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Patch is getting big - worried

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Cavy2009

Cavy2009

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Patch appears to be putting on weight. She is definitely not pregnant. I am not sure if she is getting fat because she eats to much or it may be something sinister.

She lives with her mum and Gertie. I measure their dry food out, give them plenty of hay and weigh the greens.

I am wondering if she is eating Mirtle and Gerties food too.?/
 
Maybe a trip to the vet is in order? my boy is on a fairly strict diet yet still he has to get in the run at least 2 hours a day as he doesnt shift weight easily he is naturally a tubby pig,maybe try get Patch out to exercise more? xx
 
Thanks. She hasn't just ballooned so that's a bit of good news. She feels all soft and squishy, I can't feel any odd lumps and bumps that shouldn't be there.

I have just had her out for an hours exercise and am getting her out again later.

I am starting to think she is a very lazy girl.
 
Cavy2009 said:
Thanks. She hasn't just ballooned so that's a bit of good news. She feels all soft and squishy, I can't feel any odd lumps and bumps that shouldn't be there.

I have just had her out for an hours exercise and am getting her out again later.

I am starting to think she is a very lazy girl.
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hehe most probably,pigs are good at that! Ovarian cysts i think can make them gain weight so worth a checkup just to be sure,I'm not knowledgable on sows but i do hope she is just a little podgy and nothing else xxxxxx
 
To make sense of the apparent weight gain can you tell us how much weight she has put on and in what space of time, thanks?
 
I can't. That's the problem. I never weigh them. So now I am thinking I might just take her to the vets just to be on the safe side.
 
I have one guinea pig that is not wasting any calorie she can get hold of by moving around quickly and has made me feel for babies more than once! She is still within a normal weight range, though - some guinea pigs are simply like that.

You can feed pellets separately while Patch is in the run, so you give her less than the other two. Do not cut them out completely - she will be able to smell and hear the other two munching away and that can lead to aggravation if she feels left out.

As long as Patch is well and on a healthy diet, you need not be too worried. A guinea pig's weight can vary enormously - between 800g and 1800g!
 
Thank you. She weighs just over a kilo. I weighed her today 1.080. I am going to feed her separately and try the 'hide food and search'. I think I might just monitor her for a week. If there is no change then it's to the vets. She looks well and gives happy squeals.
 
Be relieved - at that weight, Patch is just on the average! My Nerys is 1300g - and one of the bigger, but not one of the biggest girls on here.

Guinea pig girls develop a "female figure" aka big bum, some more so than others when they come up to one year old.
 
Have you considered a thyroid problem? I know some of my pigs are small regardless of how much they eat, others stay average and then others get really "fluffy." It's difficult to have the right ration for everyone since my fat pig would have to live alone essentially in order for that to happen. But yes repro hormones may be at hand too. If it is something like a cystic follicle or CL on her ovaries it may never be detected externally since they can be tiny. If she were spayed that would definitely alter her hormonal balance. I know animals that have been spayed and have gotten huge. I am assuming that since you thought of pregnancy that you know she isn't.
 
I was wondering about a thyroid problem. She looks really jowly. I am going to see if an increase in exercise and a slight decrease in food helps. She is a lazy little sow though.
 
She would appear to be a normal weight, or even a little below the average for a sow. Don't be too keen to look for problems!
 
It's just Alcester, she was laid down and her body flab seemed to spread all over. It didn't look right and I felt cruel for letting her get that big.

She is enjoying the extra attention though and the full room space to run around it. She's like a little rocket.
 
Just remember that "jowly" is normal in some guinea pigs - it's called a dewlap and can occur in both sexes irrelevant of weight!
 
My beautiful cottonbud is exactly that weight and she is perfectly fine she just dedicates her time to eating!, i worry more about furby who is only 850g but that has not changed since i brought her home and she is just a little petit piggy. Would not worry about weight unless it is dramatic increase over a short period of time (to do this you do need to weigh them regularly) or if it is affecting her movement.
 
I have just looked at your avatar pic that goes with your user name, and your piggies look like Patch. I have also read a link being given to me and now believe I have found Patch's problem. Cabbage may actually be bloating her.
 
It is possible but there tend to be further symptoms. I have two pigs with chronic bloat, one much worse than the other; these are the pigs I cannot feed cabbage, kale and broccoli to.

When they get bloated, even though it is only minor the symptoms include pain and a distended abdomen, which feels very tight and 'springy' - rather like squeezing a full balloon. Acute cases of bloat require immediate veterinary attention, the symptoms are as serious as the condition (not eating, there may not be any droppings), but it is certainly possible for there to be frequent gas build ups with relatively minor effects that can be reduced or eliminated when you amend the diet.
 
I hope all gets sorted,
Its a good idea to start weighing all your piggies weekly if possible as it can help you detect illness much quicker and its good if you are able to tell the vet what sort of weight increase or decrease there has been.
Many times it will save a pigs life xx
 
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