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Massive Weight Gain

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Mackers

Mackers

Junior Guinea Pig
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Lilypad is booked to see Simon Maddock on Monday but in the mean time, what (apart from the obvious over-eating) could cause rapid weight gain? I'm a little concerned about ovarian cysts but everything I've read suggests weight loss. Lilypad is around 2 years old, not spayed, and lives with a spayed sow and a neutered boar.

Because I thought she was getting chubby, I reduced their fresh veg to only once a day (about a saucer sized dish between 3 pigs), unlimited hay and either run time on grass or hand picked fresh grass daily (large handful). Pellets have been limited to a treat only and they probably get about six SS pellets each 2-3 times a week. I do make sure they have vitamin C rich foods such as broccoli and green/red peppers but nothing sugary like carrot, sweetcorn etc. I honestly don't feel like I'm over-feeding them but Lilypad has put on 200 grams in 2 months! The other two have either maintained or lost a little weight. She weighed in at a huge 1480g this morning. Up from just under 1300g (which was when I thought she needed to go on a diet). She's bright, perky and eating like a horse!
 
No idea why a piggy would gain so much weight so quickly. Let us know the outcome of Lilypad's appt with Simon. I confess I'm curious as most of the weight problems reported on here are the opposite - rapid weight loss.
 
I honestly don't know, she will be in the safest hands with Simon and I am sure he will get to the bottom of it. Lots of healing vibes sent!
 
I've also got a sow who has gained around 200g in a few months. Does yours feel any different to normal? It was mine feeling slightly different in her abdomen that made me book in with the vet. My male is podgy and his abdomen is soft and squishy but my female feels more "full". Going to monitor her for a little bit as she's completely fine in herself, but she has gained weight quickly too...only she has no ovaries to get cysts/tumours on so if there is something going on, no doubt it will be something weird again!

I'm
A firm believer in that you know your own animals, if something isn't quite right, you know. Good luck at the vets, let us know how you get on! Fingers firmly crossed for just a little over indulgence on her part!
 
Amanda1801 said:
I've also got a sow who has gained around 200g in a few months. Does yours feel any different to normal? It was mine feeling slightly different in her abdomen that made me book in with the vet. My male is podgy and his abdomen is soft and squishy but my female feels more "full". Going to monitor her for a little bit as she's completely fine in herself, but she has gained weight quickly too...only she has no ovaries to get cysts/tumours on so if there is something going on, no doubt it will be something weird again!
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Funny you should say that - I felt all their abdomens yesterday and Jaffa and Toots are both soft and squishy whereas Lilypad has a 'hardness' to her - almost like she's filled with fluid. You can still squish her but it's taught and there's some resistance (if that makes sense). I'll be very embarrassed if Simon says she's just plain fat but I just can't see how that can have happened (I feel like there should be a 'secret eaters' programme for guinea pigs LOL).

Just a thought - could it be the rich spring grass? Aside from the odd day when it's been hammering down with rain, she's had a good few hours on the grass every day, or hand-picked grass if it's too wet to go out. But then again, that doesn't explain why the other two have maintained (or slightly lost) weight?? Confused.com!! But thank goodness I have one of the best piggy vets in the UK - what would I do without him?
 
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I too have one that's fatter than the other two but it's a simple fact she eats like a horse. She's been checked out by the vets and there's nothing wrong with her. Just overweight at 1400gms! I've now changed their bedding and feed the other two their veggies by hand separately. When she runs around, it's like she's carrying two little saddle bags:eek:
 
is she eating and pooing ok, please ping her tummy is it hollow, has she eaten anything she should not have, could be bloat, 0.3ml of infacol would clear that up.
ovarian cysts, there would be to massive swellings that look like golf balls around the hip area, and weight loss, but at the same time gain as the cysts get bigger.
hope the vet can get to the bottom of it, the last time I had a female (only one and she has both sexes in her) she was pregnant.
hope your little one is ok, please keep us informed on her progress, love donna, candy (cat), Mica, Ruby (mum), Luke, Cooky, Gizzie, Hammy, Sammy, Biscuit, Wally, Tazzles, Callum, Auggie, Rocky, Tod, Harry, Jerry, Spike, Ben, Benji, Alvin, Ted (dad), and kids Buddy, Roddy(twins) and Rebel.
 
