Post by littlemonster on Dec 7, 2014 14:03:33 GMT
I've not posted in a while, although I have been using the forums for reference.
I got 7 girls back in February, some were under and some overweight, a mesh floor, tiny cage and 1 shelf, and fed on a very cheap guinea pig food. For background. I was told they were 2 "or so", so I assumed 2-3.
One girl, Princess, has always looked older, she's recently lost weight and some condition. Now she's always been the firm matriarch, she's the boldest and cheekiest, although others have been catching up, amazing what patience and love can do! Now, there's no symptoms other than weight loss. She's eating well, teeth seem normal, no signs of pain, active as ever and still very much in charge. She's very happy to be picked up and even examined quickly, so I don't think anything has been missed - she's still herself though, not the sort like when they're giving up. But as much as it could be attributed to old age, I just wanted to check if there's anything that could've been missed and need checking? I know I'm likely just hoping she's not getting old, but this forum has a LOT of experts, seemed silly to not check.
They're now fed a mix, I aim for the 50% natural. It may not always be quite as close to 50% but their regular mix includes seeds (Rat Rations degu seed mixes) and dried plants (depends which packs I buy to which), they get extras regularly, fresh stuff at times, obviously less now because I've got less to pick in winter so fresh dandelions are out. And obviously hay, I use some with other herbs in for variation.
Hope that covers any potential issues, I guess I'm hoping for miracles, Princess is my nutty girl, her boldness is what got the others coming to me, so I'm extra attached to her! If it sounds like old age, is there anything I can give to help her keep her weight up? She doesn't seem to be going downhill really. I'm also not sure if they can keep going a long time when they start looking old or if it's a bad sign for the future? I had rats for years and I had some look old for a year or more!
Sorry for the essay, didn't want to miss anything out! Thanks for any help
I got 7 girls back in February, some were under and some overweight, a mesh floor, tiny cage and 1 shelf, and fed on a very cheap guinea pig food. For background. I was told they were 2 "or so", so I assumed 2-3.
One girl, Princess, has always looked older, she's recently lost weight and some condition. Now she's always been the firm matriarch, she's the boldest and cheekiest, although others have been catching up, amazing what patience and love can do! Now, there's no symptoms other than weight loss. She's eating well, teeth seem normal, no signs of pain, active as ever and still very much in charge. She's very happy to be picked up and even examined quickly, so I don't think anything has been missed - she's still herself though, not the sort like when they're giving up. But as much as it could be attributed to old age, I just wanted to check if there's anything that could've been missed and need checking? I know I'm likely just hoping she's not getting old, but this forum has a LOT of experts, seemed silly to not check.
They're now fed a mix, I aim for the 50% natural. It may not always be quite as close to 50% but their regular mix includes seeds (Rat Rations degu seed mixes) and dried plants (depends which packs I buy to which), they get extras regularly, fresh stuff at times, obviously less now because I've got less to pick in winter so fresh dandelions are out. And obviously hay, I use some with other herbs in for variation.
Hope that covers any potential issues, I guess I'm hoping for miracles, Princess is my nutty girl, her boldness is what got the others coming to me, so I'm extra attached to her! If it sounds like old age, is there anything I can give to help her keep her weight up? She doesn't seem to be going downhill really. I'm also not sure if they can keep going a long time when they start looking old or if it's a bad sign for the future? I had rats for years and I had some look old for a year or more!
Sorry for the essay, didn't want to miss anything out! Thanks for any help