Weight at 4 months!

[Shannonford101]

Hello both of our boars are 870g and are 4 months old. They seem to be gaining quite quickly despite me only giving them the amount of food that is recommended. Is this a big weight or should I reduce the pellets & veggies?

thanks

 

[Siikibam]

How much do you give them in terms of pellets and veg?

There is no ‘weight guide’ for them because they come in all shapes and sizes. Best thing is to check their heft as an indicator of whether they’re okay.
Weight - Monitoring and Management

 

[Wiebke]

Hello both of our boars are 870g and are 4 months old. They seem to be gaining quite quickly despite me only giving them the amount of food that is recommended. Is this a big weight or should I reduce the pellets & veggies?

thanks

Hi!

Please reduce the pellets to 1 tablespoon per piggy per day and don't give more than 50g of veg per piggy per day. If possible stay off high sugar veg like carrots and sweetcorn, which is like eating a bar of chocolate for them.
The more hay and fresh grass (the latter carefully introduced to avoid bloating or diarrhea and always dog pee free) your piggies eat, the healthier their teeth and digestive system. It can add 1-2 years to their life and get them from the bottom to the top end of the average life span.

It is really worth reading these guides here carefully and following them:
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Weight - Monitoring and Management
Guinea pig body quirks - What is normal and what not?

These guides are part of our new owners information guides collection, which you may want to bookmark and use as a very helpful resource. the guide format allows us to update and extend our guides, unlike with a book. We are specifically addressing all the issues that new owners come up against in clear and practical detail: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

 

[Shannonford101]

Our boys get 2 tablespoons of pellets each a day as they were very small when we got them. They get a cup of veggies each a day, this is normally bamboo, salad leaves & peppers but they get cucumber and carrots (1-2 coins each) 1/2 times a week.
They eat a lot of hay too.

 

[Chaz]

Our boys get 2 tablespoons of pellets each a day as they were very small when we got them. They get a cup of veggies each a day, this is normally bamboo, salad leaves & peppers but they get cucumber and carrots (1-2 coins each) 1/2 times a week.
They eat a lot of hay too.

At four months old, my girls were massive too. Well, Luna was and I thought that she was a big girl or that Trixie was just smaller. Then when I got Bandit she started getting massive too. I have 2 2 year olds and 2 that are 2 on the 1st of July and they range from900g- 1300g

 

[Piggies&buns]

As above, do reduce their pellets down to one tablespoon. Overfeeding pellets not only increases the amount of calcium which they intake (which can lead to health problems) but also unhealthy weight gain. They need to gain their weight from eating 80% of their daily diet in hay.
Cucumber can safely be given daily (it’s just mainly water) but carrots should only be given in very small amounts and no more than once per week (they are high in sugar)

 

[LMPigs]

All of the diet advice on this forum is great and I recommend that you take a look and make any necessary adaptations (including a decrease in daily pellets).

With that said, I would expect your four month old boys to continue growing and putting on weight at this stage. I.e. you should change the diet for better long term health, rather than because of a cure weight problem I think.

 

[Shannonford101]

I knew I would have to reduce pellets at some stage because it was only increased due to their smaller size so will start this now. Carrots are their weekend treat, when they get left alone the longest so I will ensure to keep it to just that. I was very aware of the high sugar content which is why it was a treat for them along with blueberries etc which are switched in as treats very infrequently.

I’m almost sure that they get the 80% hay at the moment as they go through bales very quickly but hopefully with the reduction of pellets they will gain at a healthier rate .

 

[Shannonford101]

Also thank you everyone for your fantastic advice!

 

[Wiebke]

Our boys get 2 tablespoons of pellets each a day as they were very small when we got them. They get a cup of veggies each a day, this is normally bamboo, salad leaves & peppers but they get cucumber and carrots (1-2 coins each) 1/2 times a week.
They eat a lot of hay too.

You can now reduce the pellet amount; your boys are quite large for their age and have already reached the lower end of the adult weight and size but they won't reach adulthood for another year yet. What you will experience with piggies that grow very quickly at first that their fast growth phase is shorter and that they will stop growing steadily sooner and only do it in bits and spurts for the rest of teenage. You can find more information on growth patterns; how weight changes over a lifetime and where to feel whether your boys are a good weight for their individual size at any age in the weight guide. It is REALLY worth reading and bookmarking!