Fat Pigs - need a diet!

[Amanda1801]

As the title says!

I have fat pigs - they need a diet!

Cameo and Boxy (who eats like a horse and is still a rather svelt 980g!) are fine body condition wise, but Big Dave and Jeff are slightly ahem....fat :x

If I could pair Cameo and Boxy up, and Jeff and Rather Rotund Dave up (as he is now referred to!) then things would be simple! But noooo it has to be one of each pair that is fat mallethead

I usually give them a bowl of pellets that lasts them about 2 days, but not any more! I shall be rationing their pellets, and giving them a measured amount. I've even bought smaller bowls!

What I'm querying mainly, is veg choices. I'm aware that fruit is high in sugar bla bla bla, but they rarely get fruit anyway.

What veg should I avoid (besides the obvious root veg) and what should I encourage as part of a fat-busting diet?

Jeff has been unwell this week, he's on antibiotics, and has STILL gained 11 grams! rolleyes

They also get plenty of floor time etc. and Jeff runs around like a loony (R.R. Dave not quite so much, but I'm working on that!), so I think the best way to go is down the food route.

Any suggestions gratefully received!

Amanda and her fatties

 

[piggyfan]

Aww guinea pigs are meant to be chubby. Is there really any harm? How about increase their floor time?

 

[ghostbusterbunny]

How old are they and how heavy are they? Remember that boars are generally heavier (anywhere from 1-1.6 kilos is normal for a boar!) than sows on the whole so if you have sows on the smaller scale (all of my adult/fully grown girls aside from Teaser and Bean are more in the 1.1-1.2kilo range) then your boys will look pretty damn huge! Also, a guinea pig can keep growing until it is about 15 months old I believe, so depending on how old they are they may still be growing!

Basically, you only need to diet a guinea pig if their movement is being restricted by their weight. One bowl of pellets for two days sounds fine to me! If they were just eating pellets they'd be clearing a bowl a day, so it sounds like they're getting plenty of hay to bulk it up which is a good thing. You can limit the pellets, but they're not eating many to begin with from the sounds of it.

Extra exercise time would be an idea, or giving them veggies in such a way as they have to work to get at it (cutting it up veggies fine and scattering them in hay to make it a foraging exercise, hanging it on string so they have to get up and do something if they want it); any extra movement you can promote for a fat guinea pig is better than dieting in my opinion!

 

[Amanda1801]

I have Big Dave, who is like 1.4kg, and Jeff who is 1.28kg, but they are both constantly gaining weight! Jeff has multiple chins, and Big Dave is just huge. Cameo is weighing in at a stable 1.00kg, give or take a few grams, and Boxy is always between 980g and 990g.

The two lardos in question, age wise, Big Dave is 2 and a half to 3 years old, and Jeff is at least 2 years old, possibly older but he was a rescue pig so can't be 100% accurate age wise.

They already have their veg presented in ways that they have to "work" for it, and floor time its chopped up fine and scattered for them to have to forage for it. Floor time, they come out in their pairs (not together, but taking it in turns) and at the moment are out pretty much all day, so several hours per pair per day.

The bit that concerns me, is that Jeff and Big Dave are constantly gaining weight. They get lots of exercise, they eat a good diet, but are STILL getting bigger! If they were just big, I wouldn't be worried, but they both have quite a large layer of subcut. fat.

 

[mikulinek]

Hi Amanda,

It's difficult because piggies come in all shapes and sizes so it's hard to know without seeing/feeling your piggies if they're really overweight. You are the best of that. If you really think they are overweight then there are a number of things you can think about.

1. Increase their exercise by feeding them veggies in a more challenging way. Give them their veggies during floor time but put them in places where they have to root them out, climb/stretch etc. This is actually very good enrichment because their wild ancestors would have to do the same and it will help their general wellbeing too.

2. Cut down on dried food. The great calorie intake they will have will be their pellets. Pellets are also the least essential/necessary part of their diet and many vets say GPs can do without them all together. You might want to cut this back so that you have 10% veggies, 85% - 90% hay (don't stop or cut this back obviously) and 5% - 0% dried food.

You can't cut back their food intake per se because this would be unhealthy but you can limit the type of veggies to low sugar/low calories and increase their hay to replace dried food.

I hope this helps. I know a lot of people like their piggies chubby because it's cute and piggies can carry some weight, but allowing your piggies to become unhealthily overweight is, in my opinion, irresponsible and a bit selfish. I'm very pleased you've identified the issue and want to do something about it.

Finally, as I said above, you will know whether they are really overweight or not. I met a lady who owns two boars who weight over 1.5kg each. When I met the boars though, I realised that they were just that big - nearly twice the size of our two and not overweight at all.

Best of luck

 

[Spanna98]

aww!

Don't worry to much! Maybe slightly cut back but don't just take a load of their food away because they do NOT react well to that! Just make sure they're getting exercize and try inroducing some tubes or something that will make them move about a bit more!

 

[EmJ]

Sorry to hijack you post but i know how you feel.
Harley was at the vets today and the vet said he was a bit over weight. He is just over 1.4. kg.

I just think Harley is a Chunky Boy, but the vet has me worried now.

 

[Amanda1801]

Sorry to hijack you post but i know how you feel.
Harley was at the vets today and the vet said he was a bit over weight. He is just over 1.4. kg.

I just think Harley is a Chunky Boy, but the vet has me worried now.

As others have said, it depends on the overall size of the pig, and where they are storing fat etc. Some are just chunky, 2 of mine are fat lol

I know mine are fat by where they are storing fat, what they feel like etc. and just the fact that I have had so much exposure to animals and such, it makes it easier to spot.

Do you record Harley's weight? Do you have some recent photos of him? maybe if you post a few photos at various angles, someone may be able to give you a bit more input