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A Little Underweight

Barnyard Boars

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Feb 25, 2018
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Location
Vancouver, BC
Hi!

My pigs are a little underweight for what I’d prefer, Harvey is 830g being a fully grown boar, and Milton being 435g at around 3 months. I mean, they aren’t severely underweight, they eat and drink really well, their poops are normal, they look great, I just wish they had a bit more weight to them. If I grabbed one of those small Oxbow bags of alfa Alfa and mixed it in with all their hay would that put some weight on them? I’m still new with piggies so any help would be lovely :wub:
 
I really wouldn't worry, your 3 month old is a good weight already. Your other lad, how old is he?
 
I really wouldn't worry, your 3 month old is a good weight already. Your other lad, how old is he?
Yeah I’m not really worried about the little dude, just my big guy. I’d say he’s a bit over a year now, the pet shop never gave me an age as they don’t know but his bits just dropped so I’d say he’s around a year+.
 
Yeah I’m not really worried about the little dude, just my big guy. I’d say he’s a bit over a year now, the pet shop never gave me an age as they don’t know but his bits just dropped so I’d say he’s around a year+.
How long you had him? They may have got it wrong. When you weigh is he still gaining weight?
 
How long you had him? They may have got it wrong. When you weigh is he still gaining weight?
He’s slowly losing. Like within the last 8 days he’s lost 30g. I’m weighing him, our scale isn’t the best but it works. But he is eating just fine. I’ve cut out lots of their veg so he’d eat more pellets and hay and he is
 
It's great that they're both eating and pooping well, but if you're concerned, the best way to sort that out is a check up with a vet - just to make sure there isn't an underlying issue that needs addressing. In theory 30g isn't a lot over 8 days, but I totally understand your concern - it can be the amount between a full or empty tummy/bladder. Alfalfa is fine to feed to piggies up to 6 months of age, so I'd advise only feeding it to your youngster, as the calcium levels are too high for adult piggies and can contribute to bladder stones.
 
It's great that they're both eating and pooping well, but if you're concerned, the best way to sort that out is a check up with a vet - just to make sure there isn't an underlying issue that needs addressing. In theory 30g isn't a lot over 8 days, but I totally understand your concern - it can be the amount between a full or empty tummy/bladder. Alfalfa is fine to feed to piggies up to 6 months of age, so I'd advise only feeding it to your youngster, as the calcium levels are too high for adult piggies and can contribute to bladder stones.
Would mixing small amounts into large batches still be too much calcium? Is there anything else I could feed them to put a little weight on? I’ll have to call the vet sometime this week and set something up
 
My Dennis is a fully grown boar and normally weighs in around 875-895g at his heaviest. Yesterday though he surprised my completely by weighing in at 920g! :yikes: He must have had a major pig out on hay, had a full bowel and bladder! He has never been that heavy before! :eek:Dennis was the runt of the litter and the vet said he was big for a runt so maybe Harvey is the runt too?:hmm: Dennis is a lovely, healthy and happy piggy doing his normal piggy stuff:D.
 
@Janey is right in saying that if you are concerned a trip to the vet is in order.
My vet has always said she’d rather see an animal early if an owner is concerned.
If it’s nothing then all well and good but it’s better to catch a potential problem early enough to deal with it.
It also gives you peace of mind.
 
My Dennis is a fully grown boar and normally weighs in around 875-895g at his heaviest. Yesterday though he surprised my completely by weighing in at 920g! :yikes: He must have had a major pig out on hay, had a full bowel and bladder! He has never been that heavy before! :eek:Dennis was the runt of the litter and the vet said he was big for a runt so maybe Harvey is the runt too?:hmm: Dennis is a lovely, healthy and happy piggy doing his normal piggy stuff:D.
Maybe he is! He always stays around the same weight range so I’m assuming maybe it’s normal but just freaks me out he’s out of the normal weight range!
 
Would mixing small amounts into large batches still be too much calcium? Is there anything else I could feed them to put a little weight on? I’ll have to call the vet sometime this week and set something up

Personally I wouldn’t give alfalfa to an adult piggy - perhaps you could take little one out and feed separately if you really wanted to do that. Plain oats are a good food for underweight piggies, although again it’s be good for your peace of mind to get them vet checked.
 
Personally I wouldn’t give alfalfa to an adult piggy - perhaps you could take little one out and feed separately if you really wanted to do that. Plain oats are a good food for underweight piggies, although again it’s be good for your peace of mind to get them vet checked.
Yes absolutely agree on vet. I’ll give them a call but I just don’t have the funds right now to keep goomg for $70 on just to look at him unfortunately. :soz: Feel like a terrible piggie owner, I wish vets weren’t so darn expensive! Especially down where I am, it’s crazy!
I think I’ll wait it out a week or so and monitor him, if it’s still an issue and doesn’t start rising I’ll obviously 110% get him into a vet. Thanks for the advice everyone :)
 
Hope all goes well. Your vets sound about 3x more expensive than mine.
Hopefully time resolve the issue for you, as others have said this may be normal for him.
It’s always a difficult balance making the right decisions for our piggies.
 
Hope all goes well. Your vets sound about 3x more expensive than mine.
Hopefully time resolve the issue for you, as others have said this may be normal for him.
It’s always a difficult balance making the right decisions for our piggies.
It’s crazy expensive where I am! $70 for just the consultation and with meds I’m looking around at least $200-$300 easy. I hate it! But that’s the price I pay for having healthy babies I guess!
 
Thats expensive! A trip to the vets for me is £34 plus any meds. Usually around £55 a time if just one med needed.
 
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