Guinea Pig Health Checks

When you have guinea pigs it is very important to keep track of their weight. Being prey animals they disguise signs of illness very well. We weigh our piggies each week and make a note of any enivironmental or dietary changes to look back on. They are each weighed using just some kitchen scales and a bowl to sit the piggie in. Weight can be a key indicator of something being wrong and perhaps the first sign of something wrong that you'll notice. I find my piggies can often fluctuate 10-30g between weeks but any larger changes or losing weight over the weeks can be noticed more easily & then they can be more closely monitored/ checked over by a guinea pig savvy vet. Another way to spot illness in piggies is to watch them closely & build a daily routine. I will take time to watch that they come out for their veggies daily & watch their behaviour in the cage to make sure they seem to be behaving normally. Trying to give them a simple routine helps too as they learn to expect a treat or veggies at that time of day and if one day they don't seem interested i know to double check if they are ok. By instinct guinea pigs hide illness as it makes them vunerable as prey animals and so often you have to look closely at their behaviours to notice. If you suspect your guinea pig is not feeling well seek medical care from a good vet asap.