overweight piggy help please

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rip_ernie

rip_ernie

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hello,
I am looking after my friend's guinea pigs for a week and well I hadn't seen them for a few months, I went round today and was horrified!
THEY ARE HUGE, they can barley carry their own weight :'( and their claws are so long they are curling outwards.
Does anyone know any ways we can help them loose weight so they can run around and play again?
 
well my moms friend had a guinea pig and it looked overwieght until they found out it is pregnet.does she have females with males?
 
Are you able to cut their claws yourself? There's a good guide on how to do it on a sticky on the Health thread, I think.

Have they got enough room to move about? A run outside? It's hard to make them exercise but moving the food bowls and putting hay in different places should encourage them a bit?

Sophie
x
 
no they aren't pregnant or bloated, just borderline obese :(
yeah i am cutting their claws tomorrow :)
they have a run but they barley move due to the weight, they just drag themselves on the floor :(
 
Just out of curiosity, what is their exact weight, and do you have any ideas about their age?

The largest piggy I have come across - Hilary might remember - was Debbies silver agouti... I think he was something between 1300g and 1600g? He was MASSIVE but perfectly healthy, just a huge piggy :) Is it possible these could be just walking funny due to the curled claws, and could otherwise just be large piggies?
 
after today, they don't seem as fat as i thought, their claws made me feel sick though :'( had a better look today, they have flaked skin, and inflamed and crusty paws :( am taking my nail clippers, foot lotion and skin stuff tomorrow
these are the best claws out of both of them, and they are awful
PIC_2824.jpg

they are so long their toes don't touch the floor :(
 
Well, with you being able to clip the nails they should be running better which also means they will loose the flab they have sooner. Just encourage your friend to either learn how to clip them herself or to bring them to a vet for clipping in regular intervalls, will do the piggies good. Also encourage more movement for the piggies and maybe have a look at the feeding routines.
Sounds like your friend needs a bit more advice on how to look after piggies properly. ;)
 
sophiew said:
Oh dear, how do people not notice their own pets getting so big? It always amazes me. Good luck with them!
Click to expand...

I have 2 cats as well as the 2 guinea pigs and one of my cats is huge (he's 9kg) - you don't notice them putting on the weight because you see them every day (just like with other people). Of course I know that he is well overweight but I give him the weight for his food that the vet told me and he is on light food but yet the weight still goes on. Sometimes it isn't always the fault of the owner - my animals get nothing that they should not be getting.
 
:D They were popcorning and running about today, they were going mental lol, I cut the claws yesterday and they seem alot better
 
Aw, thats fab O0 !
Your friend should think themselves lucky to have a friend like you :) .
 
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