Size Difference

[Lil3piggies]

Hi guys! Not sure which forum to post this in but I have two males, both the same age (so I was told when I bought them- and they were the same size) but Artie is now loads bigger than Archie who still seems tiny.

When I hold Artie he feels nice and chubby how I imagine a guinea pig should be and when I hold Archie he still seems tiny and slightly bony.
They get on lovely and they both get the same amount of food each. Although I’ve noticed while Artie guzzles his food down Archie will take his time but he still gets the same amount and I see him eat it in his own time.
Just a little worried about their different rates of growth or is it normal? They have a diet of fresh hay and water daily, their nuggets and a varied diet of fresh veg. I’ll add a photo of them

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

How old are your boys and how long have you had them?
Are you weighing weekly as part of their regular health monitoring?

Please make sure that you do not serve any veg and pellets in just one bowl, but that you feed veg and pellets in a bowl each per boy, ideally over a body length apart in portions that can be eaten in one go 2-3 times a day. Remove the bowl in between meals, so your boys are encouraged to eat as much hay as possible. Hay should make at least 80% of the daily food intake; it is essential for gut and dental health and is vital for longevity. Make sure that the hay supply is unlimited and regularly refilled and replaced. Again, ideally you also offer it in two different places so your little one can't be locked out. These measures prevent food hogging.

Because you cannot control the hay intake, weighing weekly (or in case of an illness daily) is an important tool in their health monitoring. The other is a weekly body check.

Guinea pigs can be different sizes and that differences usually gets bigger as they get older. However, it is important that you always make sure that the underpiggy is getting its fair share and that is feels healthy in itself.

These guides here will help you. Please take the time to read them. You will find them very helpful. You can start a weight diary in a notebook by the scales so you know when something is not right. You can also use the notebook to show to your vet so they can take that into their considerations, especially if there are not a lot of symptoms to go on, which can sometimes happen with a major loss of weight.

The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diet
Guinea pig body quirks - learning what is normal and what not
Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
Early Signs Of Illness

 

[Lil3piggies]

Hi! I’ve had them since Christmas Eve and they were 10 weeks old when I got them. Thank you so much for all the information! I haven’t been weighing them but I will deffo make sure it’s done weekly now I know! Thank you!

 

[Pluto&Astro]

Wow! Amazing piggies either way.

 

[Reenie]

Lovely piggies! I've three who are all around 10 months, and they range from 742g to 912g. The biggest and smallest are twins and the middle one is about a month younger. As long as they are gaining weight most weeks and are generally in good health, I don't worry....the smallest one is the bully boy of the three, he's just a smout, and the biggest is bottom piggy....but he eats the most and the fastest!

 

[Julia Rafferty]

I have the same issue but don’t worry it all has to do with how much they eat, exercise, and their bodies.

 

[Betsy]

Dennis is only 985g at his heaviest, his brother Christian is 1175g and sister Meg is 1210g it's nothing to worry about as long as they are healthy. What matters more is the heft. This guide will help you:-

The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight

 

[Freela]

The first post gave a lot of good pointers, and I would echo those. With that managed, guinea pig sizes can vary dramatically. Right now I have two sows, both 'prime of life' adults (one is 1 and one is 3), and one is literally half the weight of the other. Hadley is a big girl, just over 3 lbs, and Leela is a bitty thing at 1.5 pounds. They are both fine... just one is very petite and one is very big boned. They appear to eat about equal amounts, surprisingly!