Just back from seeing Simon...............Lilypad's just plain fat. I hang my head in shame. I showed Simon exactly what the pigs eat as a trio and he agreed that it wasn't overfeeding them by a long chalk. Therefore, he has concluded that her constant grazing on hay is what's making her keep gaining weight since hay is a 'concentrated' feed, rather than grass and veg, which are a large percentage of water.

The solution? We're going to try bedding them all down on fleece again, rather than a thick bed of hay, and to replace the hay in the hay rack with fresh grass (whilst we can during the summer). The increased water intake should decrease her appetite as she'll feel full quicker. I'm so ashamed. She's huge but I thought 24/7 access to hay was the right thing to do.
 
Mackers said:
Just back from seeing Simon...............Lilypad's just plain fat. I hang my head in shame. I showed Simon exactly what the pigs eat as a trio and he agreed that it wasn't overfeeding them by a long chalk. Therefore, he has concluded that her constant grazing on hay is what's making her keep gaining weight since hay is a 'concentrated' feed, rather than grass and veg, which are a large percentage of water.

The solution? We're going to try bedding them all down on fleece again, rather than a thick bed of hay, and to replace the hay in the hay rack with fresh grass (whilst we can during the summer). The increased water intake should decrease her appetite as she'll feel full quicker. I'm so ashamed. She's huge but I thought 24/7 access to hay was the right thing to do.
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24/7 access to hay IS the right thing to do. If you totally replace it with grass (is that's what's been suggested?) then you'll have 3 pigs with diarrhoea
 
Mackers said:
Just back from seeing Simon...............Lilypad's just plain fat. I hang my head in shame. I showed Simon exactly what the pigs eat as a trio and he agreed that it wasn't overfeeding them by a long chalk. Therefore, he has concluded that her constant grazing on hay is what's making her keep gaining weight since hay is a 'concentrated' feed, rather than grass and veg, which are a large percentage of water.

The solution? We're going to try bedding them all down on fleece again, rather than a thick bed of hay, and to replace the hay in the hay rack with fresh grass (whilst we can during the summer). The increased water intake should decrease her appetite as she'll feel full quicker. I'm so ashamed. She's huge but I thought 24/7 access to hay was the right thing to do.
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So pleased it was nothing serious!
You now own an official chubby tum Pig!
 
I think Simon would probably mean to give them increased grass & not as much hay, not cut it out altogether? This is interesting as mine don't get a lot of pellets & the veg they get is not too much either but I am always making sure they have plenty of hay, even during daytime when I spot the hay getting low I top it up & my Petal pig is a whopping 1.45 kg so maybe this is why?
 
Poppy'sMum said:
I think Simon would probably mean to give them increased grass & not as much hay, not cut it out altogether? This is interesting as mine don't get a lot of pellets & the veg they get is not too much either but I am always making sure they have plenty of hay, even during daytime when I spot the hay getting low I top it up & my Petal pig is a whopping 1.45 kg so maybe this is why?
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Just a word of warning, grass has its highest nutritional value in may. Spring grass is very rich and high in sugars so feeding too much (especially if they've not been built up to it) can result in weight gain, diarrhoea or bloat
 
Yes Amanda it's not a good time to give unlimited grass to piggies, they need to have a short time out around 20 mins half an hour daily max at this time of the year :)
 
piggyfan said:
Surely guinea pigs need unlimited hay and it cannot make them over weight? @Amanda1801
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Yes, unlimited hay is really important. Its not that high in its nutritional value, which is why pigs have to eat their poos and ferment it in their gut, to really break it down and release the vitamins and get the full benefit
 
Amanda1801 said:
Yes, unlimited hay is really important. Its not that high in its nutritional value, which is why pigs have to eat their poos and ferment it in their gut, to really break it down and release the vitamins and get the full benefit
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Thanks Amanda. I was worried people who read this thread would stop giving unlimited hay.
 
They'll still get some hay - just not 24/7. And they're well used to daily grass (and lots of it) so it shouldn't upset their tums. Simon has mentioned the hay being fattening thing several times before and if you think about it, it makes sense. A food item with a high water content will fill you quicker than a dry food because the water fills your belly and there's less room for the concentrate. So they'll be 'full' faster on grass than on hay. It's what they tell human dieters to do as well - drink a glass of water before each meal to help you feel full quicker.

