onefutui2e
Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- May 19, 2013
- Posts
- 227
- Joined
- May 19, 2013
- Messages
- 227
Hi all,
I've had Magneto and Xavier for a few years ago. Magneto is at least 5 years old, judging by when his previous owner gave him to me. Xavier is at least 3 years old. For a while (about 2 years ago for 6-9 months, so when Magneto was 3 years old and Xavier 1 year old) we had them split a 2x4 so each one had a 2x2 with a shared wall. Not optimal, I know, but I was moving around a lot and this was the best option at the time. During this time, they hit a zenith in their weight with Magneto topping out near 44oz. and Xavier at 53oz.
My girlfriend and I then moved in together in the Fall of 2017, expanded the cage to a 2x5, and let them share it. There were the usual aggressions, growing pains, etc. but the fact that they spent 6-9 months sharing a wall seemed to help (previous attempts at introductions didn't go as well). They lost a bit of weight with Magneto dropping to be 40oz. and Xavier 50oz. We attributed to 1) them having more space, 2) the dominant behaviors leading to more "exercise", 3) me telling my girlfriend to stop feeding them so many vegetables and fruits. Around spring time of 2018 we noticed Magneto dropping significant amounts of weight while Xavier held steady but with a small drop to about 48. At some point he weighed in at about 34oz. (his previous low was 32oz.). We took him to the vet and she said that he's likely getting older and losing muscle mass if he's closing in on 5 years, and recommended Critical Care as a dietary supplement. Otherwise, she told us that he appears to be fine. Around the same time, we adopted a third guinea pig (Spiderpig) with the idea of expanding the cage further and carving out a separate space for Magneto to "retire" in while letting Xavier and Spiderpig live together (i.e., shared wall).
After the switch, we noticed Xavier dropping weight as well. He fell to about 44oz at one point and has held steady between 44-46oz since late October. Magneto at one point made it back up to 38oz., but has since been hovering around 35-36oz. and he just feels and looks bonier, even with a supplement of Critical Care (we started giving him a bit of alfalfa as a treat, too). Spiderpig has been putting on weight since he was only 6-7 weeks old when we got him. Behaviorally, nothing seems wrong with either of them; Xavier has lost a little bit of spunk but it may just be that he's getting older now.
Is this normal? It's a bit concerning that their weight has dropped 15-20 percent from their high in the span of a few months, but I'm not sure if this is just an effect of aging as they start going over the hill. Does anyone have any ideas for how to help them gain their weight back?
Thanks!
I've had Magneto and Xavier for a few years ago. Magneto is at least 5 years old, judging by when his previous owner gave him to me. Xavier is at least 3 years old. For a while (about 2 years ago for 6-9 months, so when Magneto was 3 years old and Xavier 1 year old) we had them split a 2x4 so each one had a 2x2 with a shared wall. Not optimal, I know, but I was moving around a lot and this was the best option at the time. During this time, they hit a zenith in their weight with Magneto topping out near 44oz. and Xavier at 53oz.
My girlfriend and I then moved in together in the Fall of 2017, expanded the cage to a 2x5, and let them share it. There were the usual aggressions, growing pains, etc. but the fact that they spent 6-9 months sharing a wall seemed to help (previous attempts at introductions didn't go as well). They lost a bit of weight with Magneto dropping to be 40oz. and Xavier 50oz. We attributed to 1) them having more space, 2) the dominant behaviors leading to more "exercise", 3) me telling my girlfriend to stop feeding them so many vegetables and fruits. Around spring time of 2018 we noticed Magneto dropping significant amounts of weight while Xavier held steady but with a small drop to about 48. At some point he weighed in at about 34oz. (his previous low was 32oz.). We took him to the vet and she said that he's likely getting older and losing muscle mass if he's closing in on 5 years, and recommended Critical Care as a dietary supplement. Otherwise, she told us that he appears to be fine. Around the same time, we adopted a third guinea pig (Spiderpig) with the idea of expanding the cage further and carving out a separate space for Magneto to "retire" in while letting Xavier and Spiderpig live together (i.e., shared wall).
After the switch, we noticed Xavier dropping weight as well. He fell to about 44oz at one point and has held steady between 44-46oz since late October. Magneto at one point made it back up to 38oz., but has since been hovering around 35-36oz. and he just feels and looks bonier, even with a supplement of Critical Care (we started giving him a bit of alfalfa as a treat, too). Spiderpig has been putting on weight since he was only 6-7 weeks old when we got him. Behaviorally, nothing seems wrong with either of them; Xavier has lost a little bit of spunk but it may just be that he's getting older now.
Is this normal? It's a bit concerning that their weight has dropped 15-20 percent from their high in the span of a few months, but I'm not sure if this is just an effect of aging as they start going over the hill. Does anyone have any ideas for how to help them gain their weight back?
Thanks!