Henry the guinea pig and the new food

Now I don’t like to speak too soon or tempt fate, but Henry and Herbert the guinea pigs are now our longest standing pair of guinea pigs.

We got our original guinea pigs, Eric and Daisy (Daisy was male!) in July 2014. Daisy died suddenly in August 2016.

Then we got Wilfred. Wilfred and Eric lived together happily until Eric sadly passed away in February 2018.

Then we got Cedric. Cedric and Wilfred lived together until Wilfred sadly passed away in October 2019.

That’s when Henry came into our lives. He lived with Cedric, until Cedric sadly passed away in September 2020.

In October 2020, Herbert came to live with Henry. It’s now December 2022 and they are still together now.

It’s been two years and two months, longer than any of our other guinea pig pairings. But, a few weeks ago, I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen. I thought I might be writing another very different blogpost about Henry.

I’ve always envied people whose guinea pigs last a long time and wondered what their secret was. We know of guinea pigs who have lasted six or even eight years. But for every guinea pig who has lasted for six years, there will be plenty more that don’t even make it to two.

Since getting Hetty, our cockapoo, you won’t be surprised that I’ve had less time to spend with the guinea pigs. But they’ve got a waterproof and thermal hutch cover and warm beds. And, as the kids no longer feed them (and shirk their responsibilities), they’ve always got hay in their hutch. Is this why they’ve lasted longer than others?

I weigh the guinea pigs every month, as a way to monitor their health. As prey animals, guinea pigs are very good at hiding that they’re ill, until they are very poorly and it’s too late to do anything about it.

Recently, I was shocked that Henry had lost over 200 grams in weight.

There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with him. He was still lively and I could see he was still eating. He’s also a big guinea pig, so although he’d lost a significant proportion of his weight, it didn’t put him at a dangerous weight.

My younger son is convinced that the secret to guinea pig longevity is to feed them more.

When you first get guinea pigs, all the information says they shouldn’t have too much in the way of fruit and vegetables. But I’ve seen on social media the amounts that some people give their guinea pigs! And a guinea pig we know who recently passed away at the age of eight was eating two takeaway boxes of vegetables every day.

So, as soon as I realised Henry had lost so much weight, I increased the amount of vegetables I gave them. As it’s now winter and too cold and damp for them to go outside (they always gradually lose a bit of weight over winter for this reason), I also cut them some grass to eat.

I was very pleased that, two days later, he’d regained 18 grams. But then, another two days later, he lost 12 grams. He needed to go to the vet.

The vet checked him thoroughly and agreed with me that he didn’t seem like an ill guinea pig. He was happily wolfing down any food as soon as it was offered, still lively, still talkative and no problems when he went to the toilet.

There was only one thing which could have caused it…

Pets at Home changed the formulation of their dry food about three months ago. They were very good and emailed guinea pig owners to warn them and let them know how to gradually introduce the new food.

I noticed that the old food was always eaten straightaway, but some of the new food would be left.

Then the old food ran out and I only had the new food to feed them.

Clearly, Henry hadn’t been eating enough of the new food. The vet advised me of a different food to get and I gradually introduced it, as well as keeping up the larger quantities of vegetables.

The vet also said that it didn’t even matter whether or not Henry gained weight, as he was still a healthy weight for a guinea pig. All that mattered was that he didn’t lose any more weight.

I’m pleased to say that Henry and Herbert are both eating the new food.

Nearly a month on from his initial weight loss, Henry’s weight it still fluctuating by a few grams. But it hasn’t dropped lower than it’s low point and I’m reassured that the vet told me it is OK for him to stay at that weight. I will keep weighing them both weekly for a while, but it seems that the worry is over for now.

So, thanks to the vet and the new food, Henry and Herbert are still together and have become our longest-serving pair of guinea pigs.