Skinny pig too skinny need help ASAP

[808piggies]

I have 5 piggies and all of them are healthy and normal looking except my skinny he is too skinny and I’m sooooo very worried he has a big healthy looking belly but you can see his ribs and hips he eats more than the rest of my piggies but still looks so skinny and I don’t know why and I don’t know what to do I need help. I’ve just put a heating pad in half his cage so he won’t burn extra calories because he is cold, for feeding I’m now putting him in a separate area so I know he is eating and so I know how much/how long it takes for him to eat all his hay, I am slowly adding more food to his servings, and I am now weighing all piggies weekly/ him daily. Is there anything else I can do I’ve put 3 types of hay in his feeding area and all piggies have access to fresh hay and water at all times... btw cage cleaning is tomorrow and I clean them weekly also my female isn’t overweight she is pregnant and fully healthy babies are due is two weeks

 

[Piggies&buns]

I don’t have specific knowledge of skinny pigs so I am unsure as to what the ‘normal’ is for them. @PigglePuggle has a skinny pig so can hopefully help you further.
I can suggest though that any concerns such as this should be checked by a vet to rule out any health issues as a first step.

 

[DMS260820]

@PigglePuggle. She has a skinny pig, I believe they need to eat more than other guinea pigs. is she eating plenty of hay?

@Flutterby . I believe has a skinny pig also

 

[808piggies]

I don’t have specific knowledge of skinny pigs so I am unsure as to what the ‘normal’ is for them. @PigglePuggle has a skinny pig so can hopefully help you further.
I can suggest though that any concerns such as this should be checked by a vet to rule out any health issues as a first step.

So far we have ruled out scurvy and any issues with his teeth

 

[DMS260820]

So far we have ruled out scurvy and any issues with his teeth

Did A vet rule this out? A decent guinea pig vet?

 

[808piggies]

I don’t have specific knowledge of skinny pigs so I am unsure as to what the ‘normal’ is for them. @PigglePuggle has a skinny pig so can hopefully help you further.
I can suggest though that any concerns such as this should be checked by a vet to rule out any health issues as a first step.

Here you can see his belly a bit better

 

[DMS260820]

Here you can see his belly a bit better
View attachment 123671

Yea that properly skinny, can see the ribs

 

[808piggies]

Did A vet rule this out? A decent guinea pig vet?

Yes the best exotics vet on island, I live in Hawaii. I truly trust this vet and I have many pets and have seen many different vets before

 

[YvonneBlue]

Can i ask how old your skinny pig is and how much does he currently weigh. Does he have a companion, he could be lonely and that may affect his appetite. His cage looks s little small too.

They really do have a high metabolic rate and mine eat fat more than my furry piggies. They did look skinny as youngsters but filled out quite quickly. I don't remember their ribs showing. Skinnies also need to be kept in a fairly warm environment around 18 degrees C.

 

[Lorcan]

No guinea pig should have just that space as their cage. I've had Midwest cages, I know how small that particular space is, he should have at least the run of the whole Midwest as a minimum. Being in a cramped space like that won't help his health.

 

[808piggies]

Can i ask how old your skinny pig is and how much does he currently weigh. Does he have a companion, he could be lonely and that may affect his appetite. His cage looks s little small too.

They really do have a high metabolic rate and mine eat fat more than my furry piggies. They did look skinny as youngsters but filled out quite quickly. I don't remember their ribs showing. Skinnies also need to be kept in a fairly warm environment around 18 degrees C.

Thank you, he’s around 4-6 months, he is in a shared cage with 2 others piggies it is a large Midwest cage I only shut the gate between the companions during feeding so I can be sure the other piggies aren’t stopping him from eating and possibly being a reason I’ve never seen them do so but I want to be sure. He weighs 436g far less than the rest of my piggies

 

[808piggies]

No guinea pig should have just that space as their cage. I've had Midwest cages, I know how small that particular space is, he should have at least the run of the whole Midwest as a minimum. Being in a cramped space like that won't help his health.

He is only there to eat so I can be sure he isn’t being bullied away from food then he had full run of 2 Midwest cages I do know their living requirements and have gone above to give him double that taking up all my room’s floor space I do try to be the best mom I can be at all times and for all 20 of my pets

 

[808piggies]

He is only there to eat so I can be sure he isn’t being bullied away from food then he had full run of 2 Midwest cages I do know their living requirements and have gone above to give him double that taking up all my room’s floor space I do try to be the best mom I can be at all times and for all 20 of my babies

 

[PigglePuggle]

Hi! Our skinny pig did look noticeably skinny as a youngster, you could see her ribs and spine sometimes depending on how she was sitting. Now she is 10 months old and is noticeably plumper with a proper piggy bottom. At 4-6 months your piggy should be gaining weight so its important to weigh every week and check that some overall gain and no loss is occuring. Our skinny girl seems to have reached 850g at 10 months and that's her stable weight, she has weighed the same plus or minus 20 grams for the last 6 weight checks. They do tend to be quite small, but shouldnt be noticeably bony. And they do eat more than furry pigs, but mostly hay with a few extra veggies...
Hope that helps!

