My guinea pig, Eden, is very underweight. She weighs 1lb 10oz. All of my guinea pigs (except the 3 babies) weigh at least 2lb. The weird thing is... even though she is underweight she is NOT losing weight. It is staying at 1lb 10oz. I thought that perhaps she is not eating but since she isn't getting any lighter she must be. It is hard to tell if she is eating or not you see as I have a cage full of 7 females.
Just want a bit of advice. She is going to the vet on Tuesday.
2007-04-06 22:48:05 · 5 answers · asked by Trina 6 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Guinea pigs come in a wide variety of sizes and weights at any given age. The variation is so wide that scientists have not been able to come to a consensus about what constitutes "overweight" and "underweight."
So, keep an eye on your girl's weight (and I commend you for regularly weighing your piggies!). As long as it stays the same, you shouldn't have anything to worry about. If she starts losing weight, then you know that there's some sort of problem.
2007-04-07 01:52:27 · answer #1 · answered by jtrusnik 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hope it's a large cage! My neighbour has 30 guinea pigs and she only maxes out at 4 in a very large hutch size. With 7 it may be competition for food.
One of my neighbours guinea pigs did have a problem with a tooth being oversized, so she couldn't eat properly. Vet sorted that out for her.
BTW I just checked with my neighbour and she sticks at 4 as she finds it much easier to keep an eye on them. Then e.g when she bathes them with mite-treatment etc, she only has to do one cage at a time which helps with time planning. The cages are next to each other with clear perspex between them, so the guineas all can see eachother anyway.
Good luck with Eden.
2007-04-06 23:43:47 · answer #2 · answered by nikki 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe your guinea pig is not eating because it is stressed. If it has been used to living on its own she may prefer that and doesn't like all the company.Try taking her out of the cage for a while and leave her on her own in a warm box with hay, straw and food.See if she feels more comfortable living by herself and if she does find a way to keep her on her own.Hope this is good advice
2007-04-07 01:53:36 · answer #3 · answered by Bryony 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well iavn't heard of this before,
perhaps she is a different breed to the others or just isn't getting as much food.
if the vet says she is underweight then i would keep her by herself for awhile to make sure she is getting all the food she needs!
2007-04-06 23:16:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe you should seperate her from the other for a few days and that way you can monitor what she eats and how much, so you can have that information to take to the vets with you
2007-04-06 22:55:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