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Weight

Darcie

Darcie

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hello guys so I need some advice. I have two female gunieapigs. There about 2 years old in January. My vet says they need to go on a diet. I feed them unlimited hay,one veggie a dayand a little bit of pellets( I only feed them 2 tablespoons) But they still seem to be gaining weight. What can I do?
 
This is one piggies weight
 

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Is that 2.5kg? You only need to feed 1 table spoon per pig per day. Are your pigs definitely both females?
 
I think we need more information about them:
how much weight are they gaining and over how long a period has their weight gain been?
Clarification of what those scales say. If it says 2lbs 5oz then that is 1048g (thanks google conversion!).
More information on their diet.
 
1048 grams is a perfectly normal weight.
I have adult piggies ranging from 980 grams up to 1350 grams - all of them are perfectly healthy and active.
Our heaviest piggie is a female.

@Darcie to be honest their diet and weights sound fine - what makes your vet think they need to go on a diet?
 
The heft is more important than the weight. When you (gently!) hold your piggy around the middle, can you feel the ribs with a small layer of fat over the top? If so this is the correct weight. I have piggies ranging from a small boar at 963g to a large sow at 1214g both perfectly healthy. Why does your vet think they need to diet?
 
Agree with Betsy, weight alone can not tell whether a piggy is overweight. Some pigs are long and bug whereas others stay quite small and the amount of weight they can carry varies accordingly. Definitely check the heft. I have one girly who is almost 1.2kg but she is a little overweight, not that any adjustments seem to be working that well at the moment lol
 
I agree with the above. It’s all about the heft rather than the weight. I once had a piggy who was 1500g when I adopted her. She WAS overweight as I couldn’t feel her ribs and her belly would drag on the ground when she walked. We got her down to 1300g where she hovered and was given a clean bill of health by my vet at weight. She was just a big piggy (very long and chunky)

My current boar hovers around 1050g. My vet says he’s small for a boy but his weight is fine
 
Darcie said:
Hello guys so I need some advice. I have two female gunieapigs. There about 2 years old in January. My vet says they need to go on a diet. I feed them unlimited hay,one veggie a dayand a little bit of pellets( I only feed them 2 tablespoons) But they still seem to be gaining weight. What can I do?
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome!

Please rather feed a balanced mix of veg in a small quantity than just a lot of one veg; stay off fattening root veg (especially carrots!) and sweet corn. Reduce the pellets to 1 tablespoon a day per piggy if you aren't doing that already (your post is not quite clear on that point).
Getting adult piggies to exercise can be tricky, but making them work for their pellets and veg is usually a good way to get them going and moving around.

You may find these two guides here helpful. They also tell you how you check around the ribs whether a piggy is a good weight/size ratio for its individual size or not as the normal weight range is quite large - I have got piggies that are a healthy weight on 700g and a large boy who is slim and trim on 1300g (ps: Helygen and Pioden are living together and best of friends; she is my smallest and he is my largest adult ever and they are on exactly the same diet).
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
How do you feed an accurate amount of pellets to two guinea pigs living together? One could be taking the 2 tablespoons
 
My Bill is currently 1272 and Ted is 1318, which is quite healthy for two large adult males. I don’t think your piggie is overweight at all, so don’t worry x
 
Betsy said:
The heft is more important than the weight. When you (gently!) hold your piggy around the middle, can you feel the ribs with a small layer of fat over the top? If so this is the correct weight. I have piggies ranging from a small boar at 963g to a large sow at 1214g both perfectly healthy. Why does your vet think they need to diet?
Click to expand...
If I pick up my piggies they have a big old lump between my hands and there belly. I'm not to sure I asked what I should do and she just said to cut down on food.
 
Skypipdot said:
How do you feed an accurate amount of pellets to two guinea pigs living together? One could be taking the 2 tablespoons
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Umm I normally put in in a big bowl and call them. The piggies normally both eat unless gibbles is being a jerk.
 
