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Are My Piggies Overweight?

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Megannah

Megannah

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Hi guys, I recently found out that your ment to weigh your pigs weekly so I weighed them today and Marshall is 460kg and franklin is 250kg I looked online to double check how much a normal pig should weigh and it sounds like mine are very overweight ? Does anyone know if these weights are good or bad? Thankyou x

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Right I have completely looked at that wrong I weighed them in grams not kg I sound stupid haha anyway is 250g and 460g a good weight?
 
Hi! How old are your guinea pigs? I am sorry, but your measurements sound a bit out - adult guinea pigs are around one kilo (kg).

Guinea pig weights can vary massively right from when they are born and that also holds for adult guinea pigs.
What you look out for in younger guinea pigs up to 4-6 months old is that they put on weight every week. After that, the weight gain is slowing down. Guinea pigs stop growing around 12-15 months old, but if you overfeed, they will grow sideways.

Because the individual weight can vary so massively, you also check for the "heft", the size/weight ratio. You do this around the ribcage - you should just about feel the single ribs, but they should neither be buried (overweight) or stand out noticeably (underweight).

Monitoring the weight is a health control measure. What you are looking out for is less weight gain and more weight loss - the latter is if it is more than 50g/2 oz should be seen by a vet, if it is more then 100g/3 oz promptly and if the weight loss has happened within 24 hours ASAP as an absolute life and death emergency. Whenever you are worried about the health, you switch to weighing daily at the same time.

Please take the time to read through this guide here. It explains what are normal weight ranges, how you feel the heft, and how you control the weight. The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight
 
They are about a year and 5 months and okay thankyou I will have a look
 
Megannah said:
They are about a year and 5 months and okay thankyou I will have a look
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250g is the average weight of a 3 WEEKS old guinea pig at the end of the nursing period when boars need to be separated from their mums! 450g is the average weight of about a 6-8 weeks old guinea pig. Are you sure that those weights are right? Adult guinea pigs weigh typically about 800-1300g.
 
Are you sure your scales were set to zero before weighing? Also they need all feet on the scales or else be weighed when within a bowl ( and reset to zero). The weights sound far too low for that age and basically odd as wiebke says.
 
I've weighed agian but in pounds and Marshall is 3pound 7 and franklin is 3 pounds
 
Megannah said:
I've weighed agian but in pounds and Marshall is 3pound 7 and franklin is 3 pounds
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Is that UK pounds or US pounds? Could you please weigh in grams, so there is no misunderstanding between our members from all over the world.
 
That's in uk pounds and for some reason grams is coming up less
 
The pound weights are very much on the high side. Please check whether your boys are OK for their size or not (around the ribs). Then take the time to read the link I have given you. It contains tips on what you can go if your boys are overweight.
 
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