The Guinea Pig Zone - Where the Passionate Piggy People Go!

Our little endearing fur balls are masters of disguise -- sometimes intentionally and sometimes not. As a herd, prey animal, when they get sick, they do their best to mask their symptoms because in the wild, sick animals are cut from the herd and left to die. It's just nature's way. So as good guardians, it is our job to understand this deep-rooted genetic behavior and do our best to keep our pets healthy and active.

There are a number of ailments, most treatable, whose symptoms include weight loss. And of course, usually the earlier you catch a problem, the easier, quicker and less expensive it is to turn it around. And of course, the sooner you catch and resolve a health problem, the less suffering your guinea pig has to endure.

Make no mistake, unless you weigh and chart your guinea pig's weight weekly, you cannot detect a slow and gradual decline in weight by feel and handling -- with detrimental consequences for your pet. A steady loss of grams or partial ounces will not be detectable by you physically, but will show up on a weight chart -- giving you a chance to do something about it.

What is normal weight?

Published weight ranges are actually pretty useless when it comes to determining the proper weight for your guinea pig. Just like with humans, carrying too much weight is unhealthy for a guinea pig, even though your fat guinea pig may look cute, obesity in guinea pigs is not a good thing.

What can cause weight loss?

Weight loss is caused by either not ingesting enough food or by an internal system or organ that is out of control and is burning up the calories faster than normal. By far and away, in guinea pigs the number one cause of weight loss is dental problems.

Weigh your Pet Weekly!