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
3 The Weekly and the Daily Weigh-in
- What the life-long weekly weigh-in and body check does for you
- When to switch to weighing once daily
- Anxiety: The obsessive hovering trap
4 'Poo-ology' vs. Weighing
- What can poos tell you and what not?
- Poos vs. weighing: Why you need both
5 Levels of Feeding Support
- Which food group are you replacing?
- Topping up and Full Feeding support explained
- What to have at home vs what to order in
- Improvising in an emergency
6 First Aid and Guide for Vet Visit Urgency
- Guide to how soon to see a vet
- Spotting early signs of illness and pain
- First aid care measures and non-medication products
- All-in-one emergency care advice and resources link
This guide aims to address some common misconceptions and sources of panic. It also helps you make the best use of all methods both in health as well as in illness by understanding what each of them can do and what not.
It is a compilation of various in-depth guides that are touching on weight and weight loss issues in different ways; the full guides are linked into the relevant chapters to help you access further practical care information and how-to advice.
1 Weight and Weight Loss
Why regular monitoring matters
Checking your guinea pig's weight and body once a week will give you a handle on any gradual changes before they become a major problem.
You get to know your piggy much better and get a better insight into what is normal for them and what not.
Especially if you suffer from anxiety or other mental health issues, it can help to take pictures of the various body parts (including the underside of the feet) and to update the folder once a year so you can use that as a reference.
Keep in mind that your piggies weight and body will gradually change over the course of a lifetime.
Weight Monitoring and Management
Guinea pig body quirks - What is normal and what not?
How to weigh your piggy on your kitchen scales
Normal cheap digital or mechanic kitchen scales are perfectly adequate for weight monitoring because you are monitoring changes but you do not need a fully correct weight, unlike a vet who has to compute the correct medicine dosages.
This link here shows you the safest and least stressful way to weigh your guinea pig with a video:
How weight changes over a life time
Guinea pigs don't weigh the same all life long. Age is always another factor that should be taken into consideration.
- Guinea pig have a fast growth phase with mostly steady weekly weight gain until they are about 4-6 months of age. The cut-off point is dependent on their genetically determined ideal weight. The more you feed the sooner they will reach this cut-off point.
- Then they continue to grow in ever wider spaced spits and spurts until they are about 15-18 months of age. Overfeeding will increasingly result in overweight and is no longer fully converted to pure growth.
- The peak of their life (and weight) is at around 2-3 years of age; they are at their natural heaviest (often borderline overweight) and at their most reluctant to lose any weight. Overfeeding with food and treats can result in a life shortening build up of yellow fat around the major organs, which is also a major factor in bad operation outcomes.
- Mature piggies from about 4-5 years onward start to gradually lose weight; their muscles will gradually lose tone so the hipbones and spine and eventually the ribs will become more prominent. However, any sudden or any major slow weight loss should be vet checked.
- The very old can become mere bags of skin and bones as their metabolism gradually slows down and their weight drops. Some plucky souls can however hang on for a surprising length of time.
The weight loss rules
Any weight loss needs to be seen on the background of your piggy's age, their actual weight and whether their weight/size ratio (their BMI) is normal, underweight or overweight.
When a 700g piggy loses 100g it is quite simply not the same compared to whether a 1400g piggy loses the same amount. In the first case this is a major weight loss but in the second - especially if they are overweight - it can just mean that they have dumped some yellow fat. That is why you need to know more about your piggy than just their weight or the weight loss in order to interpret it appropriately and know how urgently you need to see a vet.
Here are the guidelines along which you can judge whether and how quickly you need to see a vet.
If in any doubt, please see a vet sooner rather than later. In an emergency, please make an appointment first before asking us!
- 30-40g / 1 oz: Normal daily weight swing
Any weight gain or loss within this band does not count because the difference between a full bladder and a full gut and an empty bladder and gut can be up to 40g and because the weight is swinging in this bandwidth over the course of 24 hours.
- 50g / 2 oz: Go on alert!
