Are my Pigs overweight?

[PingandChipy]

My piggies are all about 2 years old except Chipy who is 6 years. He is: 2 pounds and 4 oz.

Lulu May is 2 lbs and 12 oz and she feels very round.
Walnut, her dtr, is 2 lbs and 7 oz.
Ping, neutered male, is 2 lbs and 5 oz.

I"m especially concerned that LuLu May is obese. What do you guys think? eck!

 

[ghostbusterbunny]

2lbs12 is, if I've got my conversions right(!), 1.25kilos which is a perfectly fine weight for a piggy!

Of my 16 sows, I've got 4 that are around that weight; one of them is 2lbs 14oz abd she's actually not chubby at all, she's just a tank of a guinea pig! The other larger ladies are quite chubby, but not to the point where it's hindering them in any way.

LuLu May sounds like she is just a big girl to me - there's absolutely nothing to worry about with that weight.

 

[lauraboara]

I talked to my vet about weights as one of my boys is 1.5kg and I was concerned that he didn't get overweight. The vet advised that a key thing to look for is shape - just like humans, some pigs are bigger all over than others. My larger boy is big all over, big head, big shoulders etc but he is still a nice brick shape which is right for piggies. What is less good is if they start getting too pear shaped. I try to keep an exercise regime going to keep my boys active rolleyes and keep an eye on their weights.
Could you post a picture of your girls, would love to see them

 

[PingandChipy]

oh dear! My piggies are totally pear shaped, well, the girls are! Skinny upper bodies and super duper bellies!

Yep I will have to take some more pics... I could put up some from a little while ago. I will take a look.

 

[PingandChipy]

Here are some pics from the summer

Here is Ping Lee.

Walnut,is LuLu May's Dtr.

Lulu May.

And my old boy, Chipychanga.

and Ping and Lulu

 

[emmalala]

your piggies are gorgeous!

 

[shikira]

Chelsea the mighty Orca!

Hi,

Hope you don't mind if I join the conversation in this thread?

I have also have concerns about my 3 year old Cavy. She is rather plump around the rear of her body - pear shaped. I took her to the vet a few months ago to see if there was anything wrong, but the vet didn't seem to find anything in particular (no unusual lumps etc..) He just gave me some laxative formula that made her poop a fair bit, but did not get rid of what appears to be bulging behind.

Her appetite is healthy, yet she often chomps on her spinach as if starving. She also flips it in the air like an Orca does a Seal and quite possessive around food. I know that she isn't aware of her own habits, yet sometimes she can be very greedy and savage with it (they were both rescued) so not sure of what their eating habits were like beforehand.

She has beautiful glossy white fur, and has the cutest personality of my two babies, but concerned that she may have been malnourished as a tiny one?

I can't help but worry excessively about her plumpness as she is quite heavy to pick up as well as fleshy to the touch around her stomach and bottom end.

She also squeals when she is picked up, so not sure if she is in any discomfort due to her weight, or because of something else?

Any help, suggestions would be most appreciated!8...

 

[Freela]

Some pigs are bigger-built than others. They sound about on par with my sows... Sundae is about 2 lb 3 oz and Linney is about 2 lb 12 oz. My only lightweight was Frenzy, who never hit 2 lbs in her entire life. But she was a tiny little thing- even had a tiny little head and face! So I think the weight difference had to do with a smaller bone structure vs a normal bone structure.

 

[lauraboara]

Hi,

Hope you don't mind if I join the conversation in this thread?

I have also have concerns about my 3 year old Cavy. She is rather plump around the rear of her body - pear shaped. I took her to the vet a few months ago to see if there was anything wrong, but the vet didn't seem to find anything in particular (no unusual lumps etc..) He just gave me some laxative formula that made her poop a fair bit, but did not get rid of what appears to be bulging behind.

Her appetite is healthy, yet she often chomps on her spinach as if starving. She also flips it in the air like an Orca does a Seal and quite possessive around food. I know that she isn't aware of her own habits, yet sometimes she can be very greedy and savage with it (they were both rescued) so not sure of what their eating habits were like beforehand.

She has beautiful glossy white fur, and has the cutest personality of my two babies, but concerned that she may have been malnourished as a tiny one?

I can't help but worry excessively about her plumpness as she is quite heavy to pick up as well as fleshy to the touch around her stomach and bottom end.

She also squeals when she is picked up, so not sure if she is in any discomfort due to her weight, or because of something else?

Any help, suggestions would be most appreciated!8...

Hi Shikira
Your issue here does not seem just to be about weight so it might be worth posting a new post in Health and Illness? Squealing when being picked up might be linked to something wrong with her health - impossible to know via a post really. Have you checked her for any skin complaint or lumps and bumps? If you have any concerns like this, then it is worth asking a vet to examine her. It is not right for me to guess the cause - But didn't want to ignore your question

In terms of weight, have you weighed her recently and do you keep a track on her weight over time? This can be really useful for spotting any problems.

Also what are you feeding her in a day? The majority ie 80% of her diet should be hay but if you tell us a typical day's food, forum people might be able to give you some tips on their experience?

 

[Connie]

Here are some pics from the summer

Here is Ping Lee.

Walnut,is LuLu May's Dtr.

Lulu May.

And my old boy, Chipychanga.

and Ping and Lulu

They all look like perfectly healthy piggies to me, but i would just like to chime in, having that mesh on the floor of the run can cause bumble foot and this can be very serious. Piggies really arnt designed for mesh.

Lovely coloured fleece, where did you get it?

 

[Bekki]

They all look like perfectly healthy piggies to me, but i would just like to chime in, having that mesh on the floor of the run can cause bumble foot and this can be very serious. Piggies really arnt designed for mesh.

Lovely coloured fleece, where did you get it?

I had been wondering if piggies got bumble foot too, I know hammies can

thanks for answering my question before I even asked .. magic :-#)