Overweight pigs

[Roclibrarian]

So my vet says my girls are a little on the chubby side, so they have been on a diet. I've cut down their pellets to a small handful of twice a day. I've cut down peaflake treats to a couple twice a week (they were getting about 5 a day).
Luna has lost 50g over the last 2 months and is now 1185g. Ginny however has put on 30g in the last 2 months and is now 1494g.
They no longer get carrots everyday, but I can't think of anything else I can do.
Ginny has a back problem (On metacam for life) so doesn't run round like she use to which doesn't help.
They are both 2.5 years old. Has anyone any tips on getting piggies to a more healthy weight?

Here's Luna looking cozy.


Here is Ginny the real fatty

 

[Wiebke]

So my vet says my girls are a little on the chubby side, so they have been on a diet. I've cut down their pellets to a small handful of twice a day. I've cut down peaflake treats to a couple twice a week (they were getting about 5 a day).
Luna has lost 50g over the last 2 months and is now 1185g. Ginny however has put on 30g in the last 2 months and is now 1494g.
They no longer get carrots everyday, but I can't think of anything else I can do.
Ginny has a back problem (On metacam for life) so doesn't run round like she use to which doesn't help.
They are both 2.5 years old. Has anyone any tips on getting piggies to a more healthy weight?

Here's Luna looking cozy.
View attachment 102382

Here is Ginny the real fatty
View attachment 102383

Hi! Please follow the recommendations in our diet guide re. 1 tablespoon of pellets per piggy per day and make use of the sample diet.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

It is always a lot harder with guinea pigs that have mobility issues.
My Nerys with her twisted thigh bone and arthritis in her ankles basically ambled through life and never passed up a calorie she could wrap herself around. Even though she was a similar weight to your big girl with a most impressive bum in her heyday, she lived to 8 years of age.


You can find tips on how you can integrate feeding them with activity: The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight

 

[Roclibrarian]

Thanks that has given me some ideas. I need to weigh their veg and scatter feed it. I'm also going to measure my small handful of pellets to check it's as small as I think.
I never even thought of restricting dried forage, I thought of it as a healthy treat so that's something else to work on.
I'm not bothered about Luna as she's not too hefty (under all her fluff) but I will admit Ginny is a chunky monkey lol.
I think I'll start moving their cage round everyday, as Ginny tends to run round exploring everytime I move something. She loves a tunnel, she gets the compulsion to run through it, turn round, run back through etc for a few minutes. It's so funny to watch.
Thanks for the inspiration, just what I needed x