Switch to weighing daily at the same time and book a vet appointment if the weight loss continues. See a vet within 24 hours if a guinea pig is losing this amount within 24 hours (i.e. 'promptly') and step in with syringe feeding top up. If the weight loss is much slower but steady, see a vet during regular opening hours within a week, ideally as soon as you can get an appointment during regular opening hours.
- 100g / 3 oz: See a vet as an emergency if the weight loss has happened within in 1-2 days!
If your guinea pig has lost 100g within 24 hours, it has not eaten or drunk at all during this time and is in acute danger of dying.
See a vet or emergency service at any time of the day or night ASAP!
Step in with syringe feeding and watering if your guinea pig can still swallow and process food. Never simply empty a syringe full into the mouth of a severely ill guinea pig!
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
If a major weight loss has gradually happened over a period of weeks or months, please see a vet during regular opening hours within a week.
A sudden unexplained weight gain especially in older piggies also needs to be investigated; it could be caused by a fluid build up in the body due to a failing heart.
How critical is the weight loss for my piggy?
In order to put the weight loss into the right perspective for your own piggy, it helps to think of it in terms of a percentage of the normal weight and checking whether they are still overweight or already underweight - that is where your regular weekly health checks and knowing your piggy's BMI really come into their own.
Overweight piggies tend to drop weight initially a lot more quickly because of what is coming off is their yellow fat reserves. When looking at the rules below you have to factor that in and check their BMI first to see where they actually stand.
The rule of thumb
- 5-10% loss of healthy body weight: This a weight loss that is significant enough to be vet checked but it is not yet concerning. Your piggy should not feel badly underweight and may even feel a perfect weight in an overweight piggy; they should still have plenty of fighting strength. Adapt your feeding support to whether they are still partially eating or not. See a vet during regular opening hours but book an appointment now.
- 20-30% loss of healthy body weight: This is a concerning loss weight; your piggy will be feeling clearly underweight now. Please see a vet promptly (i.e. within 24 hours) as an emergency if at all possible. Your piggy will need treatment and medication as quickly as possible. They will also need round the clock feeding and care support to have a chance of getting through the crisis.
- 30-50% loss of body weight: Your piggy has hit their bottom weight; they cannot lose any more because all fat and muscle have gone now; what's left is all bones, organs and skin. They are fighting for their lives and need to see a vet asap to be in with a small chance.
Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
Possible causes for weight loss
- Access to food and water bottles blocked; undrinkable water/empty or blocked bottles; new or spoiled food.
All About Drinking And Bottles
- Sudden larger temperature changes or extremes (both heat and frost); heat stroke side effects (GI stasis)
Please contact a vet asap if you suspect heat stroke!
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
Cold Weather Care For Guinea Pigs
- Poisoning and environmental aspects
When all or several piggies suddenly present with the same not weather related symptoms then chances are high that you are dealing with environmental problem. Check your gas alarm; poisonous plants (fox gloves!), fresh dog pee on the lawn, paint, possible predator or rodent attacks etc.
Species jumping diseases typically pass through groups in stages from one to others but usually not all at once.
Contact a vet promptly.
- Inability to eat, chew, swallow or process food (Dental problems, oral thrush, blockage or GI stasis)
Wiebke's Guide to Tummy Trouble
- Pain, illness and infections
This is the most common group and it means a trip to the vet.
Signs of Pain in Guinea Pigs
- Metabolic diseases
This group includes hyper-thyroidism, diabetes, kidney and liver problems and very rare Cushing disease. In old piggies with in increased appetite but continuing weight loss it also indicates a metabolic problem in an organ.
You will need vet diagnosis and medication (if possible - it is a new area for guinea pigs) but support can include the longer term need for a little top up feed.
- Mystery weight loss
Weight loss without any helpful symptoms is the trickiest for any vet to work out. In my own experience there can be so many different, often way out there issues behind it. Diagnostic tools have massively improved but there are still limits. Patience, support feeding and trying to manage any symptoms is often the only way forward until things become clearer.
A guinea pig cannot tell you whether they have a headache, a vague general pain or queasiness in the body. They are also wired to suppress any symptoms for as long as possible, often to an astonishing degree; not rarely until it is too late.
A guinea pig with major weight loss is already a very ill guinea pig.
