The Girls are on Diets!

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All 4 have been steadily gaining weight and the time has come for some dieting. They are all very active as they have a large pen so I don't think exercise is a problem. Am going to keep the veggies and hay the same but cut down on the dry food. Think they've been grazing on that too much. Have been doing this the last couple of days and think it's working as the food bowls are pretty much empty by the end of the day - but I feel really guilty! They have a bowl each as Saffy is quite shy and I'm worried about her not getting her share.

Anyone else put theirs on diets successfully?
 
Nope all mine get one cup of food a day and a small top up at night :D
What food are you giving them as there may be some fatty ingrediants in there ? ?
 
i dont think its possible to put a pig on a diet, as they need food moving through their system to keep the gut healthy..and if their food bowl is empty when you go in then maybe they are hungry still :S

what foods do you feed, and how much do you piggies weigh? i have 2 girls that are quite big but i wouldnt cut their food intake down..they live outside so being stocky is a better thing for mine anyway.
 
spudnik said:
i dont think its possible to put a pig on a diet, as they need food moving through their system to keep the gut healthy..and if their food bowl is empty when you go in then maybe they are hungry still :S
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If they always have hay then there is no problem? Dry food makes up such a small percentage of their diet anyway so I don't see why cutting down is a problem?

How much do they weigh? :)
 
yeah i thought that after id posted..if they have hay in constant supply then cutting down on dry food isnt a problem..but some people think their piggies are too fat when they are not, and there is no need to put piggies on a diet they vary in size and weight.. i just dont think id put one of mine on a diet.. someone thought one of mine was preggers shes a chunky thing! lol but thats normal for her shes always been large..

if they are obv extremely overweight then the vet will know what to feed in order to cut down and do it steadily so they drop weight at a fast rate :)
 
I think it's important to see how much they weigh like others have said above. My smallest sow is 965g and my biggest nearly 1200g. I've certainly met sows bigger and heavier than Bonnie, too!
 
Personally I believe that as long as your piggy is getting a good quality food and enough exercise they really can't be fat. :-\
 
The range is anything fro 1lb-4lb I think perhaps a diet has to be discussed with a vet as well. :)
 
They weigh:

Saffy - 910g
Bella - 1190g
Holly - 1090g
Robyn - 1450g

I'm a bit concerned because all of them, apart from Saffy, have been steadily gaining weight which is just going to continue. They are all over 2 years old and should be at a consistent weight. I don't want any of them to be obese. They have a continual supply of hay and I've not cut down their veggies. I haven't cut down their dry food drastically, but lowered it a bit. I'm keeping an eye on Saffy to make sure she is getting enough.

It's quite interesting with guineas that the opinion is that they can't get fat and can eat as much as they like etc but they must be the same as any other animal surely, in that obesity will cause health problems and shorten their lifespan. For example one of my dogs can eat for England and if I didn't limit his food, he would be the size of a house ::)

The food they have is Wagg. I don't like the pelleted food so won't feed that. Previously I used Gertie but went off that because of the health concerns.
 
You could try cutting out fruits and roots and replacing it with hay and Readigrass if you're worried. Its all relative to their size though and remember muscle weighs more than fat, if they're getting lots of exercise and are muscling up then thats OK. I've only ever had 2 guineas that were clinically obese and our vet agreed and said she wouldn't want to operate on them. Overweight piggies are very far and few between (or the other way round!) ::)
 
Guineas can only eat what the Humans give them, they may eat the right amount but they can't help it if its not the right food... Dogs naturally binge food, they will 'eat well' on one day and then perhaps not eat (hunt) for days, but again Humans have changed that, bolting their food and all they can is natural instinct, problem is they don't refuse food either ::)
 
The only fruit they have is occasional apple which they're not that keen on. The largest one, Robyn, has got wet at her back end where she's sprawled! and she looks really ungainly and just too fat. I've had other big guineas but she's just increasing in weight each time I weigh her. You know what it's like, you know your own guineas and my gut feeling is that she in particular shouldn't be this big. Please don't think I've drastically altered their diets; I wouldn't do that.

I will weigh them weekly and try to keep them the same size. Failing that, I'll get them on hubby's exercise bike (only joking, honest!)
 
;D ;D ;D Yep, you can see them, we can't :)

Visions of Robyn in purple leg warmers and sweatband on her bike :) Exercise only makes them hungrier you know!
 
I notice my 3 piggies were a little big! But since they have been in the shed they have lost alittle weight and look great.I think its because they haven't been eating the rabbits food and their food too!
 
karenrgpr said:
;D ;D ;D Yep, you can see them, we can't :)

Visions of Robyn in purple leg warmers and sweatband on her bike :) Exercise only makes them hungrier you know!
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;D ;D They'd have to be weeny weeny leg warmers!
 
Looking at their weights listed they all seem OK to me but obviously you're the one who knows them and their actual body frames. Personally I would prefer a slightly overweight piggy as in the case of illness they do lose weight rapidly and this would be a sort of cushion for that. Have you spoken to your Vet about it? I've read a few times that it's very rare for a guinea pig to eat more than it needs. Have you tried the ball things that you can hide food in? These would give them a bit of exercise and also relieve boredom. Good luck. Please let us know how they get on. O0
 
I'm not worried about the actual weights. Just that they're increasing continually! I don't want any of them to lose weight but just to stabilise. I think I probably headed this post wrong, I'm not putting them on strict human-like diets. I don't think lack of exercise or boredom is the problem - they've got about 36 square feet and they're really active, every time I look they're in different places or with different guineas. Most of the guineas I've had have been big but I've also had small built ones - Saffy who is the smallest, is like that so I'm making sure she gets her fill. There is still some dry food left in the bowls tonight so they've had their fill today. They've got a pile of grass at the moment though so they're busy with that.

If I took Robyn to the vets I know what he'd say - don't let her get any bigger!
 
If the piggies you're talking about are the ones in your picture then I really don't think you have anything to worry about! They look absolutely gorgeous! :-* :-* :-* Could they just be bulking up for the Winter now to keep warmer?
 
That picture was taken a while ago. Toffee in the middle has sadly died. Bella on the left has been getting bigger. Saffy on the right is of a slight build. No worries about her. Robyn is the main one I'm keeping an eye on. I'm really pleased that even cutting the dry food down a bit, there's still some left at the end of the day. The amount I've cut down is minimal, I assure you.
 
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