I started weighing my guinea pigs regularly around the time I adopted Victoria and Athena, but didn't start tracking their weight until Willow and Pippin. I have learned that regular weighing is an invaluable tool in maintaining a guinea pig's health. A change in weight can indicate an illness long before any other symptoms appear. Anyone who has dealt with a sick guinea pig knows that early detection and intervention are key in helping a sick piggy get well.
In charting their weights, I have discovered trends with my pigs. Bertie and Pinniped would lose weight in the summer, and gain in the fall. In Cannoli's and Pinni's chart, I can see an immediate drop during the introductions, as they both spent a lot of time chasing and running from each other, and then as they both settled in, how Cannoli has steadily grown and Pinni returned to her normal full figure.
Cannoli is soon approaching her first birthday and should be hitting her adult weight. Do you think she'll stall out around 1100g, or be even bigger and heavier than Pinni?
Cannoli has some way to go before catching up to Pinni!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, you'd think they would gain weight in the summer with all that lawn mowing ;)