 

[808piggies]

Hi! Our skinny pig did look noticeably skinny as a youngster, you could see her ribs and spine sometimes depending on how she was sitting. Now she is 10 months old and is noticeably plumper with a proper piggy bottom. At 4-6 months your piggy should be gaining weight so its important to weigh every week and check that some overall gain and no loss is occuring. Our skinny girl seems to have reached 850g at 10 months and that's her stable weight, she has weighed the same plus or minus 20 grams for the last 6 weight checks. They do tend to be quite small, but shouldnt be noticeably bony. And they do eat more than furry pigs, but mostly hay with a few extra veggies...
Hope that helps!

Thank you it helps my worry a bit I’ll definitely start weighing regularly as well as everything else

 

[Flutterby]

Where abouts are you based? He certainly needs a full exam by a guinea pig savvy vet. Something is definitely going on, if he's getting the correct diet then he should not be that thin.

Is he house with the females on the other side of the cage?

 

[Sophie B]

Where abouts are you based? He certainly needs a full exam by a guinea pig savvy vet. Something is definitely going on, if he's getting the correct diet then he should not be that thin.

Is he house with the females on the other side of the cage?

They said earlier they were in Hawaii and he isn’t separate only for feeding to make sure he is eating enough

 

[Sophie B]

Is he neutered? This won’t have any effect on his weight or how much he eats I’m just wondering because you said your female was pregnant

 

[PigglePuggle]

If it helps for comparison at all, this is a slim but healthy skinny pig shape- 850g of Tallulah:

Looking again at those pics at higher resolution (I just took a quick look on the train yesterday) I do think your skinny pig is very skinny @808piggies but if you have seen the best vet you have access to and they cant find anything wrong then all you can try is feeding him more or keeping him warmer! Hope he bulks up a bit, have you tried feeding him a bit of grated sweet potato and porridge oats? That's what our vet has recommended to us before when we've had underweight pigs and it certainly bulks piggies up.
I am also wondering though as his tummy looks fat but the rest of him is thin if your vet has considered bloat and other gut problems? Or even parasites? Gut parasites are quite rare in UK piggies but I have no idea what might be found in piggies in more tropical climates! Just a thought x

 

[808piggies]

I’ve asked about bloat but the vet said he isn’t bloated just for some re a sontheweight isn’t spreading parasites are very very uncommon here so I didn’t think to ask I’ll go back and ask them to check him for that and thank you I have tried those food items so I will definitely try to slowly start incorporating that to his diet my husband and I are thinking because he was in with two bigger piggies and one who was pregnant that he got booted from the food and that may have been what escalated his weight issue so that’s why we have separated him for feeding and are being sure to keep him warm

 

[808piggies]

If it helps for comparison at all, this is a slim but healthy skinny pig shape- 850g of Tallulah:
View attachment 123759
Looking again at those pics at higher resolution (I just took a quick look on the train yesterday) I do think your skinny pig is very skinny @808piggies but if you have seen the best vet you have access to and they cant find anything wrong then all you can try is feeding him more or keeping him warmer! Hope he bulks up a bit, have you tried feeding him a bit of grated sweet potato and porridge oats? That's what our vet has recommended to us before when we've had underweight pigs and it certainly bulks piggies up.
I am also wondering though as his tummy looks fat but the rest of him is thin if your vet has considered bloat and other gut problems? Or even parasites? Gut parasites are quite rare in UK piggies but I have no idea what might be found in piggies in more tropical climates! Just a thought x

I also will ask my vet if I can put him on gas drops just in case it is some bloat and it just wasn’t as bad when she saw him

 

[PigglePuggle]

I also will ask my vet if I can put him on gas drops just in case it is some bloat and it just wasn’t as bad when she saw him

It was just a thought based on his tummy, ranitidine is a recommended bloat medicine, so is emeprid- please don't risk using any over the counter human medicines, one forum member has lost a piggy this week by treating bloat with human medicines rather than seeing a vet. Of course your piggy may not be bloated at all, just thin... but its worth considering all options! There are other rare hormonal issues like endocrine disorders and Cushings disease that can cause piggies to be very thin... but these are so rare that its probably worth trying to feed him up and check his guts are working fine first!
A probiotic might help him too, optimise his gut bacteria to help get the most nutrients out of his food, probiotics can be obtained from the vet but I dont think it ever does any harm to buy one and add it into the diet of a poorly or underweight piggy... fibreplex and pro-C are ones we have in the UK or that you might buy from Amazon!