Old Age

[lexi468]

Hello!
I wasn’t sure whether to put this here or in health and illness so I hope it fits here.
mom just wondering at what age your guinea pigs start to act “old”? One of my boys (Mocha) is a rescue that I do not know the age of, but I know he is at least four years old. I estimated him to be about two by the looks of his nails when I got him, which if I was correct, would put him at about six years old. In the past six months or so I have noticed he is slowing down quite a bit. He doesn’t eat as much and just seems more sluggish. He also appears to have gone completely blind in one eye (something I expected to happen eventually because he has pea eye in both eyes). But more recently, in the past two months or so, I’ve noticed that his cage mate has been showing some dominance behavior ie mounting, even though Mocha has always been the dominant one. Is this a sign that I should be concerned about? He still eats his veg like a champ, just seems to sleep a lot more. Which his cage mate also does, at four years old. Anybody else experienced this?
Thanks!

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

Hi. The best thing to do is have him checked by a vet. Any changes in behaviour such as reduced appetite, reduced activity and and a fall in status (allowing the other pig to become the dominant one) can all be signs of pain/ illness, regardless of the age of the piggy. While an elderly piggy isn,' t going to be racing around doing roomies they should still be bright and active.
He may have an age related condition such as arthritis (for which he can be treated with anti inflammatory meds) or something else going on that may or may not be due to his age, only a vet can tell you. Old age in its self is not a disease

 

[Wiebke]

Hello!
I wasn’t sure whether to put this here or in health and illness so I hope it fits here.
mom just wondering at what age your guinea pigs start to act “old”? One of my boys (Mocha) is a rescue that I do not know the age of, but I know he is at least four years old. I estimated him to be about two by the looks of his nails when I got him, which if I was correct, would put him at about six years old. In the past six months or so I have noticed he is slowing down quite a bit. He doesn’t eat as much and just seems more sluggish. He also appears to have gone completely blind in one eye (something I expected to happen eventually because he has pea eye in both eyes). But more recently, in the past two months or so, I’ve noticed that his cage mate has been showing some dominance behavior ie mounting, even though Mocha has always been the dominant one. Is this a sign that I should be concerned about? He still eats his veg like a champ, just seems to sleep a lot more. Which his cage mate also does, at four years old. Anybody else experienced this?
Thanks!

Hi!

Please weigh at least once weekly to monitor his food intake and have him vet checked after the turn of the year when vet services resume normally.
Weight - Monitoring and Management

Pea eye doesn't lead to blindness but some piggies can develop age related cataracts, the same as humans - only that they are not treatable in guinea pigs.
Guinea Lynx :: Eyes

The average healthy life span of mass bred pet shop and for sale breeder piggies is 5-7 years but guinea pigs can live beyond that by several years. A good mainly grass hay and not veg/fruit based diet can add 1-2 years to a healthy life span and take your piggies from the lower end to the upper or beyond.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Guinea Pig Facts - An Overview

You may find my article about old age for the current Guinea Pig Magazine issue very interesting. I am discussing common age-related problems in one of the chapters. You can order the issue via here: https://www.guineapigmagazine.com/subscribe

 

[lexi468]

Hi!

Please weigh at least once weekly to monitor his food intake and have him vet checked after the turn of the year when vet services resume normally.
Weight - Monitoring and Management

Pea eye doesn't lead to blindness but some piggies can develop age related cataracts, the same as humans - only that they are not treatable in guinea pigs.
Guinea Lynx :: Eyes

The average healthy life span of mass bred pet shop and for sale breeder piggies is 5-7 years but guinea pigs can live beyond that by several years. A good mainly grass hay and not veg/fruit based diet can add 1-2 years to a healthy life span and take your piggies from the lower end to the upper or beyond.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Guinea Pig Facts - An Overview

You may find my article about old age for the current Guinea Pig Magazine issue very interesting. I am discussing common age-related problems in one of the chapters. You can order the issue via here: https://www.guineapigmagazine.com/subscribe

Thank you for the info! When I thought he slowed down on eating I did bring him to the vet, and she said he had actually gained a bit of weight. Fortunately here in the US I have been able to bring my pets to the vet consistently. My vet also knows me well so always seems to fit me in. Sometimes I do think I just overreact. How active is active? I mean they have a similar schedule to my cats. They probably sleep 16 hours a day and eat the rest of the time. Is that normal? I’ve had them for many years and have gotten every bit of info from this forum, so I feed them the correct diet and they have everything they need.

 

[lexi468]

Thank you for the info! When I thought he slowed down on eating I did bring him to the vet, and she said he had actually gained a bit of weight. Fortunately here in the US I have been able to bring my pets to the vet consistently. My vet also knows me well so always seems to fit me in. Sometimes I do think I just overreact. How active is active? I mean they have a similar schedule to my cats. They probably sleep 16 hours a day and eat the rest of the time. Is that normal? I’ve had them for many years and have gotten every bit of info from this forum, so I feed them the correct diet and they have everything they need.

16 hours a day might be an exaggeration. I’m not here most of it but I do find them under their blankets a lot. Hard to say if they’re actually sleeping.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

16 hours a day might be an exaggeration. I’m not here most of it but I do find them under their blankets a lot. Hard to say if they’re actually sleeping.

that sounds fine. Spending around eight hours a day grazing is what they should be doing.