Chunky pigs

[Bean_piggies]

Hello I have two female guinea pigs who are looking a little chunky, they have a big enclosure, unlimited access to hay and get ¼ a cup of pellets a day and they do come out for play time, my main concern is their weight I don't know their exact weight but I do know they're a little chunky what can I do or what exercises can i make them do to help them lose a little weight?

 

[Deleted member 146752]

Hello! Would you be willing to order a small animal scale or a kitchen scale to weigh your guinea pigs? Sometimes they can look chonky but not actually be overweight. Also do they get veggies as well? If yes, you could always decrease the amount of pellets they get.

 

[Bean_piggies]

Hello! Would you be willing to order a small animal scale or a kitchen scale to weigh your guinea pigs? Sometimes they can look chonky but not actually be overweight. Also do they get veggies as well? If yes, you could always decrease the amount of pellets they get.

Hello yes they do get veggies once a week and do you know which scale you would recommend?

 

[Deleted member 146752]

My scale is from chewy.com, but I’ve seen a lot of people use this Amazon.com From Amazon. I put my piggies in a clean bowl and give them pieces of treats or veggies to get them to stay still, this should be done once a week just to keep tabs to make sure they dont lose a significant amount of weight indicating potential illness. You can use the gram unit because it’s the most accurate. Hope this helps!

 

[Bean_piggies]

My scale is from chewy.com, but I’ve seen a lot of people use this Amazon.com From Amazon. I put my piggies in a clean bowl and give them pieces of treats or veggies to get them to stay still, this should be done once a week just to keep tabs to make sure they dont lose a significant amount of weight indicating potential illness. You can use the gram unit because it’s the most accurate. Hope this helps!

Okay thanks so much I'll definitely look into buying that scale!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Piggies need to be weighed once a week as part of routine care. Please do get a set of kitchen scales so you can carry out a weight check once a week - this helps you pick up any weight loss quickly (you then switch to daily weight checks) as it can be a sign of an illness which requires you to step in.
Weight is not an indicator of what is healthy for their body type as there is a very wide range of healthy weights for adult piggies. Heft is the way to tell what is healthy for the individual piggy. You gauge how much fat you can feel around the ribs - if you cant feel the ribs, then they are overweight. If you can feel every single rib with no fat at all, then they are underweight. You should be able to feel the ribs with a nice thin covering of fat.

Weight - Monitoring and Management

You say you give quarter of a cup of pellets a day - is that quarter of a cup each or quarter for them to share? It is too much though. Quarter of a cup converts to 3.3 tablespoons. If you are giving that amount each, then it is three times more than they should get - each piggy should only have one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day - is each, that 1/16 of a cup each. Pellets are the least healthy and least important part of their diet and overfeeding pellets can contribute to excess calcium (which can lead to bladder problems) and being overweight.

You need to provide a variety of fresh vegetables to then every day, including a vitamin c rich veggie daily to meet their needs. Only giving them veg once a week could mean they are missing out on a balance of correct nutrients.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Bean_piggies]

Piggies need to be weighed once a week as part of routine care. Please do get a set of kitchen scales so you can carry out a weight check once a week - this helps you pick up any weight loss quickly (you then switch to daily weight checks) as it can be a sign of an illness which requires you to step in.
Weight is not an indicator of what is healthy for their body type as there is a very wide range of healthy weights for adult piggies. Heft is the way to tell what is healthy for the individual piggy. You gauge how much fat you can feel around the ribs - if you cant feel the ribs, then they are overweight. If you can feel every single rib with no fat at all, then they are underweight. You should be able to feel the ribs with a nice thin covering of fat.

Weight - Monitoring and Management

You say you give quarter of a cup of pellets a day - is that quarter of a cup each or quarter for them to share? It is too much though. Quarter of a cup converts to 3.3 tablespoons. If you are giving that amount each, then it is three times more than they should get - each piggy should only have one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day - is each, that 1/16 of a cup each. Pellets are the least healthy and least important part of their diet and overfeeding pellets can contribute to excess calcium (which can lead to bladder problems) and being overweight.

