Welcome to our full information to guinea pig weight! Helping you to reply that vital query – how a lot ought to a guinea pig weigh?
Guinea pigs’ roundness is integral to their attraction. They’re purported to be a humorous little oval form, and it’s one in all their cutest options.
But when your pet is designed to be rotund, how do you inform after they’re carrying an excessive amount of weight?
Maintaining a wholesome weight is simply as vital in your guinea pig’s well being as it’s to yours or mine.
In this text we discover out what a wholesome guinea pig weight is, what causes guinea pig weight reduction, and the right way to assist a fats guinea pig slim down.
So, how a lot ought to a guinea pig weigh?
Guinea pig weight
Guinea pig pups weigh round 100g at delivery, and attain their grownup weight by round eight months previous.
Whether you convey your guinea pig house from a breeder as quickly as they’re prepared to go away mum, or select them in a pet retailer after they’re a bit older, it’s a good suggestion to maintain monitoring their development while you convey them house.
In reality, many animal welfare charities suggest weighing your guinea pig each week!
Why ought to I care a lot in regards to the weight of a guinea pig?
Our home guinea pigs’ wild ancestors had been prey animals.
For many prey animals, a key technique for not drawing the eye of predators isn’t displaying while you’re in a weakened state, making you a simple catch.
So, guinea pigs don’t are inclined to let on after they’re in ache.
This signifies that after they’re injured or sick, it may possibly take us some time to understand.
To overcome this, there are many checks we’re accustomed to checking each time we deal with our pigs: we test their eyes, ears, nails, tooth, and the final situation of their coat and pores and skin.
Weighing guinea pigs is one other worthwhile technique to improve your possibilities of recognizing well being issues early on.
Sure it takes just a little extra effort, as a result of it includes precise tools apart from our palms and eyes. But a poorly guinea pig could reduce weight weight quickly, so it’s undoubtedly value it.
Weighing your guinea pig
The best technique to weigh a guinea pig is on kitchen scales.
Digital or mechanical scales are each wonderful (however for those who’ve by no means tried digital scales, belief me, you’ll by no means look again).
You’ll additionally want a bowl heavy sufficient that your pig can’t tip themselves off the scales, however not so heavy that including the guinea pig ideas the dimensions past its vary.
Weigh your guinea pig at floor degree, in order that in the event that they do tip the bowl they will’t additionally fall from a desk or work floor.
If your guinea pig finds being dealt with or weighed traumatic, they usually have a mattress field which is closed on 5 sides, strive placing entire mattress field on the dimensions, then resetting the dimensions to zero.
Gently take away the guinea pigs again to their hutch, and their weight will seem as a detrimental determine on the scales.
Tracking your guinea pig’s common weight
Part of figuring out the wholesome weight in your guinea pig is getting right into a routine of checking their weight usually, so you’ll be able to inform when it’s gone up or down.
Find no matter routine for weighing your guinea pig works for you.
If you discover you maintaining forgetting, strive setting a reminder in your cellphone, or get into the behavior of weighing them everytime you trim their nails.
What is a wholesome guinea pig weight?
Just like individuals and different animals, guinea pigs come in several sizes and shapes.
Some are naturally extra petite, and others are naturally massive.
The wholesome weight in your guinea pig is the load that corresponds with a wholesome physique form.
And that will help you know what that’s I’ve simply the factor…
A guinea pig weight chart
To aid you choose whether or not your guinea pig is a wholesome weight, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recommends utilizing this Guinea Pig Size-O-Meter.
The Size-O-Meter is a guinea pig weight chart with emphasis on dealing with your guinea pig and assessing whether or not their physique form is wholesome, fairly than dwelling on what the scales say.
It additionally has clear illustrations so that you see what an underweight guinea pig and an chubby guinea pig appear like.
How a lot ought to my guinea pig weigh?
Provided they’ve a clear invoice of well being, they’re consuming the best issues, they usually’ve received the best physique form, then weighing them a number of occasions round their first birthday will provide you with an thought of the best weight in your guinea pig.
Once you will have a good suggestion what that weight is, checking for positive aspects and losses is a useful perception into the well being of your guinea pig.
What is the typical weight of a guinea pig?
Hopefully I’ve burdened sufficient now that there isn’t one magic quantity which represents the perfect grownup guinea pig weight.
But how a lot ought to a guinea pig weigh if she is the typical guinea pig?
Let’s have a look at the load vary guinea pigs usually fall into.
Like a whole lot of animals, male guinea pigs are usually a bit heavier than feminine guinea pigs, however as you’d anticipate, there’s a little bit of overlap too.
On common, male guinea pigs weigh between 910g and 1,360g. That’s 2 – 3lb.
And on common, a feminine guinea pigs weigh 608 – 1,130g, which is 1.5 – 2.5lb.
Naturally, when weights fall inside a variety, they have an inclination to cluster in the course of that vary, so actually nearly all of guinea pigs are between 700g and 1,200g, or 1.5 – 2.6lb.
If your guinea pig’s weight falls on the very high or backside of the anticipated vary, even when they appear wholesome, please contemplate asking a vet to test them over in case they’ve any underlying well being issues.
Weight loss in guinea pigs
So let’s say I’ve satisfied you to test your guinea pig’s weight each week.
