How to slim down a piggie?

[machuandpicchumummy]

I'm worried that my piggies are a little on the round side, they're around 1.350kg each. First off, is this a healthy weight for a year old boar? Our vet has said she 'wouldn't like to see them any bigger' but I've seen people with piggies 1.4kg and over that are fine.

At the moment they are getting a handful of veggies each in the morning, mostly romaine lettuce and cucumber with a couple of extra bits occasionally such as herbs and a small piece of carrot or kale very occasionally. They have a hamster size bowl for pellets each that I half fill each day and they get a few handfuls of hay in the hutch per day, as they are outdoor they also need some for bedding. They also get plenty of exercise in the run (although as it's on grass they do a fair bit of eating here too!) And their hutch is large so plenty of room to run. We rarely give them any shop bought treats, and if we do it's only some forage mix etc. They don't like fruit.

If they do need to lose weight, how would you suggest we change their daily routine to slim them down a bit? I just want them to live the longest healthiest life possible!

 

[Piggies&buns]

The number on the scales is not indicative of what is healthy for themselves. There is a wide range of ‘normal’ weights but even being either side of that does not mean they are unhealthy - my biggest boar was 1.55kg in his prime.
You need to check their heft to know if they are a good size for themselves - put your hands around their ribs and check if you can feel their ribs with a thin layer of fat over. If you can feel their ribs then they are absolutely fine and don’t need to do anything.

Their diet sounds absolutely fine. Forage is perfectly fine to give - mine get some daily.
Ensure their diet is mostly hay, one cup of veg and just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day. Make sure to use a tablespoon measure to be sure you aren’t overfeeding pellets.
Nothing wrong with them eating plenty of grass! Do ensure they aren’t going out at this time of year though if they grass is damp, wet and cold. Run time is pretty much over for the year now.

Weight - Monitoring and Management

 

[machuandpicchumummy]

The number on the scales is not indicative of what is healthy for themselves. There is a wide range of ‘normal’ weights but even being either side of that does not mean they are unhealthy - my biggest boar was 1.55kg in his prime.
You need to check their heft to know if they are a good size for themselves - put your hands around their ribs and check if you can feel their ribs with a thin layer of fat over. If you can feel their ribs then they are absolutely fine and don’t need to do anything.

Their diet sounds absolutely fine. Forage is perfectly fine to give - mine get some daily.
Ensure their diet is mostly hay, one cup of veg and just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day. Make sure to use a tablespoon measure to be sure you aren’t overfeeding pellets.
Nothing wrong with them eating plenty of grass! Do ensure they aren’t going out at this time of year though if they grass is damp, wet and cold. Run time is pretty much over for the year now.

Weight - Monitoring and Management

Thank you. I always find it hard to gauge their heft but I'll have another look later and see what I think. At their next health check, I'll ask our vet to do this too.
They are very sad that the garden has now turned into a bog and their run time is over, they're having to make do with the playpen in the kitchen until spring!
Thanks for your help!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you. I always find it hard to gauge their heft but I'll have another look later and see what I think. At their next health check, I'll ask our vet to do this too.
They are very sad that the garden has now turned into a bog and their run time is over, they're having to make do with the playpen in the kitchen until spring!
Thanks for your help!

The guide I linked in will help. You just need to be able to feel their ribs.

Make sure your kitchen isn’t warm - outdoor piggies shouldn’t come inside during winter due to the temperature fluctuation

 

[machuandpicchumummy]

The guide I linked in will help. You just need to be able to feel their ribs.

Make sure your kitchen isn’t warm - outdoor piggies shouldn’t come inside during winter due to the temperature fluctuation

Lovely thank you!

No we keep the back door open and place the playpen right next to it and never have the heating on in the house to avoid this