Oats for underweight piggy?

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Liane

Liane

Teenage Guinea Pig
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While reading about another poorly piggy, there was mention of feeding them oats to help with weight gain? My boy, Nelson is five years old and has been a bit poorly of late and had lost a fair bit of weight; he did put some back on and his weight appeared to be stabilising but he has lost it again and now weighs just over 900g

My question is - what oats should I get? Are there any sorts I should avoid? Any you would particularly recommend?

Thanks
 
The question is: why did he lose weight? If he wasn't ill, there might be thyroid issues, or heart, teeth, ... have you had him checked out by a vet?
 
I use these oats.

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=259458142

My pig is skinny in general and has been to the vets many times, he lost quite a bit of weight with previous UTI’s that he just never seemed to put back on, but since he’s been on oats he’s maintained a better overall weight and went from 800 to 950g, i just give him a bowl alongside his nuggets and he eats when he wants to. He really loves them.
 
Years ago you used to get rolled oats from pet shops but these don't seem to be available now. For the last 2 years I've just used supermarket own brand porridge oats from either Asda, Morrison's or Tesco which are roundabout 75p per Kilo. In the winter I feed mine these daily but in the summer they get a treat once in a while as they're getting plenty of fresh grass etc. When they're losing weight you need to get down to the root cause but you also need to get their weight stabilised so introducing porridge oats into their diet is a good extra. Does Nelson eat plenty of fresh grass? This is a good natural feed & also sweet corn especially the complete cobs with the leaves intact is good for adding a little weight. Best to weigh him daily while he's like this & a visit to the vets would be a good idea.
 
He has been to the vets but Simon was not able to find a specific cause of his weightloss. He was treated for a suspected infection of his nervous system, and then he had an upset tummy, so that didn't help his weight but he had been making good progress. We have another appointment sometime next week.

Thank you for the suggestions! :) I assume they just eat the oats dry?
 
Yes, straight from the packet. I started by adding some to their dried food then put some out in a separate bowl.
 
I make my up as porridge with water for my gang frequently in the winter, the hamsters love it also!
 
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