emellertid
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi everyone! I’m wondering how to reduce weight in one piggie when you have three sharing a cage and only one is overweight?
Backstory: I recently adopted three piggies, two baby sows (Julia and Nina) and a 3 year old (neutered) boar, Uffe. They came from different homes, the woman I got them from had taken in Uffe when his former owner couldn’t or didn’t want to care for him anymore. In his old home, he roamed free in the house but managed to become overweight. Apparently, his companion had health issues and didn’t eat enough, and their owner fed them lots of treats to get the companion piggie to gain weight, and since they shared food, Uffe ended up gaining too much. (His piggie friend eventually passed away, and that’s when Uffe was given up.
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All three saw a vet the day they moved in, but Uffe’s health certificate didn’t state his weight, mentioned no other health issues (except fatty eye/pea eye on both eyes), only that he is obese. Being a first time owner, I wouldn’t have had the knowledge to tell that he’s overweight, but he does have some chub:
They have hay at all times, receive about 120 grams of mixed veggies per day in total (50 g for Uffe, 35 g each for the little ones, split into two meal times) and about 2 tablespoons of pellets daily (but not all of it gets eaten).
Since they moved in so recently, we’re not on lap time terms yet, but I held him once the day he moved in, and the tummy doesn’t feel hard. They are in a 2x6 grid C&C cage and he does get some exercise running around with the girls. They’ve settled fairly well, so in a few days I’m thinking I can lift them out of the cage for some floor time (and do a weight and nail check).
Anyway, is there anything I can do diet-wise to help him lose a little weight? Is it safe to reduce the amount of pellets? He does seem to be the dominant one in the group, so I’m worried that if I cut back on anything, it will be the girls that get less. He’s gentle and participates in any activities I try to provide (hay piles!) and seems content, but he would probably be more comfortable at a healthier weight.
Backstory: I recently adopted three piggies, two baby sows (Julia and Nina) and a 3 year old (neutered) boar, Uffe. They came from different homes, the woman I got them from had taken in Uffe when his former owner couldn’t or didn’t want to care for him anymore. In his old home, he roamed free in the house but managed to become overweight. Apparently, his companion had health issues and didn’t eat enough, and their owner fed them lots of treats to get the companion piggie to gain weight, and since they shared food, Uffe ended up gaining too much. (His piggie friend eventually passed away, and that’s when Uffe was given up.
)All three saw a vet the day they moved in, but Uffe’s health certificate didn’t state his weight, mentioned no other health issues (except fatty eye/pea eye on both eyes), only that he is obese. Being a first time owner, I wouldn’t have had the knowledge to tell that he’s overweight, but he does have some chub:
They have hay at all times, receive about 120 grams of mixed veggies per day in total (50 g for Uffe, 35 g each for the little ones, split into two meal times) and about 2 tablespoons of pellets daily (but not all of it gets eaten).
Since they moved in so recently, we’re not on lap time terms yet, but I held him once the day he moved in, and the tummy doesn’t feel hard. They are in a 2x6 grid C&C cage and he does get some exercise running around with the girls. They’ve settled fairly well, so in a few days I’m thinking I can lift them out of the cage for some floor time (and do a weight and nail check).
Anyway, is there anything I can do diet-wise to help him lose a little weight? Is it safe to reduce the amount of pellets? He does seem to be the dominant one in the group, so I’m worried that if I cut back on anything, it will be the girls that get less. He’s gentle and participates in any activities I try to provide (hay piles!) and seems content, but he would probably be more comfortable at a healthier weight.
