Mummy pig losing weight

[lynda1]

Its not much but Rabbit, mummy to 3 baby pigs, has lost 20g over the last 8 days. All of the babies are continuing to grow well, they seem to have grown each time I look in the cage, they will be 2 weeks old on friday.

I am feeding unlimited meadow, timothy hay, 1 cup of Wagg meusli (they eat all of this generally leaving seedy bits and I top up with extra at night if they dont have much left) and half cup of Burgess nuggets and approx 3-4 cups of veg per day.

All of them descend on the veggies as if they have not been fed in years and mum wheeks every time you go near them wanting more.

Should I be worried about the weight loss, is there anything else I could give her?

 

[Abi_nurse]

This is a very small amount of weight loss, dont worry too much about it, if she is still bright etc then just reweigh her to keep an eye. She may well lose a tiny bit from nursing the pups. Make sure you feed her unlimited pellets/muesli while she is nursing the babies.

x.

 

[Wiebke]

Most nursing sows lose a bit of weight throughout that period. That is perfectly normal - she is a walking food to milk converter right now!

20g is however within the daily variance and can be simply down to a full/empty bladder or a fully/empty belly.

Only start worrying if mummy is losing over 50g within a week or you notice signs of her being unwell or in pain. Sows can get mastitis and blocked nipples, too. See the vet asap if there is bleeding or the area around her privates is looking reddened and swollen - thankfully infections of the womb are rare in well kept sows.

 

[Suzygpr]

As the others have said that is a very small amount of weightloss so not too worry - if she continues to drop a little each time you weigh her that would more concerning. The mum and babies will need unlimited pellets - so keep the food bowls topped up and the water bottle, the babies usually learn to use it from 7-10 days old.

Suzy x