Stressed pigs and weight loss

[Snap]

A bit of a complicated question-Guinea pig lost her cage mate a month ago, was weighing her every day and she was pretty consistently around 860g. We were giving her lot of extra love during this time. She seemed to be doing very well, like almost better than before the death of her friend. During this time I signed up to foster guinea pigs in case there came a time when she needed company. At this point she started lots of teeth chattering.

Due to a family crisis I have had to temporarily move, different house, different noises, etc. She's slowly been losing weight each day, this has been two weeks in new location. THEN I got approved to foster a pig. Thinking this would be helpful to her, I accepted and the Foster has been living in a separate cage next to my pig but my pig does not seem excited about a meet. My pig is now 795g.

I'm guessing her weight loss is due to all these new situations in her life, it's been slow but consistent. She still has a healthy appetite and eats everything we put in front of her.

What can I do for her? My vet is not doing walk ins until March due to a high increase in vet clinic closures due to covid.

 

[Piggies&buns]

It could be due to the stress but it would be wise to rule out any medical issues first, before assuming stress. She will need to be seen by a vet.
It may appear that she is eating well, but hay makes up 80% of their daily food intake and you can’t judge hay intake by eye. Eating veg and pellets only account for 20% of food intake which is more of a snack so isn’t enough.
A piggy who is losing weight isnt eating enough hay. As she is losing weight, then you will need to step in and syringe feed her to stop any further losses. The syringe feeding is an emergency measure to keep the system functioning and prevent further loss, but if she does indeed have a medical issue causing this, then it needs addressing.

Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
Weight - Monitoring and Management

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome

Please step in with weighing daily; cheap kitchen scales from the supermarket are perfectly adequate and with feeding support. Your support care is as crucial as any medical care for the ultimate success.

For company in the longer term I would strongly recommend to contact Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue, which is the best and safest place to adopt or buy from in your area and not run any risk of unpleasant surprises or not knowing what to do after a failed bonding.
Website: Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue
Facebook: Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue