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how do i get my piggies to lose weight?!

  • Thread starter Thread starter ashleigh90
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ashleigh90

Lola and bella have gotten really big and lazy lately and i really so think they need to lose some weight befor it affect there health, any ideas about portion controll and what kind of dry food to give would be greatly appreticated , thank xashx
they currently have one food bowl between them and get three table spoonfull of tesco value rabbit and guinea pig food (gave them wagg guniea pig crunch and they didnt eat it, they love the value stuff) I would buy other stuff if it would help them, Allso give them half a carrot between them and a quarter apper or broccoli in the morning and at night with the occasional treat... Parsly!
 
How much do your piggies weigh? If the belly isn't dragging along the floor when they walk, they won't be over weight. Piggies vary in size. Some are big and some are small. The recommended amount of food is unlimited supply of dry mix, hay and water and 1 cupful of veggies per pig per day. I really don't think you need to put your pigs on a diet. My 2 girls are lazy too so you're not alone there :))
 
How heavy

Have you weighed them recently? I know a lot of GP slaves weigh in regularly to keep a check on loss/gain.

There is a thread on regular weights, it might give you an idea about what's normal.

I wouldn't worry too much, they're better with a bit of a covering on them!

My two boys are about a year old and weigh around 950g.

Hope that helps a bit.
 
thanks i will try and weight them asap, would i use normal toilet scales ? xx
 
As above but my piggies don't get unlimited dry mix. They get unlimited hay, veggies twice a day and dry mix in the evening. There's a recommendation on the Burgess Excel packaging which is similar to what Guinea Lynx recommends.

I would weigh them on kitchen scales in grams.
 
thanks every much everyone i dont have sutable kitchen scales lol just tryed the toliet ones the the dial never moved at all befor lola made a run for it. i will but propet kichen scales tomorow xxashxx
 
I would change the food anyway as it wont meet their nutritional needs. Any pelleted food is best. I prefer Excel but supreme science and pets at home nuggets are just as good.
 
I think it can be unlimited dry food that can cause weight gain, but as others have said, guinea weights vary so much. My adult guineas vary from 992g to 1332g. Jeremy is 1049g and Sall, his wife, (affectionately known as fat Sall) weighs in at 1332g, she is almost a 3lb pig! Just as well Jeremy likes the larger lady. I use kitchen scales in lbs/oz then convert to grams on my phone. x
 
My lot always have unlimited hay, unlimited pellets (now Science Selective purple bag to stop selective feeding) and veg/fruit once a day at teatime.

I often give them treats such as willow baskets, treats to hang hutch door and I love the Boredom Breaker range of stuff as a treat also.

My chubbies are Milly and Molly who I adopted from the RSPCA in November. They will eat anything that isn't nailed down.

Although I think I feed mine well, I can't say that I feel they are over-weight though.

Do yours have access to a run in the garden or somewhere for exercise?
 
I have a fat ginger guinea pig called Learoy lol I can not give him unlimited food because he has like 5 chins and a barrel belly already and wow does he love his food, he'll eat pretty much anything so I just ration him and make sure he gets play time to work off some of that chunky butt haha
 
When I said unlimited dry food, I meant access to it in a food bowl. I fill my bowl up first thing in the morning but do not refill again until the next morning :red they don't normally finish the bowl off anyway :)
 
Most of my piggies are porkers, they have unlimited hay & dry food, get a handful of readigrass each day & a healthy portion of veggies each night.

My adults weights range from 2lb 2oz - 3lb 10oz :)
 
My girls were getting fat so I have made their hutch more exercise friendly by giving them more things to do and making it so they have to work a bit to get the food. I stuffed toilet roll tubes with hay and a few treats and screwed cup hooks in the top of the hutch to hang veg from.
 
My pigs get a bowl of dried food and a bowl of veg in the mornin, then the same again at bedtime. They get hay at the mornin feed then topped up if needed.

I swear they can tell the time! :)) If they haven't been fed by 11 at the bedtime feed (this is the usual time) the slightest movement from me and they are all at the bars of the cages wheekin for their food! :)) x
 
That does sound like a lot of dried food to me. I'd cut that down a bit (and try changing over to a more quality mix - what about the other Tesco mix in the purple bag, if they won't eat pellets?). I dread to think what the 'value' one is like!
 
One of my piggies went really thin when she was ill and I have another piggie at the minute who has a tummy bug and she has lost weight too. Trust me, I'd rather have a fat piggy than a thin piggy :) x
 
I would also like to point out that overweight piggies can have additional health issues and it does put more pressure on their heart. I totally agree that it is not good for them to be too thin either.

I dont know about other foods but the burgess excel pellets should be approx 1 handful per piggie per day. Please ensure that you give the recommended amount as stated on packet and not over feed.
 
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