- 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
3 The Weekly and the Daily Weigh-in
- What the life-long weekly weigh-in and body check does for you
- When to switch to weighing once daily
- Anxiety: The obsessive hovering trap
4 'Poo-ology' vs. Weighing
- What can poos tell you and what not?
- Poos vs. weighing: Why you need both
5 Levels of Feeding Support
- Which food group are you replacing?
- Topping up and Full Feeding support explained
- What to have at home vs what to order in
- Improvising in an emergency
6 First Aid and Guide for Vet Visit Urgency
- Guide to how soon to see a vet
- Spotting early signs of illness and pain
- First aid care measures and non-medication products
- All-in-one emergency care advice and resources link
This guide aims to address some common misconceptions and sources of panic. It also helps you make the best use of all methods both in health as well as in illness by understanding what each of them can do and what not.
It is a compilation of various in-depth guides that are touching on weight and weight loss issues in different ways; the full guides are linked into the relevant chapters to help you access further practical care information and how-to advice.
1 Weight and Weight Loss
Why regular monitoring matters
Checking your guinea pig's weight and body once a week will give you a handle on any gradual changes before they become a major problem.
You get to know your piggy much better and get a better insight into what is normal for them and what not.
Especially if you suffer from anxiety or other mental health issues, it can help to take pictures of the various body parts (including the underside of the feet) and to update the folder once a year so you can use that as a reference.
Keep in mind that your piggies weight and body will gradually change over the course of a lifetime.
Weight Monitoring and Management
Guinea pig body quirks - What is normal and what not?
How to weigh your piggy on your kitchen scales
Normal cheap digital or mechanic kitchen scales are perfectly adequate for weight monitoring because you are monitoring changes but you do not need a fully correct weight, unlike a vet who has to compute the correct medicine dosages.
This link here shows you the safest and least stressful way to weigh your guinea pig with a video:
How weight changes over a life time
Guinea pigs don't weigh the same all life long. Age is always another factor that should be taken into consideration.
- Guinea pig have a fast growth phase with mostly steady weekly weight gain until they are about 4-6 months of age. The cut-off point is dependent on their genetically determined ideal weight. The more you feed the sooner they will reach this cut-off point.
- Then they continue to grow in ever wider spaced spits and spurts until they are about 15-18 months of age. Overfeeding will increasingly result in overweight and is no longer fully converted to pure growth.
- The peak of their life (and weight) is at around 2-3 years of age; they are at their natural heaviest (often borderline overweight) and at their most reluctant to lose any weight. Overfeeding with food and treats can result in a life shortening build up of yellow fat around the major organs, which is also a major factor in bad operation outcomes.
- Mature piggies from about 4-5 years onward start to gradually lose weight; their muscles will gradually lose tone so the hipbones and spine and eventually the ribs will become more prominent. However, any sudden or any major slow weight loss should be vet checked.
- The very old can become mere bags of skin and bones as their metabolism gradually slows down and their weight drops. Some plucky souls can however hang on for a surprising length of time.
The weight loss rules
Any weight loss needs to be seen on the background of your piggy's age, their actual weight and whether their weight/size ratio (their BMI) is normal, underweight or overweight.
When a 700g piggy loses 100g it is quite simply not the same compared to whether a 1400g piggy loses the same amount. In the first case this is a major weight loss but in the second - especially if they are overweight - it can just mean that they have dumped some yellow fat. That is why you need to know more about your piggy than just their weight or the weight loss in order to interpret it appropriately and know how urgently you need to see a vet.
Here are the guidelines along which you can judge whether and how quickly you need to see a vet.
If in any doubt, please see a vet sooner rather than later. In an emergency, please make an appointment first before asking us!
- 30-40g / 1 oz: Normal daily weight swing
Any weight gain or loss within this band does not count because the difference between a full bladder and a full gut and an empty bladder and gut can be up to 40g and because the weight is swinging in this bandwidth over the course of 24 hours.
- 50g / 2 oz: Go on alert!
Switch to weighing daily at the same time and book a vet appointment if the weight loss continues. See a vet within 24 hours if a guinea pig is losing this amount within 24 hours (i.e. 'promptly') and step in with syringe feeding top up. If the weight loss is much slower but steady, see a vet during regular opening hours within a week, ideally as soon as you can get an appointment during regular opening hours.