You need to provide a variety of fresh vegetables to then every day, including a vitamin c rich veggie daily to meet their needs. Only giving them veg once a week could mean they are missing out on a balance of correct nutrients.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
[/QUOT

Yes each guinea pig gets ¼ a cup of pellets a day and I'll start to give them veggies more often now and I will look into on getting a scale thanks

 

[Piggies&buns]

Ok, quarter of a cup is far too much, please do cut that down to just one tablespoon for the sake of their long term health.

The feeding guide I added in, shows a sample plate as a guide of how much veg to give every day. Ensure you give variety so it meets all their nutritional needs. They should have around one cup of veg per day.

Its good you will get a scale - weighing them weekly is so important.
Do also check their heft to make sure they are still a healthy size for their own body type (weight alone won’t tell you that).

 

[Bean_piggies]

Ok, quarter of a cup is far too much, please do cut that down to just one tablespoon for the sake of their long term health.

The feeding guide I added in, shows a sample plate as a guide of how much veg to give every day. Ensure you give variety so it meets all their nutritional needs. They should have around one cup of veg per day.

Okay great thanks!

 

[weepweeps]

How old are they? If they are young then they will grow quite quickly.

 

[Bean_piggies]

How old are they? If they are young then they will grow quite quickly.

I have had them for 2-3 years

 

[Wiebke]

Hello I have two female guinea pigs who are looking a little chunky, they have a big enclosure, unlimited access to hay and get ¼ a cup of pellets a day and they do come out for play time, my main concern is their weight I don't know their exact weight but I do know they're a little chunky what can I do or what exercises can i make them do to help them lose a little weight?

Hi

Take the time to read our comprehensive weight guide; it explains how you feel for the weight/size ratio (the 'heft' or if you want, the cavy BMI) in order to check whether yours are a good weight for their individual size or not. We also have included how the weight develops over a life time; what you can do if your piggies turn out to be overweight and tips on how you can get them to move (not easy with adult/older piggies) as well as information on fattening foods etc.
Here is the link, which you should find very helpful and interesting: Weight - Monitoring and Management

Please reduce the amount of pellets you feed in a day to 1 tablespoon per piggy per day (15 ml instead of 60 ml). Pellets contain mostly fillers and precious little fibre compared to grass and hay; any added vitamin C is also in veg (like fresh herbs with more other trace elements than in pellets), high in fresh growing grass and even a little in hay, which is the mainstay of their diet.
You may also find your diet guide helpful in reviewing your diet; the guide looks at diet as a whole and at each food group in practical detail: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Bean_piggies]

Hello I have two guinea pigs who are looking a bit chunky I already know to give them unlimited hay and a tablespoon of pellets but no one has actually told me what exercise and things I can actually do to help them lose weight what can I do?

 

[dhill_cb7]

Some guinea pigs are husky.
Are you weighing them? What is your vet saying?

My boys are around 1000g and are pretty steady at that weight.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hello I have two guinea pigs who are looking a bit chunky I already know to give them unlimited hay and a tablespoon of pellets but no one has actually told me what exercise and things I can actually do to help them lose weight what can I do?

I have merged your new thread with your first thread on the subject aa all the information you need is provided

They may look chunky but it doesn’t mean there is a problem. Some piggies are bigger and are perfectly healthy. Weight alone isnt a good indicator of what is healthy for their body type. You need to check their heft to find that out. (My boys are quite big boys - one weighs 1200-1250g, and the other is around 1500g but they are both perfectly healthy on their heft).

Have you checked their heft as per the guide ae and information above?
If so, can you feel their ribs?

If you can feel their ribs, and they are fed a good diet, then you don’t need to do anything as they won’t be considered overweight.

If you cannot feel ribs at all and they are considered overweight, then you will need to consult with your vet. Ensure they are fed unlimited hay, one cup of vegetables every day and one tablespoon of pellets daily. Then ensure they get some time out of their cage for exercise or that they have a big cage to run around in.