Weight

[Olivia_ewings]

When do you start weighing your guinea pigs after getting them and how much should a 5 week old and 5 month old

 

[Piggies&buns]

Start weighing them as soon as you can but don’t scare them if they are new.
There is no real set weights for age. Each piggy has their own speed of putting on weight, so as long as you are seeing gains and not losses then that is fine.
As hay needs to be the bulk of their food intake and you can’t judge that by eye then it is important to weigh regularly.

 

[Olivia_ewings]

Thanks what happens or how do I tell if they are overweight

 

[Piggies&buns]

You check their heft to find out if they are overweight BUT it’s unlikely they will get overweight if they are fed correctly and get exercise. They certainly won’t be overweight at such a young age
Their diet needs to be 80% hay, one cup of veg per pig per day and then strictly limited to one tablespoon of pellets per day. If you overfeed pellets they will become overweight and suffer other health problems (pellets contain a lot of calcium which can contribute to bladder stones), so keeping pellets strictly limited and keeping their diet hay based will go a long way.
I’ve added our feeding and weight guide in below

Weight - Monitoring and Management
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Olivia_ewings]

Thank you very much