Skinny pig lost 250g in weight

[Ninalb]

Hi!

I recently moved from Florida to Pennsylvania brining my skinny pig with me. She was originally ~1,000g when we got here and slowly over the winter she’s lost ~220g in weight. That’s 20% of her body weight. I was first alerted during a check up by the vet. We’re Assuming it’s because the winter is so cold that she’s losing her body weight try to keep warm. I tried putting in a cloth tent but she doesn’t want to use it. I’ve been feeding her more but she’s not gaining weight and even worse still losing it.

is there any high calorie/nutrient veggies or food that I can feed her to stop the decline? Or anything else that could keep her warm? My house has poor insulation so turning up the heat doesn’t really do much

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

I recently moved from Florida to Pennsylvania brining my skinny pig with me. She was originally ~1,000g when we got here and slowly over the winter she’s lost ~220g in weight. That’s 20% of her body weight. I was first alerted during a check up by the vet. We’re Assuming it’s because the winter is so cold that she’s losing her body weight try to keep warm. I tried putting in a cloth tent but she doesn’t want to use it. I’ve been feeding her more but she’s not gaining weight and even worse still losing it.

is there any high calorie/nutrient veggies or food that I can feed her to stop the decline? Or anything else that could keep her warm? My house has poor insulation so turning up the heat doesn’t really do much

Hi

I am very sorry. You may want to step in with formula feeding support since it could be either temperature or health related if your piggy is not able to hold their own weight.

Thread 'Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support'

Jun 20, 2024

1 Weight and Weight Loss
- Why regular weight monitoring matters
- How weight changes over a lifetime
- How to weigh on your kitchen scales (with video)
- The weight loss rules
- How critical is the weight loss for my piggy?
- Possible causes for weight loss
2 Body Mass Index (BMI) or 'Heft'
- Why is understanding your piggy's weight so important?
- 'Average' weight vs. individual weight - the big trip up
- How to check for the BMI...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Health & Illness Support Corner

• 

You may also find the practical tips in these in these two guides here helpful in addressing the heating issue:

Thread 'Cold Weather Care for Indoor and Outdoor Guinea Pigs'

Dec 11, 2022

1 Outdoor guinea pigs living in a hutch
- How to prepare your hutch for Winter
- Insulation
- Daily care
2 Outdoor guinea pigs living in a shed/garage
3 All outdoor guinea pigs
4 Indoor guinea pigs
- Preparing your cage
- Preparing the room


1 Outdoor guinea pigs living in a hutch

How to...

• Swissgreys
• cold weather care outdoor guinea pigs outdoor hutch shed snow wet weather winter
• Replies: 1
• Forum: Climate Environment & Travel

• 

Thread 'Weight - Monitoring and Management (Underweight & Overweight)'

Mar 11, 2019

1 Health monitoring: BMI, weighing, poo out and body changes
- The importance of the weekly health and grooming body check
- Different feedback from BMI, weight, poos and body changes
2 Regular weight monitoring
- How often should I weigh?
- Weighing tips
3 Guidelines for changes in weight
- Weight loss guidelines
- Sudden weight gain and fluctuations...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 4
• Forum: Grooming Care & Health Monitoring

• 
• 

 

[Ramia]

You will need to get your hands on Critical Care recovery feed and syringe feed your guinea pig until the weight is stable. Also get a kitchen scale so you can weigh them, daily for a while.

My pig is special needs so I weigh him every 4 days to see if he's getting enough critical care. Until he's eating enough on his own I am able to offer it to him in a little dish instead of syringe feeding it and he eats it. He's on antibiotics so his appetite is a little low.

 

[Roselina]

Hello it is crucial that you keep a warm temperature for your skinny pig - I was advised between 20-22C from the rescue I got him from
Readigrass is a good way of getting extra food into her that helps with weight
I’d definitely step in with critical care syringe food