But you’ve seen their weight fluctuates each time. One week they’re 950g, the following they’re 970g, and the week after that’s appears to plummet to 940g.
When is a guinea pig shedding or gaining weight a trigger for concern?
Guinea pig reducing weight?
Small fluctuations in weight aren’t normally an issue.
If you weigh your guinea pig simply after they’ve had a very good meal, or been to the bathroom, you’re sure to note a little bit of variation.
As a rule of thumb, fluctuations of round 5% aren’t trigger for alarm.
But I might be asking myself:
- Have I weighed them on the similar time of day as standard?
- Have I seen them consuming any lower than standard?
- Are there some other indicators they is likely to be unwell?
If I answered sure you both of the second two questions, I’d name my veterinary surgical procedure and ask their recommendation on whether or not to return in.
If not, I’d make a psychological word to weigh my guinea pig once more in a few days’ time.
My guinea pig is reducing weight
If your guinea pig continues to reduce weight over a number of days, or loses greater than 10% of their regular weight, then it’s undoubtedly time to rearrange in your vet to see them.
Even temporary lack of urge for food can have severe penalties for a guinea pig.
We’ll come again to why in minute.
Why is my guinea pig reducing weight?
Lots of issues could cause your guinea pig to reduce weight.
Including:
- Dietary modifications
- Environmental modifications
- Exposure to excessive temperatures
- Infection
- Dehydration
- Liver illness
- Teeth with a pronounced under-bite or overbite)
- Undergoing surgical procedure
- Stress
The greatest positioned individual to determine why your guinea pig is reducing weight is their vet.
Your vet will ask you a lot of questions on your guinea pig’s life-style and medical historical past, in addition to performing a radical bodily examination.
Even for those who assume you’ll be able to pinpoint the reason for your guinea pig’s weight reduction, keep in mind lack of urge for food and lack of weight are signs of many well being issues, so solely your vet ought to make a analysis in your pet and determine the very best course of remedy.
Is your guinea pig chubby?
Being chubby could be simply as harmful as in your guinea pig as being underweight.
Giving our guinea pigs treats is a enjoyable technique to to get a cute response out of them, and construct a bond. But typically it’s simple to overindulge our pets and allow them to get chubby – and it occurs to the very best of us.
Unfortunately, a fats guinea pig isn’t a wholesome guinea pig for a number of causes.
The dangers of being an chubby guinea pig
Carrying an excessive amount of weight places pressure on guinea pigs’ hearts, liver and joints.
It may trigger diabetes, respiratory difficulties, and a few cancers.
Being chubby in summer time makes it exhausting to control their temperature in sizzling climate too.
Banishing unhealthy guinea pig fats
The excellent news is, with some cautious modifications, you’ll be able to all the time assist your guinea pig get again to a wholesome weight.
*Important word about feeding guinea pigs!*
Never make any sudden modifications to your guinea pig’s weight loss program to attempt to make them reduce weight.
Guinea pigs have a suicidal tendency to only cease consuming when sudden modifications are made to their weight loss program.
However, guinea pigs want their digestive system to be always in movement: if their digestive system slows down or stops as a result of they gained’t eat (a situation referred to as gastrointestinal stasis), it gained’t begin once more with out medical intervention.
So, part in modifications steadily, and don’t eradicate something they’ve turn into accustomed to in a single day.
Now again to enterprise…
Always seek the advice of your vet earlier than placing your guinea pig on a weight loss program.
They will wish to ask you a lot of questions on what your guinea pig is at present consuming, and it’s pure to really feel a bit defensive after we’re advised we’ve been getting it unsuitable. But simply focus on the modifications to be made to maneuver ahead.
Many vets advise in opposition to feeding muesli as of late, as a result of guinea pigs have a tendency to select the sugary bits depart vital roughage behind. Remember that you want to change from muesli to a top quality pellet, to take action steadily.
They may additionally suggest swapping store-bought snacks for a greater variety of greens.
Unfortunately, the treats offered in pet shops are hardly ever wholesome, so while you wish to give your guinea pig a deal with, do it by mixing up the contemporary part of their weight loss program or throwing in a herb they haven’t tried earlier than.
Exercise additionally has an vital function to play in maintaining your guinea pig the best measurement, so be certain they’ve loads of house and alternative to run round.
Bear in thoughts they have an inclination in the direction of being crepuscular, which suggests they’re most lively at daybreak and nightfall. Try to place them of their out of doors run at these occasions, fairly than in the course of the day after they’ll be extra inclined to relaxation than benefit from the house.
As your guinea pig slims down, they’ll get more healthy, happier, and hopefully even reside longer too!
How a lot does a guinea pig weigh?
So, how a lot ought to a guinea pig weigh?
Domestic guinea pigs normally weigh between 700g and 1,200g, with males weighing barely greater than females.
When you convey a brand new pig house, give attention to ensuring they’re a wholesome measurement utilizing the Guinea Pig Size-O-Meter.
Try and getting right into a routine of weighing your guinea pig usually to learn how a lot they weigh at their wholesome measurement.
One day having this data may aid you acknowledge when your pig wants pressing veterinary assist.
How a lot does your guinea pig weigh?
Once you’ve put your guinea pig on the scales, inform us what they weighed in at utilizing the feedback part under!