Best Food To Fatten Up A Skinny Piggy?

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Courtneyyyleex

Courtneyyyleex

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sorry for posting so much lately, I'm probably beginning to get on people's nerves, but I'm wondering what foods help Guinea pigs put on weight the quickest and in the most healthy weight? Heisenberg is very thin but eats a lot, the vet said that they can't see anything wrong with him other than a mild chest infection which he is being treated for. So what foods can i feed him to make him a chubby pig?
 
Have recently had the same problem with Bumble - my vet (who has piggies herself) said a few small pieces of apple and pear are good - along with carrot - not banana as too much sugar - he is chubbing up slowly,
 
How's about something calorific like dry porridge oats? Our Dougal has been on them since June as he is struggling to eat properly.
 
Yep, just normal porridge oats, on there own. I didn't know either until I took him to teas for treatment at Simon's.
 
Corn is good (i feed my skinny girl baby corn) and oats as mentioned :) didnt know about pear and apple- will try that as my girl likes them both :)
 
Again, I recommend oats! Most piggies love them and they're good for fattening up pigs.
 
Beetroot is also good I believe! I feed mine porridge oats through the colder months, and am going to try mixing it with wheat bran for a bran mash. Also PaH do alfalfa cubes/blocks which I think are good. And another thing is Readigrass, I don't know how good for gaining weight but its yummy!
 
I make a porridge with water for putting on pggies' weight. It 's very effective and they like it (well all of mine have) but I'm concerned that @Tim @Courtneyyyleex and @5littlepigs all mention dry oats on their own. It certainly has put weight on in my experience, both with chronic and acute conditions.
 
You certainly wont be getting on people's nerves! That's what the forum is here for :-) we all love it here!

I thought pellets were best for fattening up piggies :-)
 
Posyrose said:
I make a porridge with water for putting on pggies' weight. It 's very effective and they like it (well all of mine have) but I'm concerned that @Tim @Courtneyyyleex and @5littlepigs all mention dry oats on their own. It certainly has put weight on in my experience, both with chronic and acute conditions.
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What kind of conditions were they? I'm interested to know in case I come across them with my own. I have tried oats mixed with water as I thought that was how to do it, but he wasn't keen. I then realised that the santuary where he was for 6 weeks served it dry. I suppose every piggy is different. He is still taking his water from the bottle with no problems. As long as he is getting it down his neck then I am a happy slave :)
 
Tim said:
What kind of conditions were they? I'm interested to know in case I come across them with my own. I have tried oats mixed with water as I thought that was how to do it, but he wasn't keen. I then realised that the santuary where he was for 6 weeks served it dry. I suppose every piggy is different. He is still taking his water from the bottle with no problems. As long as he is getting it down his neck then I am a happy slave :)
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I have used it when piggies are just underweight but otherwise ok, as well as with some supplementary syringe feeding with guinea pigs that were quite poorly. All have perked up just smelling the porridge, and have eaten at least some of it. I mix it with warm water but they also eat it when its gone cold.
 
I tried dry oats and he didn't want them, I've tried making him porridge with water and he doesn't want it. I don't know if he won't eat much because he's poorly with a chest infection or if it's because his friend died. It's so frustrating:(
 
He had about a spoonful and half of porridge which is good and when i put him back in his hutch he ate some broccoli and now he's eating so hay but I will if he stops eating again
 
Tim said:
Yep, just normal porridge oats, on there own. I didn't know either until I took him to teas for treatment at Simon's.
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I'm not sure if I can find them here but do you mean sth like Quaker Oats or are these just oats you might buy loose? Also can they be fed anytime or are they just for poorly pigs?
 
Shades said:
I'm not sure if I can find them here but do you mean sth like Quaker Oats or are these just oats you might buy loose? Also can they be fed anytime or are they just for poorly pigs?
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They are just normal breakfast oats. Sorry, I'm not sure about the Quaker Oats. I'm tagging @MintyAndGarry (TEAS) see if she can help :tu:
Oats are full of calories so I'm assuming they should only be used to aid fattening up an underweight piggy.
 
Hi, I agree with @5littlepigs syringe feeding mashed up pellets (in water) might help, if our boar keeps losing weight due to illness he's going to have the same, he's lost some weight also, he's normally a steady 1.2kg but had dropped to 1068 :/ It might not sound a lot to some.

Anyway, good luck with trying to put his weight on, it could be a combination of him missing his friend and being ill :/
 
I don't know whether you are doing this, but I recommend weighing him twice a day; and keeping a record. They can change so quickly and it means you can act as soon as possible.

I love the cuddle photo.and am glad he liked the porridge and is eating 'normal' food too. :)
 
I would weigh once daily as there can be so much fluctuation between am and pm weights. Weighing first thing in the morning should give you the truest reading.

Good old porridge oats are what we use - Tesco Value are as good as any. As we have poorly pigs coming to us, we use any method possible to get some much needed calories into them. Some eat them dry, others like a porridge. If they are still not keen, you could add some fruit or veg puree into the mix. Or, some CC. Or crush some nuggets and add them in. Anything to add flavour and interest.

Barley grass is another thing you could try. You can get the rings from horse suppliers for able pigs, or Holland and Barratt do the barley grass powder. Again, this can be added to porridge, syringe food or sprinkled over their normal food.
 
Aw bless him. When mine have lost weight I've given oats mixed with a little purée of Apple. Also baby sweet corn are a big favourite. The chunky butts don't get them but my old ladies do to help them keep their weight.
 
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