[Ollie the guinea pig]

Does he look hunched in a ball and fluffed up when he acts ‘depressed’.
These are both signs of pain/discomfort

Are you doing weekly health checks, checking the eyes, ears, genitals etc. - Have you noticed anything different recently?
Any lumps or bumps?
Have you changed his diet at all?

Stress could cause a bit of upset, but as he has a friend and should be settling down it sounds like there is a separate issue going on.
Also I wouldn’t imagine stress would cause weight loss to this extent.

It does sound like he needs to see a vet unfortunately, if not sooner rather than later.
Stepping in with syringe feeding will give him the best chance (more about this in the green links attached above).

All the best x

No, he is relaxed when he is lying down. Also, when I cuddle him, he relaxes completely and yawns (he wasn't doing that since his partner died, but now that new piggie got here, he does again). He chases this new piggie a bit, but when she ''defends'' herself and runs away, he either goes to eat or lie down and trying to sleep. His behaviour is completely like before except he seems sad and maybe a bit annoyed by this new piggie.
Nothing seems any different, and as I had said, vet checked him up 5 days ago and said everything was fine, to keep tracking him. This new piggie has been here for only 4 days including today.

Also, on the last day he was alone, just before this new piggie got here, he looked completely depressed like didn't respond to any kind of stimulus, he was just lying and not eating... I read that they could die of sadness right after their friend dies, so I think that would happen to him if this little piggie didn't get here soon.

 

[piggl]

Some piggies can go into some sort of acute pining, but you would be looking to see improvement with a new friend.

If everything seems fine but he’s losing this amount of weight I think you need to do some investigation into this.
I understand you’ve already been but there is a chance something has been missed.
Perhaps a scan or x-ray?

I hope the support feeding helps stabilise his weight in the meantime x

 

[Siikibam]

Weight loss is more often than not due to not eating enough hay. The amount of hay eaten cannot be judged by eye, hence weekly weight checks, or (once) daily when they are unwell.

Please cut the amount of pellets to one tablespoon a day (including for the newbie). 20-25g is way too much, although I suspect that’s what is written on the packaging.

On which note, how much in weight of pellets has he been eating recently? Is it less than 10g? You say he stopped eating as many, is this from when the weight loss started?…

Hope the vet can work out what is going on. Mystery weight loss can be a real pain!

 

[Ollie the guinea pig]

Some piggies can go into some sort of acute pining, but you would be looking to see improvement with a new friend.

If everything seems fine but he’s losing this amount of weight I think you need to do some investigation into this.
I understand you’ve already been but there is a chance something has been missed.
Perhaps a scan or x-ray?

I hope the support feeding helps stabilise his weight in the meantime x

Yes, I understand, I was just wondering is it possible that he is still grieving (or adapting?) since it's been only 4 days with the new companion, and around 2 and a half days since they introduced to each other. (They were in the same big cage, but separated and it has taken them a day and a half to come to the fence in the middle, to sniff each other).
I know, I agree something could be missed, of course I will take him to the vet, I will contact them first, tomorrow or the next day, if this keeps going on. I wanted to check with you guys if anyone had similar situation, because it is not easy for me to just take him to another city to the exotic vet.

Weight loss is more often than not due to not eating enough hay. The amount of hay eaten cannot be judged by eye, hence weekly weight checks, or (once) daily when they are unwell.

Please cut the amount of pellets to one tablespoon a day (including for the newbie). 20-25g is way too much, although I suspect that’s what is written on the packaging.

On which note, how much in weight of pellets has he been eating recently? Is it less than 10g? You say he stopped eating as many, is this from when the weight loss started?…

Hope the vet can work out what is going on. Mystery weight loss can be a real pain!

I can only take a photo of how much hay is there now in the cage (a little bit), and there was a whole pile whole day, I mean, I know I can not measure the amount, but I give him as I always have and he eats always almost all of that. Only a little bit is left tomorrow or in the evening if I gave him last night, for example. :/
As for the pellets, yes, on the packaging is written 35-50g daily... I don't know how much he ate before, when his friend was alive, because they were eating together... But both of them did eat that amount for their whole life I think, as it is on the package (maybe 50g together)...

