Porky Pig!

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gingy pig

gingy pig

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I thought I would weigh kristoff today, something I havnt done before as never really thought about it, but with old ginge dying & kristoff being a bit down I'm going to keep an eye on him. He's always been " chunky" but I'm honestly shocked by how much he weighs.....1.73 kg:eek:. He has the usual amount of pellets, hay etc- do you think a diet is needed?
 
I can't help as don't know what a good weight is, maybe he is just a big boy. Hope someone else can help
 
This is my own personal opinion, and may be completely disliked by anyone with more vet knowledge than me but personally I like it when guinea pigs are heavier. With how quick guinea pigs weights drop when they are ill I like to have a nice healthy chunky piggie who has a bit more chance to survive. Sadly when my skinnier guinea pig got ill he died within hours whereas my chunky guinea pig was ill many times and always managed to pull through because of his fat reserves.

I think if his health isn't being badly affected by his weight - pressure on the joints etc- I would just let him be a chunky monkey.
 
he sounds overweight to me. is he a long piggy?

whilst fat reserves can help in illness where weight loss happens quickly, being overweight can cause just as many issues health wise and make any anesthetic more risky. eta: losing weight quickly is just as concerning health wise of course aswell. i just meant at least bigger piggies don't end up as skinny as an already slim piggy. but obviously being a healthy weight is always better. slightly chunky maybe but not overweight :)

he might be prone to weight gain on pellets. benjie has this issue aswell! how many do you feed? perhaps reduce them gradually over the coming weeks-months and weigh him regularly to see what his weight does. i'd keep everything else the same for now and try one thing at a time so you know what it could be. (if there is anything)

weight loss should be done gradually so go slowly and starting with the pellets is usually the first thing to try. this was recommended by our vet for benjie :)
 
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What breed is he, may I ask? I have two Teddy sows and they are both chunky-monkies, though not as weighty as yours.
Some really are large, wide and rounded, but whether or not he's literally overweight or not I cannot say. How long is he? He could just be a huge pig.
Cutting down on starchy feed can help. Replacing his usual nuggets with something a little more grass-based perhaps? Also cutting down on any veggies that are sugary, such as carrots, and cutting down on fruit :)
Rexes are also large breeds, and some Agoutis.
 
Thanks everyone, I think he's a teddy or teddy cross. And yes he's a large chap, prob a bit longer than a house brick- he's much bigger than any other pig I've ever had. Touch wood, he's healthy & full of energy, I will gradually reduce his pellets ,he was on burgess excel mint,just gradually changed him to science selective as his coat had gone dry on the other one, I think he used to hoover ginge's up as well as his. He gets cucumber,pepper, celery every day & has an assortment of fennel,mint,coriander,parsley&thyme during the week. Don't often give him sweet stuff as I know its not great for them.also as much hay as he can stuff down him! Were now thinking of getting him a baby boar for company as he's wheeking away for company. I'm just concerned now how to feed a youngster so he doesn't snaffle it all? Maybe I need to do an obstical course to his bowl so he gets a bit more exercise?
 
gingy pig said:
I thought I would weigh kristoff today, something I havnt done before as never really thought about it, but with old ginge dying & kristoff being a bit down I'm going to keep an eye on him. He's always been " chunky" but I'm honestly shocked by how much he weighs.....1.73 kg:eek:. He has the usual amount of pellets, hay etc- do you think a diet is needed?
Click to expand...

That is quite some weight. This thread here may help you figure out whether he is just large or overweight, and hwat you can do.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...ng-ideal-weight-overweight-underweight.38805/
 
thanks for that Wiebke , it made interesting reading. ive cheked & can just feel his ribs so I think he could do with loosing abit of weight, but would seem like he is just a large boy. I got the tape measure & hes almost 13" from nose to bum-is that bigger than normal? he did used to dwarf ginge but he was always quite a slight piggy from day one.
 
gingy pig said:
thanks for that Wiebke , it made interesting reading. ive cheked & can just feel his ribs so I think he could do with loosing abit of weight, but would seem like he is just a large boy. I got the tape measure & hes almost 13" from nose to bum-is that bigger than normal? he did used to dwarf ginge but he was always quite a slight piggy from day one.
Click to expand...

Guinea pig sizes can vary so much! Some are naturally whoppers.

Just reduce his pellet intake gradually; include any regular rich fresh grass intake into his veg and put him on a good diet - together with exercise, his weight should balance itself out. it doesn't sound like he is grossly overweight, just a little bit. Guinea pigs have a naturally quick metabolism, so introduce any changes gradually without shocking the body into fat saving and let nature do its work as much as possible.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/
 
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