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Weight Loss Guinea Pig Not Gaining Weight

Bananas4u

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Hello!

Ive has my guinea pig for 2 months and has not gained any weight. I can feel her ribs but she is happy (jumps around with the others), loves to eat and be held. I have read lots of forums on here that said give malnourished guinea pigs more vegetables like Parsley and Yellow Peppers, Alpha based pellets, Alpha Hay, and feeding separate. I took her to the vet last week and was told to just keep doing what I’m doing. I’m worried because my youngest guinea pig is passing her up. She weighs 14 ounces and my youngest weighs 14.1 ounces. Thanks for any advice.
 

bpatters

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How old is she? Adult guinea pigs gain weight VERY slowly.

Also, vegetables are NOT the best way to get a guinea pig to gain weight, and alfalfa pellets are too high in calcium for pigs over six months old -- you'll run the risk of painful, expensive bladder stones if you feed alfalfa to adult pigs. A very good quality hay (NOT what you'd find at a pet store) and a good quality pellet (Oxbow and KMS Hayloft are the only ones we recommend) are your best bets for weight gain.

And, feeding them separately may mean that she's not eating as much. The best food is always what's in the other guinea pig's mouth, and usually pigs will eat more when housed with another pig.

As far as size goes, haven't you ever seen a younger sibling that's larger than an older one? Guinea pigs are no more the same size and weight than people are. I absolutely wouldn't worry one second about the fact that the younger one weighs more.
 

Bananas4u

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Thanks for replying so fast! I was told she was 4 months when I got her. So about 6-7 months now. They eat Oxbow Hay and Pellets but we are soon going to order a better quality when this batch runs out. Thank you so much for getting back to me so soon.
 

spy9doc

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One course of action that often works is to sprinkle some oats on/in her pellets.......yes, just plain rolled oats. If you have other cavies in the cage with her, then they are likely to gain weight as well. The only solution would be to feed them separately......which you apparently are already doing.

Why not try it with her in a separate enclosure and see if she eats the oats, or else just watch them carefully to see if all are interested in the oats and then decide on a course of action.
 
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