He was eating these last few days those 20g daily (in 24 hours, day and night), since there is a new friend. I give him a little bit of it, every now and then, not all at once. New piggy is eating this food just a little bit, as you say, a tablespoon maybe.
Yes, when his friend died, he started eating much less and he started losing weight. She didn't die of anything contagious. He immidiately stopped eating dry mixed food they were always eating (as it reminded him of her?), and then we bought a different one, pellet shaped food. Then he started eating it around 20g daily.

I hope you can understand me fine, because English is not my native language.
Thank you all for advices.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I I can only take a photo of how much hay is there now in the cage (a little bit), and there was a whole pile whole day, I mean, I know I can not measure the amount, but I give him as I always have and he eats always almost all of that. Only a little bit is left tomorrow or in the evening if I gave him last night, for example. :/
As for the pellets, yes, on the packaging is written 35-50g daily... I don't know how much he ate before, when his friend was alive, because they were eating together... But both of them did eat that amount for their whole life I think, as it is on the package (maybe 50g together)...

He was eating these last few days those 20g daily (in 24 hours, day and night), since there is a new friend. I give him a little bit of it, every now and then, not all at once. New piggy is eating this food just a little bit, as you say, a tablespoon maybe.
Yes, when his friend died, he started eating much less and he started losing weight. She didn't die of anything contagious. He immidiately stopped eating dry mixed food they were always eating (as it reminded him of her?), and then we bought a different one, pellet shaped food. Then he started eating it around 20g daily.

I hope you can understand me fine, because English is not my native language.
Thank you all for advices.

Taking a photo won’t help. You cannot gauge hay intake by eye. The only way to know a piggy is eating enough hay is through the routine weight checks. The fact your piggy is losing weight means he is no longer eating enough hay, even if he is eating some, it does not mean he is eating enough to maintain his weight.
It is such a lot of weight to have lost.

Please syringe feed him to stop the weight loss.

In regard to the pellets, you must not go by the amount the packaging tells you to feed. They always say to feed more than is healthy to get you to go through their product quicker to make you buy more.
35-50g of pellets per pig is very unhealthy. They need just one tablespoon which comes to around 10g. So, even by only eating 20g he is eating twice as many pellets than he should be eating. You need to reduce his pellet intake down to just one tablespoon (actually use a tablespoon measure).
He should also not have access to pellets all day and all night. The only food piggies should have constant access to is hay.
Too many pellets can cause a few health problems.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[piggl]

How long ago did he lose his friend?
In all honestly I think it is unlikely for weight loss to that extent to be caused by grief.

I also completely understand how it can be tough to get to a vet, especially when they are quite a bit away.

 

[Ollie the guinea pig]

Taking a photo won’t help. You cannot gauge hay intake by eye. The only way to know a piggy is eating enough hay is through the routine weight checks. The fact your piggy is losing weight means he is no longer eating enough hay, even if he is eating some, it does not mean he is eating enough to maintain his weight.
It is such a lot of weight to have lost.

Please syringe feed him to stop the weight loss.

In regard to the pellets, you must not go by the amount the packaging tells you to feed. They always say to feed more than is healthy to get you to go through their product quicker to make you buy more.
35-50g of pellets per pig is very unhealthy. They need just one tablespoon which comes to around 10g. So, even by only eating 20g he is eating twice as many pellets than he should be eating. You need to reduce his pellet intake down to just one tablespoon (actually use a tablespoon measure).
He should also not have access to pellets all day and all night. The only food piggies should have constant access to is hay.
Too many pellets can cause a few health problems.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Okay, thank you, I will contact the vet in the morning. He is a University professor (and my professor - I'm a vet student), so I trust him on this, I just didn't know when I should bother him if Ollie was just grieving... I will tell him tomorrow he continued to lose his weight and I'll see what he'll say.

How long ago did he lose his friend?
In all honestly I think it is unlikely for weight loss to that extent to be caused by grief.

I also completely understand how it can be tough to get to a vet, especially when they are quite a bit away.

He lost his friend 3 weeks ago and he was alone until this Saturday.
Yes, I don't know either, but I read on this site they can just stop eating, like give up on themselves and die soon after their friend died. It reffered to guinea pigs that were living in pair for longer time, as they were. They were not living in the group.

 

[piggl]

You aren’t incorrect that guinea pigs can die from grief, but they are also hardwired to survive.
Generally their grieving lasts around 4 days, and it is even more unlikely now that he has a new friend.

Good luck with the vets x