Is Guinea pig too skinny?

[Pohtaytur]

I was checking Harold's body shape, and I was a little worried about his size, but I'm not actually sure. I need to push into his fur a bit, but I'm able to feel his ribs a bit. I have to sort of rib his skin to sort of feel it. They don't stick out or anything. I can also feel his spine a bit but it feels smooth but it dips a little down on the sides of it. I can feel his hips and his butt bone without having to try. I was hoping to find a more comprehensive description, but there's not really a full-on visual chart that I'm aware of. He's been eating the right amount of pellets and we've been giving him fresh veggies and some pea flakes, but it's only on occasion. What do your pigs feel like when you're checking them?

 

[Roselina]

Weight - Monitoring and Management
Hello this gives you idea of the heft of a healthy piggy. Weighing weekly is very important to monitor your piggy’s health.

 

[Pohtaytur]

Weight - Monitoring and Management
Hello this gives you idea of the heft of a healthy piggy. Weighing weekly is very important to monitor your piggy’s health.

Thanks for sending me this! I read it over but was a little confused since I'm not 100% sure. I'm probably just overthinking it since I lack experience. His weight decreased before since I didn't realize that my other piggy was stealing his food, but the vet said he's ok and he hasn't changed much in weight. I don't really know if he's underweight now or not, haha.

 

[Piggies&buns]

You should be able to feel ribs but you should still feel a layer of fat over them.

Hay is the most important part of the diet and is 80% of what each piggy needs to eat in the day. Always ensure you have two easily accessible hay piles so no piggy can stop the other from eating hay.
Veg and pellets are supplementary.

How old is he?

 

[Pohtaytur]

You should be able to feel ribs but you should still feel a layer of fat over them.

Hay is the most important part of the diet and is 80% of what each piggy needs to eat in the day. Always ensure you have two easily accessible hay piles so no piggy can stop the other from eating hay.
Veg and pellets are supplementary.

How old is he?

They always have hay, but I think they might be a bit picky since they leave a lot of the harder stalks and always eat the hay seeds first. My parents just think that they'll just be forced to eat it if you don't add as much of the new hay, but I don't think it's right. Because of school I'm not always at home to add hay for them, but I add in more hay twice a day in two piles when I'm able to. He's 3 years old now, based on the adoption form. Same age for my other pig.

I guess his hips need a little bit more squish to them? His ribs feel sort of like how a thin person's ribs would be like. Probably the best I can compare it to. I can feel his shoulders and his butt bones without really trying. I don't really know if I should be feeling his shoulders so prominently. This is how he looks like today.

 

[Piggies&buns]

They always have hay, but I think they might be a bit picky since they leave a lot of the harder stalks and always eat the hay seeds first. My parents just think that they'll just be forced to eat it if you don't add as much of the new hay, but I don't think it's right. Because of school I'm not always at home to add hay for them, but I add in more hay twice a day in two piles when I'm able to. He's 3 years old now, based on the adoption form. Same age for my other pig.

I guess his hips need a little bit more squish to them? His ribs feel sort of like how a thin person's ribs would be like. Probably the best I can compare it to. I can feel his shoulders and his butt bones without really trying. I don't really know if I should be feeling his shoulders so prominently. This is how he looks like today.

Try a different type of hay. Mine dont like stalky Timothy but they like soft Timothy and meadow hay.
You are right, its not right - they need fresh hay available all the time

You go by the ribs, not really the hips.

 

[Pohtaytur]

Try a different type of hay. Mine dont like stalky Timothy but they like soft Timothy and meadow hay.
You are right, its not right - they need fresh hay available all the time

You go by the ribs, not really the hips.

This was the type that I was suggested by the shelter, so I just kept with it. I'll try it out to see how it goes. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Roselina]

My two boars prefer the soft Timothy hay - I add new hay twice a day and pile it up - I add forage some days and a handful of grass - they’re indoor pigs.
I think if you add lots of hay before you go out that should keep them going til you come home.
Do you feed them pellets ?

 

[Pohtaytur]

My two boars prefer the soft Timothy hay - I add new hay twice a day and pile it up - I add forage some days and a handful of grass - they’re indoor pigs.
I think if you add lots of hay before you go out that should keep them going til you come home.
Do you feed them pellets ?

They have pellets to eat. Someone usually watches them to make sure my pigs don't steal from each other. The Timothy hay that I here has been fairly stalky so far. There's leaves but also a lot of stalks. I'm planning to switch to an orchard and Timothy mix that they sell at the store nearby and see if they enjoy that more.