Bulking up.

Guineapigtribe

Guineapigtribe

Junior Guinea Pig
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Heya I'm getting concerned for my babies, my short haired girls are seeming to not gain much weight, ive read that oats will help to gain weight does anyone know if i can give some porridge oats just to help bulk them up as they arent bulky like my long haired girls, tips and advice on chunking them up will be appriciated x
 
There are many factors to consider here, it is not a good idea to start feeding them up without there being a medical reason to. Guinea pigs grow and gain in their own individual way.

How old are they and what do they weigh?
Has their weight been steadily increasing? If the answer is yes it has been increasing, then you do not need to do anything to bulk them up. They will get to their own predetermined genetic size in their own time. As long as the diet is hay based with a variety of fresh veg and a small amount of pellets, then you do not need to intervene.

It’s their heft you also need to consider. It is a more accurate way to determine whether they are healthy for their size

Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
Weight of guinea pigs varies massively and can vary between breeds as well as within breeds. Please do not feed foods to "fatten up" if they are gradually gaining weight already. It's likely that any foods you feed would not be the right nutritional balance for them and could lead to other health problems.

My own pigs over the last 9 years have healthily varied between 850g fully grown to 1300g for the sows. Both ends of the scale have been a healthy weight. Have a look at our weighing guide to check the heft of your piggies and check that they are generally healthy rather than relying on weight alone Weight - Monitoring and Management (the green writing is a link)
 
I'm actually unsure of how much they are weighing, my scales have broke so il need to get new ones for them, they are around 7 months, they are growing but they seem to be getting thinner, they feel alot lighter than what they were, they have fresh fruit, veg, water and pellets everyday xx
 
Guineapigtribe said:
I'm actually unsure of how much they are weighing, my scales have broke so il need to get new ones for them, they are around 7 months, they are growing but they seem to be getting thinner, they feel alot lighter than what they were, they have fresh fruit, veg, water and pellets everyday xx
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Definitely get some new scales, it is the only way to be sure.

They should not have fruit every day, it isn’t good for them to be eating sugary foods. They need to have at least 80% of their daily food intake as hay. 10% veg and just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day. They should not have constant access to pellets.

While it is important to not get hung up on being exact, around 50g (1 cup) of veg a day is enough. Fruit should be fed only very occasionally and no more than one very small piece no more than once per week. My piggies only get fruit, carrot or tomato once per month.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading
 
Ahh i forgot they get hay on tap, they love their hay, right okay so not so much fruit and pellets, I'm so glad ive joined this forum thank you for helping me! Il go get some scales when i can x
 
Guineapigtribe said:
Ahh i forgot they get hay on tap, they love their hay, right okay so not so much fruit and pellets, I'm so glad ive joined this forum thank you for helping me! Il go get some scales when i can x
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We are happy to help!
That’s right - pellets are supplementary and fill in gaps in the daily nutrient intake where the veg etc may not always cover. However, pellets are like piggy junk food, so don’t let them overdo it.

Do give the links (the weight link and the two feeding links I have added) a read as they are full of useful information
 
I would get some digital kitchen scales asap (they don't have to be expensive ones). I got ours from Amazon because we have prime so they were delivered the next day but I could have saved £2-5 by going somewhere like Argos or aldi I think. Weigh them daily to begin with if you think they are losing weight. If there is weight loss going on then I would step in with syringe feeding mushed up pellets and getting a vets appointment to get to the bottom of the weight loss before thinking about bulking them up. Generally once a health problem is resolved, especially in young piggies, the weight naturally goes back on
 
Dennis (a fully grown boar) is only tiny. He weighs in at around 960-980g and his best friend The Ever Beautiful Betsy (a fully grown sow) weighs in at around 1125-1240g. They are both very healthy, well adjusted and happy piggies.
 
Yeah il get one hopefully this afternoon, thank you for the tips xx
 
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