Weight loss?

[Honey&maple]

Would you say this weight loss is concerning ?

She is happy and eating as normal.

she’s a few years older than my other piggy I was thinking could she be not eating enough veg? they currently share a bowl x2 daily.

What could be causing this weight loss ? Arthritis? Pain? Teeth? Age? (Even tho she seems okay in herself) I have noticed her looking like she’s aged but she will be 5 soon.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Older piggies can start to drop weight but Honey’s weight loss is 140g so it is concerning. 50g of loss is the point at which you switch to daily weight checks, step in with syringe and see a vet.

Please do start syringe feeding her and see a vet.
Weight loss occurs due to lack of hay intake, not because of veg. Hay intake cannot be gauged by eye so it can appear they are eating it but when the weight loss occurs it means she isn’t eating as much as she needs to.

Her weight loss could be due to any number of things so it’s not possible for us to speculate.

Weight monitoring and management
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

 

[Wiebke]

Would you say this weight loss is concerning ?

She is happy and eating as normal.

she’s a few years older than my other piggy I was thinking could she be not eating enough veg? they currently share a bowl x2 daily.

What could be causing this weight loss ? Arthritis? Pain? Teeth? Age? (Even tho she seems okay in herself) I have noticed her looking like she’s aged but she will be 5 soon.

Hi

I would recommend a vet check as the gradual weight loss is over 100g; that is significant. Please check the BMI around the ribs to see whether she is still a healthy weight or is starting to feel underweight. The very helpful links in the previous will explain how you go about it and interpret it properly. It is important that you can put the individual weight loss into the correct perspective; that is what feeling for the BMI is doing. A chunky piggy losing 100g is a different kettle of fish from a piggy with an ideal weigh or verging on underweight losing the same amount.

Please be aware that over three quarters of the daily food intake is hay, hay and more hay. You simply cannot check it by eye but that is where the weight loss is coming from.
Veg, fresh and dry forage, pellets and any treats all together only replace the supplementary role of wild forage.
Just looking at veg is comparable to checking her mid-morning and afternoon snacks but ignoring all the main meals altogether.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Here is another information collection that you may find helpful for older piggies, so you know what to look out for and what you can do.
Caring for Older Piggies and Facing the End - A practical and supportive information collection

All the best.