Overweight guinea pig

Perkypanda

Perkypanda

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Apr 8, 2016
Messages
258
Reaction score
249
Points
365
Location
Kent, England
Hi, I have two girls. Grace who is about 2 and 4 months and Mabel who is just under a year. Grace is quite overweight and needs to lose some weight. Does anyone have any tips for only having one guinea on a reduced diet? It's ok when they are in the run as I can just separate them during the feeding time but they also have breakfast together in their cage and they can't come out into their run everyday as I am not in every evening. Any tips?
 
Is this thread started as a result of the difference in the weight between the two? Adult sows can vary in weight between 800-1200g and anywhere within that can be a normal healthy weight. The main way to check is be feeling round the heft. You should be able to lightly feel the ribs
 
Grace weighs about 1300g. She is very rotund and I can't feel her ribs. Mabel is always going to be on the smaller side I think. I am not comparing them as such but it is hard not to. They have unlimited hay, a small scoop of nuggets and veg given twice a day. I think as I have been busy I have perhaps fed too much veg including fruit. That can easily be cut back but I don't want greedy Grace to eat her 'usual' amount and then Mabel to miss out and start to lose weight if you see what I mean.
 
You can switch pellets to better brands. Grainless pellets, high fibre ones etc. I have lily who is bordering overweight and now baby poppy is older and a good weight I limited the pellets but she hasn't lost any :))
 
We've managed to slim down an almost 1300g piggy (who the vet said was obese, her feet didnt touch the floor really and she couldnt clean her own bottom) and feed up a bloaty bony little 700g piggy on the same diet, at yesterday's weigh in Jezebel was 1090g and Puggle was 810g. Lots of hay and exercise and a very small amount of grain free pellets and moderate veggies are fine. Cut back on pellets maybe and make fatty pig work for her dinner by scatter feeding it and hiding it in treat bags or in places she has to reach or climb up to etc? Slim piggies dont exert themselves much doing this but chubsters have to really work hard to trot around and balance on their hind legs and stuff...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top