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Should I be worried about their weight?

CavyL0ver

New Born Pup
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Santa Rosa, Laguna, Philippines
My 2 Guinea Pigs, one being 9 months old, and the other being 7 months old are underweight. I got them from a breeder. The older one is 520 grams and the younger one is 500 grams. They are both eating and is showing no other signs of illness from what I can tell. They are not losing weight but they are very light for their age. How do I fatten them up? Should I be worried?
 
That is small for their ages (a 3 week old is typically around 250g) but what is important is that they are fed a good hay based diet and that they are gaining weight.

What do you feed them?
 
I feed them a wide variety of vegetables (A cup of vegetables each), unlimited star grass hay (The hay commonly used here in the Philippines), and sometimes oxbow pellets which I currently don’t have.
That does sound small for their ages (a 3 week old is around 250g) but what is important is that they are fed a good hay based diet and that they are gaining weight.

What do you feed them?
 
What does your vet say? And are they gaining weight overall, week to week, rather than losing it? Some piggies may just be naturally small, especially if they were malnourished as babies- but also there could be health issues going on.
A thorough vet check is the first thing to do, and ask the vet about their weight for their size and heft. With a healthy hay based diet, over time, very thin piggies fatten up, and very fat piggies slim down, to reach the weight that is healthy for them- assuming their are no underlying health issues, like dental or digestive problems.
When we brought home Blodwen from a neglect situation, she weighed 700g at 9 months and couldnt eat hay properly because of serious dental problems- after successful dental surgery she gained 400g in 3 months, just eating hay and a normal diet.
So I would suspect perhaps if you are sure of the piggies ages, there may be a health reason that needs exploring about why they are so small.
 
I haven’t taken them to my local exotic vet yet but I will soon. They are gaining weight but slowly.
What does your vet say? And are they gaining weight overall, week to week, rather than losing it? Some piggies may just be naturally small, especially if they were malnourished as babies- but also there could be health issues going on.
A thorough vet check is the first thing to do, and ask the vet about their weight for their size and heft. With a healthy hay based diet, over time, very thin piggies fatten up, and very fat piggies slim down, to reach the weight that is healthy for them- assuming their are no underlying health issues, like dental or digestive problems.
When we brought home Blodwen from a neglect situation, she weighed 700g at 9 months and couldnt eat hay properly because of serious dental problems- after successful dental surgery she gained 400g in 3 months, just eating hay and a normal diet.
So I would suspect perhaps if you are sure of the piggies ages, there may be a health reason that needs exploring about why they are so small.
 
It’s great they are gaining weight and as their diet sounds fine, a vet check would be a good idea

How long have you had them?
Have you always weighed them weekly?
Do you keep a chart of their weekly weigh ins?
Was there ever a point that they were losing weight?
 
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