And as Simon rightly points out, it's a fine balancing act between the right amount of hay to keep their teeth and gut in good order, and too much, which makes them fat (not due to its nutritional quality but just to the sheer volume they can consume).

So tonight, their cage has been changed from puppy pads covered with hay, to puppy pads covered with fleece. Then they have just one hay rack with hay, rather than a whole cage full of hay to eat. Once that's empty, I'll give them the next one full of long grass, then hay again, then grass etc etc. Pellets and veg remain unchanged. We'll see how it goes.

And thank you everyone for your replies. I didn't mean for everyone to think I was stopping all hay - I worded that quite badly.
 
Mackers said:
They'll still get some hay - just not 24/7. And they're well used to daily grass (and lots of it) so it shouldn't upset their tums. Simon has mentioned the hay being fattening thing several times before and if you think about it, it makes sense. A food item with a high water content will fill you quicker than a dry food because the water fills your belly and there's less room for the concentrate. So they'll be 'full' faster on grass than on hay. It's what they tell human dieters to do as well - drink a glass of water before each meal to help you feel full quicker.

And as Simon rightly points out, it's a fine balancing act between the right amount of hay to keep their teeth and gut in good order, and too much, which makes them fat (not due to its nutritional quality but just to the sheer volume they can consume).

So tonight, their cage has been changed from puppy pads covered with hay, to puppy pads covered with fleece. Then they have just one hay rack with hay, rather than a whole cage full of hay to eat. Once that's empty, I'll give them the next one full of long grass, then hay again, then grass etc etc. Pellets and veg remain unchanged. We'll see how it goes.

And thank you everyone for your replies. I didn't mean for everyone to think I was stopping all hay - I worded that quite badly.
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Could you weigh them once a week before they're fed, for a couple of weeks? I'd be very interested in seeing what happens
 
Briony_S said:
Wow this was interesting reading I had no idea hay was fattening.
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It's not 'fattening' as such, but rather due to the fact that it is a dried product and contains no water, they can consume piles and piles of it without feeling 'full'. Whereas a product containing water, such as grass, will fill them quicker and they'll (in theory) eat less. Mine were bedded down on hay (covering the whole of their 5 grid x 2 grid C&C cage), then they had fresh baled farm hay constantly on tap as well as a constantly topped-up hay rack with Oxbow Western Timothy in it. As soon as it was nearly all gone, I'd top it all up again.

Now they're bedded down on fleece again (which is a shame because I know they prefer being on hay), but they have three litter trays filled with megazorb and topped with cheap pet shop hay plus a hay rack which is a mixture of baled farm hay and fresh grass. I'm also giving them about a mug full of Oxbow Western Timothy per day as well (as well as they're small dish of fresh veg). So they're still getting plenty of hay, but nowhere near as much as they were getting previously. I've just weighed Lilypad (before they had their evening meal) and her weight is already down by about 40g, although that could vary depending on whether she was full of food or not.
 
furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary said:
Do yours eat lots of nuggets? Mine only have nuggets as a treat but I fill all the hutches with hay morning and night and none of them are anywhere near being overweight. They also eat a lot of grass.
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No, hardly any pellets at all Debbie. They get maybe half a dozen SS pellets each, two or three times a week. I think half the problem is that they live in my conservatory, which is open-plan onto the kitchen. We're ALWAYS in the kitchen and as a result, every time open the fridge, walk past the cage or even look in their direction, they all 'wheek' and appear to be starved! I was always filling the hay rack with Oxbow Western Timothy, which they chowed down on immediately. As soon as it was gone, I'd top it up again, as well as topping up the farm hay every time I walked past the cage. Then they'd have two bowls of fresh veg a day as well as fresh grass either via lawn time or simply as hand-picked grass if it was too wet outside. I guess it could just be that Lilypad is a 'fatty' and is genetically always going to be a big girl. However, I don't feel it's healthy for her to be as big as she currently is. If I can get her down to around 1200g, I'll be a happy bunny. Simon told me the biggest girlie he'd ever seen was a whopping 1.7kg so that made me feel just a little better LOL!
 
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