- 100g / 3 oz: See a vet as an emergency if the weight loss has happened within in 1-2 days!
If your guinea pig has lost 100g within 24 hours, it has not eaten or drunk at all during this time and is in acute danger of dying.
See a vet or emergency service at any time of the day or night ASAP!
Step in with syringe feeding and watering if your guinea pig can still swallow and process food. Never simply empty a syringe full into the mouth of a severely ill guinea pig!
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures
If a major weight loss has gradually happened over a period of weeks or months, please see a vet during regular opening hours within a week.
A sudden unexplained weight gain especially in older piggies also needs to be investigated; it could be caused by a fluid build up in the body due to a failing heart.
How critical is the weight loss for my piggy?
In order to put the weight loss into the right perspective for your own piggy, it helps to think of it in terms of a percentage of the normal weight and checking whether they are still overweight or already underweight - that is where your regular weekly health checks and knowing your piggy's BMI really come into their own.
Overweight piggies tend to drop weight initially a lot more quickly because of what is coming off is their yellow fat reserves. When looking at the rules below you have to factor that in and check their BMI first to see where they actually stand.
The rule of thumb
- 5-10% loss of healthy body weight: This a weight loss that is significant enough to be vet checked but it is not yet concerning. Your piggy should not feel badly underweight and may even feel a perfect weight in an overweight piggy; they should still have plenty of fighting strength. Adapt your feeding support to whether they are still partially eating or not. See a vet during regular opening hours but book an appointment now.
- 20-30% loss of healthy body weight: This is a concerning loss weight; your piggy will be feeling clearly underweight now. Please see a vet promptly (i.e. within 24 hours) as an emergency if at all possible. Your piggy will need treatment and medication as quickly as possible. They will also need round the clock feeding and care support to have a chance of getting through the crisis.
- 30-50% loss of body weight: Your piggy has hit their bottom weight; they cannot lose any more because all fat and muscle have gone now; what's left is all bones, organs and skin. They are fighting for their lives and need to see a vet asap to be in with a small chance.
Emergency and Crisis Care as well as Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
Possible causes for weight loss
- Access to food and water bottles blocked; undrinkable water/empty or blocked bottles; new or spoiled food.
All About Drinking And Bottles
- Sudden larger temperature changes or extremes (both heat and frost); heat stroke side effects (GI stasis)
Please contact a vet asap if you suspect heat stroke!
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
Cold Weather Care For Guinea Pigs
- Poisoning and environmental aspects
When all or several piggies suddenly present with the same not weather related symptoms then chances are high that you are dealing with environmental problem. Check your gas alarm; poisonous plants (fox gloves!), fresh dog pee on the lawn, paint, possible predator or rodent attacks etc.
Species jumping diseases typically pass through groups in stages from one to others but usually not all at once.
Contact a vet promptly.
- Inability to eat, chew, swallow or process food (Dental problems, oral thrush, blockage or GI stasis)
Wiebke's Guide to Tummy Trouble
- Pain, illness and infections
This is the most common group and it means a trip to the vet.
Signs of Pain in Guinea Pigs
- Metabolic diseases
This group includes hyper-thyroidism, diabetes, kidney and liver problems and very rare Cushing disease. In old piggies with in increased appetite but continuing weight loss it also indicates a metabolic problem in an organ.
You will need vet diagnosis and medication (if possible - it is a new area for guinea pigs) but support can include the longer term need for a little top up feed.
- Mystery weight loss
Weight loss without any helpful symptoms is the trickiest for any vet to work out. In my own experience there can be so many different, often way out there issues behind it. Diagnostic tools have massively improved but there are still limits. Patience, support feeding and trying to manage any symptoms is often the only way forward until things become clearer.
A guinea pig cannot tell you whether they have a headache, a vague general pain or queasiness in the body. They are also wired to suppress any symptoms for as long as possible, often to an astonishing degree; not rarely until it is too late.
A guinea pig with major weight loss is already a very ill guinea pig.
