• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Overweight Or Normal?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Ellbell

Ellbell

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
107
Reaction score
52
Points
245
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Hey everyone!
So I'm just looking for some advice. The 2 pics are of my 3 girls. They are all roughly 8 months old.
The brown one is 1.095g her stomach is about 33cm round including fur. And she is roughly 30cm long. I'm worried she's over weight. Shes really solid and you can feel she has a yummy. She's a big eater also.
Her sister is the white on. She is 850g
The cream one is my newest and a rescue. She's a tiny 740g. She's gaining weight everyday and doing well. I have instructions from a vet on what to feed her to help her out.
Just wondering if my brown and white guinea pigs are a normal weight. I know it's hard to see their size with these images. They are all such different weights I'm just wondering what's a happy size for them to be at for their age and size?
 
As long as your piggies are active and eating healthy - plenty of veggies and hay, recommended pelleted food, and as little as possible of the manufactured pet store treats - then I wouldn't worry too much. Some piggies are just big boned! In one of my trios, one of the females is the biggest, with the male middle size, and the sister of the first female is smallest! They can vary so much. :)
 
They are on a bed of oaten hay. They have Vetafarm pallets available and only empty a bowl every 3 days or so. They also get veggies in the morning. A mix or of kale, capsicum, carrot, corn, parsley, coriander etc...
They have a double puppy pen then play in every sunny day and a large indoor cage with plenty of room. I'm wondering now if i should maybe research the best pellet to use and I'm not actually to sure if Vetafarm is the best :/
I'm glad that every GP is different thought. Makes me feel better knowing it might just be the size she's meant to be :)
 
That all sounds great, although carrot is quite sugary so if they have lots of that then it may make them fatter, but in small amounts it is fine. Celery is quite a good veggie as it does not have much in it but has plenty of water content so can help to reduce chances of a UTI. I have not heard of Vetafarm, but there is a food (it may be in daily care, I can't remember) forum on here which you can post on to get opinions on it. One of my piggies is on a diet at the moment as she was so fat her tummy started balding! :oops: Yes possibly switch from lucerne based pellets. I used Burgess here in the UK. Supreme Science is vet recommended and Oxbow (USA) is also very good.
 
I think I will switch to oxbow as it seems to have the most information and best reviews. I'll keep an eye on anything with to much sugar. It's hard when there is a guinea pig I'm trying to put weight on and another I'm trying to watch the weight of. Haha!
 
Good choice, Oxbow is great! oh that is the worst! Do they all live together? I also have one who I am trying to put weight on but he lives by himself so it is not so difficult. Beetroot and carrot as good for weight gain, and Readigrass seems to be working too. Another food I forgot to mention is Nature's Own from Pets at Home, I'm not sure if you can get that in Australia? I haven't seen it online yet.
 
Yes, they are all together and I would really prefer not to split them up as they are all so attached. I think the weight will come as long as I keep it balanced enough and she's eating the way she does. :)
Oh I'll sus out the natures own. I know I have seen the brand before.
 
Oh definitely don't split them, that would be a shame. Maybe sneak skinnier piggie out for some extra when the others aren't looking. :shh: It is good - lots of foragy things in, I just feed it for variety. :D
 
I will defiantly attempt. She's still a bit in that stage where she is frozen and to scared to eat anything when it's lap time. A little more tlc and she will be settled into her new home. Thanks so much for the advice! :) defiantly helped me wrap my head around it more.
 
Your two bigger girls' weights are very good and normal for their age, they are coming toward the end of their growing period and should have most of their adult weight by now. An ideal adult weight for sows is between 1000-1200g.

This is the time where sows slowly shift from growing lengthwise into developing their genetically determined bum shape. Like we women have very different body shapes when it comes to hips and breasts, sows have quite different bum shapes. You never measure the tummy, as that won't tell you anything, you always check the upper body around the ribs. ;)

You may find this thread here from the top of our Daily Care section helpful: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...deal-weight-overweight-and-underweight.38805/
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top