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Need Pig To Loose Weight

gizzy

gizzy

Adult Guinea Pig
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18 mounths ago someone brought me a little head tilt (torticollis ) sow, l named her
Wibaly!
Anyway as time passed she developed quite a severe gaiat in her left frount leg and righr rear leg! Vet told me she seemed to have a congenital spinal problem as well as the torticollis, vet said she could get a more informed diagnosis, by x ray but she advised against it as Wibalys Disabilities made her a high GA risk

And as she was happy , and able to zoom around on 2 legs using the 2 non working legs as a sort of balance! My vet said best leave well enough alone!

But as time progesed Wibaly started to gain a bit of weight, not much but enough slow her down a bit , but. The extra weigh (around 60 to 70 grams ) here overall weigh is 600 g!

And as she already has to work hard to get around I was worried about a possible strain on her heart! But my vet also advised as to the importance of exercise for her to continue mobile!

Anyway l feed a diet that mainly consists of alfafa king Thimathy hay, with a small amount of pellet's (haringtons ) and moderate amounts of red pepper, cucumber, Carrot, sweetcorn , both baby and full size! and some daily herb, usually parsley

I would welcome any suggestions as to how to reduce her weight a bit !

Wibaly, and her mate Wobaly, another torticollis sow , have 8 hours minimum free
Range time on my pig room floor
 
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I'd stop the pellets completely. I did it with one of my boars who had bladder issues and he lost 200g in a few months. The vet was monitoring the whole time so we were certain it was the lack of pellets doing it.

He went from 1400g to 1200g.
 
Thanks Jaycey , l was a bit concerned that she may not get a proper balance
Of nutrients! But as it's worked for one of your pigs l will seriously consider it
 
I would also take out the carrot and sweetcorn as these are both high in sugars and maybe mix in some veggies that are better for them, some lettuce, celery etc
 
gizzy said:
18 mounths ago someone brought me a little head tilt (torticollis ) sow, l named her
Wibaly!
Anyway as time passed she developed quite a severe gaiat in her left frount leg and righr rear leg! Vet told me she seemed to have a congenital spinal problem as well as the torticollis, vet said she could get a more informed diagnosis, by x ray but she advised against it as Wibalys Disabilities made her a high GA risk

And as she was happy , and able to zoom around on 2 legs using the 2 non working legs as a sort of balance! My vet said best leave well enough alone!

But as time progesed Wibaly started to gain a bit of weight, not much but enough slow her down a bit , but. The extra weigh (around 60 to 70 grams ) here overall weigh is 600 g!

And as she already has to work hard to get around I was worried about a possible strain on her heart! But my vet also advised as to the importance of exercise for her to continue mobile!

Anyway l feed a diet that mainly consists of alfafa king Thimathy hay, with a small amount of pellet's (haringtons ) and moderate amounts of red pepper, cucumber, Carrot, sweetcorn , both baby and full size! and some daily herb, usually parsley

I would welcome any suggestions as to how to reduce her weight a bit !

Wibaly, and her mate Wobaly, another torticollis sow , have 8 hours minimum free
Range time on my pig room floor
Click to expand...

Please drop the carrot and sweet corn; they are both fattening and "energy dense". Can you try fresh green beans and/or celery in their place?

Keep any pellets to 1 tablespoon max in a day or eliminate them complete.
 
Thanks guys l will cut out carrots and sweet corn ! And limit her to 1 tablespoon of pellet's !! :like:
 
Thanks guys l will cut out carrots, and sweetcorn, and just give her 1 table spoon of dried food :like:
 
pellets=Mc Donald's meal. This is what vets here say and what I also believe...
Alfa-alfa, too, is very rich of proteins and farmers use alfa alfa hay for fattening rabbits.
Some vegs, too, are rich of sugars (carrots and sweetcorn, fruits, etc.).
Of course loosing excess of fat must be a very slow process, but guinea pigs have a fast methabolism and with a correct diet you will get fast results (long ago I also had a pig on diet; now my sows are slim and I will not make the same old mistake; my sows don't eat pellets, just few pieces a day as a treat; give it a try :nod:)
 
rome_italy said:
pellets=Mc Donald's meal. This is what vets here say and what I also believe...
Alfa-alfa, too, is very rich of proteins and farmers use alfa alfa hay for fattening rabbits.
Some vegs, too, are rich of sugars (carrots and sweetcorn, fruits, etc.).
Of course loosing excess of fat must be a very slow process, but guinea pigs have a fast methabolism and with a correct diet you will get fast results (long ago I also had a pig on diet; now my sows are slim and I will not make the same old mistake; my sows don't eat pellets, just few pieces a day as a treat; give it a try :nod:)
Click to expand...
Alfalfa King Hay is timothy hay, not alfalfa hay. Confusing I know! ha ha
 
much more natural way to feed than using a bowl. Do you scatter the veg?

I o l ! I have been contemplating scattering the food, to save them weeing and pooping in them :lol!:, the veg! I always cut the veg into small slices and feed the individual pigs (several times a day ) :tu:
 
I found that quite a few of the pigs in my main group (all adults) were piling on weight and nuggets were all they wanted. I have weaned them off nuggets and they have certainly increased their hay intake which is fantastic. Now they get the odd nugget as a treat instead. Its certainly helped on the scales.
 
I now only feed nuggets every several days, perhaps once or twice a week. My loy gather around the nugget bowl and patiently wait with their little paws on the rim. After several hours I remove the bowl completely from their cage and throw out the remaining nuggets left in the bowl.

I wanted the herd to eat more hay instead of pellets. Now they eat far more hay.
 
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