Skypipdot said:
How do you feed an accurate amount of pellets to two guinea pigs living together? One could be taking the 2 tablespoons
Click to expand...

You feed your piggies in a bowl each that is at least a body length apart from the other. This prevents food hogging. You can find these tips in our general diet guide. ;)
 
Piggies&buns said:
I think we need more information about them:
how much weight are they gaining and over how long a period has their weight gain been?
Clarification of what those scales say. If it says 2lbs 5oz then that is 1048g (thanks google conversion!).
More information on their diet.
Click to expand...
Well I took them to the vet they were 1.7 pounds and this was just 2 weeks ago. There diet normally ranges from one carrot a day to 2 spoons of pellets and a hole bunch of hay. I do mix up the veggies.
 
Darcie said:
Well I took them to the vet they were 1.7 pounds and this was just 2 weeks ago. There diet normally ranges from one carrot a day to 2 spoons of pellets and a hole bunch of hay. I do mix up the veggies.
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Hi Darcy

Please read my first post in this guide and take the time to read the two links I have given you. You will find them very helpful!

The first explains all about weight and how you work out whether your piggies are a healthy weight for their size or not and the second links explains about diet. Please leave out carrots if you want to cut down on calories - they are the equivalent of a burger for piggies. But if you only feed one veg per day, chances are that you are not feeding enough vitamin C. Our diet guide will help you with a balanced sample diet.
 
Wiebke said:
You feed your piggies in a bowl each that is at least a body length apart from the other. This prevents food hogging. You can find these tips in our general diet guide. ;)
Click to expand...
I actually tried that before and gibbles came right over and ate out of midnights.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi Darcy

Please read my first post in this guide and take the time to read the two links I have given you. You will find them very helpful!

The first explains all about weight and how you work out whether your piggies are a healthy weight for their size or not and the second links explains about diet. Please leave out carrots if you want to cut down on calories - they are the equivalent of a burger for piggies. But if you only feed one veg per day, chances are that you are not feeding enough vitamin C. Our diet guide will help you with a balanced sample diet.
Click to expand...
Ok thank you I will read the diet guide. I only want the best for my babies.
 
It’s good to give a variety of veg each day, not just one sort. Carrot is high in sugar so will contribute to weight gain.

I feed each of my pigs each day: a small amount of lettuce, a couple of thin slices of pepper, a thin slice of cucumber and a couple of sprigs of a herb such as coriander or dill. I will then add in a small piece of something else like a green bean, a slice of courgette, a small amount of broccoli, a strip of spring greens, a small piece of tomato, some spinach, rocket, etc. Their veg amounts to one cup measure per day.
They each then get a tablespoon of pellets. Unlimited amounts of hay which get refreshed throughout the day.
I only give carrots once every couple of weeks or so and they hardly ever get any fruit.

Do read the feeding guides linked.
 
Because I have two piggies should I double this or just stay with what it says?
 

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Piggies&buns said:
It’s good to give a variety of veg each day, not just one sort. Carrot is high in sugar so will contribute to weight gain.

I feed each of my pigs each day: a small amount of lettuce, a couple of thin slices of pepper, a thin slice of cucumber and a couple of sprigs of a herb such as coriander or dill. I will then add in a small piece of something else like a green bean, a slice of courgette, a small amount of broccoli, a strip of spring greens, a small piece of tomato, some spinach, rocket, etc. Their veg amounts to one cup measure per day.
They each then get a tablespoon of pellets. Unlimited amounts of hay which get refreshed throughout the day.
I only give carrots once every couple of weeks or so and they hardly ever get any fruit.

Do read the feeding guides linked.
Click to expand...
Does that stuff have vitamin c in it? Cuz I know thats really important.
 
Yes, they do have vit c but in varying quantities. There are lots of guides on good vit c veggies. Lettuce doesn’t really have much nutrition in it, but piggies love to eat a small amount of lettuce (not iceberg lettuce though).
 
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