Overweight pigs

[KLG1985]

Hi,

This is my first post here, hoping people can help me... I have 2 female guinea pigs, Thelma and Louise. As of today, Thelma weighs 1.2kg and Louise is 1.4kg, although Louise is bigger size wise. I am aware that they are both on the large size. Thelma has also recently had a problem with a small bladder stone. The vet gave her pain killers and antibiotics and thinks she will pass the stone on her own. But I am really concerned about their weight. They live in a 2x4 C&C, soon to be fitted with a 2x1 loft and get an hours floor time everyday. They get unlimited amounts of this hay per day
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hay_and_bedding/hay_small_pets/186137#composition

40g between the two of them every 2 days of this
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/food/guinea_pig/jr_farm/383939

I'm in the process of reworking their veg now that Thelma needs low calcium foods.

Can anyone help with suggestions as to how to work on their weight.

Thanks

Thelma and Louise's pig-mum (Kate)

 

[PipandPop]

I find that cutting down on the amount of pellets they get everyday helps. They should get all their fibre through eating hay, and as long as you work their veg so that there are enough high vit c veggies in the then they shouldn't need as many pellets. More floor time would also be beneficial, as well as obstacles such as tunnels and hideys will encourage them to run around more, which will give them more exercise.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Don't panic! The weights are actually not dramatically overweight at all! 1000g to 1200g is considered an ideal average weight for pet sows, but 200g either side is OK, as body sizes in adult piggies still vary quite a bit! Larger piggies can have some higher weight and still be perfectly healthy.
In many ways it is easier to go by "heft". With sows, you also can't judge from the bum end as that is shaped by genetics; you need to look at the upper body and see whether that has a good balance between feeling all ribs (to thin) or not being able to feel any ribs at all because of too many layers of fat. Many vets rely on literature that cites the (very low) weights of breeders sows. Yours sound like they are on a good diet with regular exercise, so I wouldn't worry if I were you!
I haven't come across the pellets you are using. They sound good; but I don't know how much parsley there is in there? I would certainly not feed any extra herbs, as parsley is quite high in calcium. You are certainly not overfeeding on that score, which is usually the main problem with slightly overweight piggies.

You can find diet advice for a low calcium diet on this thread here: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...m-diet-for-piggies-an-option-to-be-considered

I would keep an eye on that bladder stone; personally, I am wary in respect of vets saying that stones will pass naturally; it very much depends on the size of the stones and they are not always that obliging. Has your vet told you how big the stone is? The longer stones sit in the bladder, the more they can damage the bladder walls. Bladder ops in sows are usually quite straight forward and tend to heal without complications.
We have got a piggy savvy vet locator if you are in the UK and would like a second opinion: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/locator/vets.html

In any case, I would recommend that you give your bladder stone girl some glucosamine to help protect the bladder walls more. You can use normal tablets; I use vegetarian ones and grind and then dissolve 1 tablet in 4 ml of water, which makes 4 portions - but then I have more than one piggy with bladder problems. Please shake well before use and store in the fridge.

PS: It would be a great help for us if you added your country, state (US/AUS) or general area (UK) to your details, so we can give you the appropriate advice, links or - if possible - recommendations straight away. You can do in settings (very top of the page)/edit profile/location. Thanks!

 

[KLG1985]

Thanks so much for that info. I was really worrying about their weight, but I'll try not to worry so much now. Louise is certainly more cury in the bum area, but it seems from what you are saying that its just her natural shape.

I'll certainly look at the thread about low calcium diet.

Thanks for the tip about bladders. Thelma doesn't seem to be in pain when she pee's now, but I'll keep an eye out.

Just noticed that their hay is meadow ha and not timothy, is that still OK for them?

 

[Wiebke]

I still feed locally sourced meadow hay. Timothy hay is that bit lower in calcium, though.
You can order good quality timothy hay from a reliable internet provider like http://hayforpets.co.uk/.

 

[boarding service]

hi there i had a piggie with a very large bladder stone, i was told to take him of pellet food, and either give him timothy hay or grass, and to take out calcium enriched veg, * can find these veg in the guineapig lynx page (i do not know if i spelt that right), as for the weight i had a piggie who was 1.5kg at one stage in his life, i would not worry just look after the wee bladder stone piggie, my boy was 9 years when he had his bladder stone, it was so painful for him, i had two choses either surgery, or let him go, i opted for surgery to at least give him a chance, but either way he was going to the rainbow bridge, please have the stone removed, my thoughts are with * and ** little ones.

 

[sport_billy]

hi there i had a piggie with a very large bladder stone, i was told to take him of pellet food, and either give him timothy hay or grass, and to take out calcium enriched veg, * can find these veg in the guineapig lynx page (i do not know if i spelt that right), as for the weight i had a piggie who was 1.5kg at one stage in his life, i would not worry just look after the wee bladder stone piggie, my boy was 9 years when he had his bladder stone, it was so painful for him, i had two choses either surgery, or let him go, i opted for surgery to at least give him a chance, but either way he was going to the rainbow bridge, please have the stone removed, my thoughts are with * and ** little ones.

Here is the link to the Guinea Lynx sortable Veg list for displaying Calcium etc.... http://www.guinealynx.info/chart.html#chart