Dear everyone,
I recently had to go abroad for one week and I needed boarding for my two babies. The shelter for guinea pigs only opens on Saturdays, and I was going to be back on Sunday, so they had to be there for 2 weeks and they were in a 2x3 cage. Once I picked them back, they were skittish when I was grabbing them from the cage to the transporter, and I noticed that one of them (Oktavia the submissive) was scared and screamed. That kind of behavior had faded away once she started living with me.
Once we were at home in their 2x6 cage, I gave them food and weighted them:
Oktavia the submissive:
1162 grams to 1060 grams (an 8.78% weight loss)
Altaria the dominant:
1248 grams to 1220 grams (a 2.24% weight loss)
I was highly surprised that Altaria had dropped almost no weight (considering her weight patterns fluctuation since i weight them daily), but Oktavia had lost a lot of weight and she seemed scared of being handled (in general they two are skittish guinea pigs, specially when I compared them against the other babies in the shelter who were very eager to be touched).
NOTE: I also noticed that my Oktavia (submissive) had some dried reddish rheum in her eye and that her eye may have a tiny injury (nothing serious). I cleaned it and everything is fine.
Questions:
1) I was expecting they would lose weight, but I am surprised that Oktavia lost a lot of weight and Altaria only little weight. Do you think my dominant baby was pushing around my submissive one and that's why she lost a lot of weight? She also looked afraid and disturbed, but I may be imagining things. Once they both were back into their cage, Oktavia looked really happy and lively, and she was running a lot.
They haven't battled. However, I noticed that they both are sleeping and chilling in the extremes of the cage, while before they would sleep together and be together.
2) Is there a way for me to prevent my Oktavia losing weight again? I am also boarding them on December for another 2 weeks (trip abroad).
Thank you
I recently had to go abroad for one week and I needed boarding for my two babies. The shelter for guinea pigs only opens on Saturdays, and I was going to be back on Sunday, so they had to be there for 2 weeks and they were in a 2x3 cage. Once I picked them back, they were skittish when I was grabbing them from the cage to the transporter, and I noticed that one of them (Oktavia the submissive) was scared and screamed. That kind of behavior had faded away once she started living with me.
Once we were at home in their 2x6 cage, I gave them food and weighted them:
Oktavia the submissive:
1162 grams to 1060 grams (an 8.78% weight loss)
Altaria the dominant:
1248 grams to 1220 grams (a 2.24% weight loss)
I was highly surprised that Altaria had dropped almost no weight (considering her weight patterns fluctuation since i weight them daily), but Oktavia had lost a lot of weight and she seemed scared of being handled (in general they two are skittish guinea pigs, specially when I compared them against the other babies in the shelter who were very eager to be touched).
NOTE: I also noticed that my Oktavia (submissive) had some dried reddish rheum in her eye and that her eye may have a tiny injury (nothing serious). I cleaned it and everything is fine.
Questions:
1) I was expecting they would lose weight, but I am surprised that Oktavia lost a lot of weight and Altaria only little weight. Do you think my dominant baby was pushing around my submissive one and that's why she lost a lot of weight? She also looked afraid and disturbed, but I may be imagining things. Once they both were back into their cage, Oktavia looked really happy and lively, and she was running a lot.
They haven't battled. However, I noticed that they both are sleeping and chilling in the extremes of the cage, while before they would sleep together and be together.
2) Is there a way for me to prevent my Oktavia losing weight again? I am also boarding them on December for another 2 weeks (trip abroad).
Thank you