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Fattening up?

Kittykatindeed

Kittykatindeed

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Sep 6, 2019
Messages
132
Reaction score
49
Points
230
Location
Texas, USA
Hello there again!
first time piggy owner of course.
I'm looking for the best , and healthiest way, to fatten my little guy up. He’s around 10/11 months and is too skinny, to where I can feel his hip bones.
I really wanna get him to gain some wait, since he’s around 700 grams , which I personally feel is too light for his age.
 
He will need daily veggies to get nutrients. I also give mine small amount of fruits a few times a week as treats.
Mine love their Oxbow hay and hay is available for them at all times.
I also give mine small amount of Oxbow pellets everyday and they love their Oxbow pellets.
Mine are indoor piggies so I check on them numerous times throughout the day. They are always cared for, which I think is important for them.
 
Seven7 said:
He will need daily veggies to get nutrients. I also give mine small amount of fruits a few times a week as treats.
Mine love their Oxbow hay and hay is available for them at all times.
I also give mine small amount of Oxbow pellets everyday and they love their Oxbow pellets.
Mine are indoor piggies so I check on them numerous times throughout the day. They are always cared for, which I think is important for them.
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I should’ve added, which I will
He gets veggies twice a day, fruit twice a week, Timothy oxbow hay all the time, pellets 1/4 a tablespoon, which he nibbles on. And I do give a cookie once or twice a day, I just can’t help it. He stands on two feet and it sucks me in.
 
I would take him to a vet first to make sure there is no medical reason for him to be like he is. Also heft is more important than weight. Can you feel his ribs with just a thin layer of fat over the top? Does he have access to good quality hay 24/7? Hay is 80 - 90% of a Piggy's diet with veggies and pellets only being a very small amount.
Are his teeth OK? The front incisors should be nice and straight if not there may be a problem with the back teeth.
 
He has hay all day everyday, oxbow Timothy hay and oat hay a few times a week. His ribs can’t be felt without really trying , which i don’t want to do in fear of hurting him.
he has a vet appointment actually on Friday, todays Wednesday, for a different issue, but I’ll definitely bring it up.
He’s been in my care for about 3 months now, and has went from 520 grams to 700. So he’s gaining , but slowly. And hasn’t been I’ll in that time frame. And his teeth are straight , and checked almost every morning !
 
I agree with Betsy in that heft is more important than weight and it is also important that his weight is going up.
I also agree that a vet check is the best thing to do before doing deciding he needs fattening up. Guinea pigs come in all different shapes and sizes, his weight may sound lower than you expect but that may simply be how he is genetically programmed!
You would need to rule out any medical issues first and ask the vet to confirm whether he is ok for his age/weight
 
Piggies&buns said:
his weight may sound lower than you expect but that may simply be how he is genetically programmed!
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Kittykatindeed said:
really wanna get him to gain some wait, since he’s around 700 grams , which I personally feel is too light for his age.
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He may be the runt. Dennis is the runt of the litter (I know this as his brother, sister and he were born in my hospital cage following a shop pregnancy) Dennis is a fully grown, healthy boar and only weighs in at 975g and it took him a nearly 2 years to weigh over 900g.
 
To be honest if he's gaining weight naturally on his good diet I wouldn't worry about "fattening" up. He's young so the weight will continue to gain naturally so no need to try and rush it. I have used things like oats etc but that's been for older adults who have been ill and who I've been trying to build up to give them the best chance of getting through surgery. The downside to "fattening up" is that it's not good quality food for them and can cause other problems or result in them becoming overweight
 
Went to the vet today!
ginger got a clean bill of health! And asked about his weight.
they said on a scale from 1-10 , 1 being emancipation, 10 being obese. And 5 being perfect/ideal, he was a #4 for his age. Meaning he could use some more weight, but Isn’t too far from ideal weight.
As well, they said he looks like a smaller male. So he may never reach the full 1,000 or 1,100 grams like most.
 
Always best to get these things checked! Feed him a good hay based diet, with limited pellets and veggies and he will gain weight in his own time.
 
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