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Little Melvins rescue

I’m in shock reading about this poor little guy. I thought I misread when I saw his weight. How anyone could starve an animal so much they are their birth weight. So heartbreaking.
I’m really happy you were able to rescue this poor little guy. You’re amazing and a great role model to your daughter :)

thank you for taking him away from that life of misery and loneliness. Please keep us updated on Melvin! :wub:
 
Hello all! I’ve been overwhelmed by all the amazing responses, so helpful and encouraging!
Melvin is doing well! He has gained weight he is now 113g!
Doing fantastic! munching away on his hay... only giving a table spoon of pellets- Burgess with black current and I’m hand feeding tiny tiny bits of coriander, red pepper and cucumber a day that’s all. This is instead of the piles of spring green, carrot I was giving ( over feeding) as I realised that was a natural response to feed and feed and feed but not good for his empty belly. I’ve just piled his cage high with hay and little cardboard boxes so he can hide, sleep, eat and wallow in the good stuff.
He has soft poo though? Not pellets? He’s gone from no poo when I first bought him home to solid formed poo slightly soft but shaped and now to soft poo that sticks to bottom of his feet? many advice or is this a natural process the gut goes through when he starts processing food?
I’m not holding him a lot as he just bones and I can feel every one! I don’t want to hurt him so I’m stroking him in the cage and letting him eat, sniff and walk over my hand. He has so much fur that lays flat and out of condition so I brush it with a ultra soft baby brush daily which he loves!
x
 
The soft poo are probably as a result of his body adjusting to veggies. I would just feed him unlimited hay and pellets for a day or 2 to let his poo firm up and then just introduce veggies again slowly in small quantities. He looks so very happy with his new found hay pile :luv:
 
Well done for rescuing Melvin from such horrid conditions.
He looks soo happy in his mountain of hay and I bet he loves being brushed as his fur doesn't feel soo heavy from being knotted and its easier for him to groom himself 😍
 
I agree with Vicki. I’d remove all veg and stick to just hay and pellets to give him tummy time to settle again, then reintroduce veg very slowly and monitor.
 
Just catching up with this thread, poor little piggy, well done for rescuing him! You might scatter the oats in the hay for him, then he can forage for the high calorie stuff while munching the hay? And maybe a probiotic might help his tummy adjust to his new proper diet, he might not have the best set of gut bacteria after his awful beginnings?
 
Bless him! I'm sure I can see a contented little smile on that 1st pic. He is a little stunner and a big thank you for rescuing him from that dreadful place.
 
PigglePuggle said:
Just catching up with this thread, poor little piggy, well done for rescuing him! You might scatter the oats in the hay for him, then he can forage for the high calorie stuff while munching the hay? And maybe a probiotic might help his tummy adjust to his new proper diet, he might not have the best set of gut bacteria after his awful beginnings?
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Any recommendations on a probiotic? One from the vet, or is there something else you all use and recommend? Xx
 
I’ve used Pro C which you can easily find in a pet store or online.
You just add some to the water. Mine all liked it.

Hope Melvin is doing better now.
 
Definitely put some oats in. I’d even fill his bowl with them. My two senior piggies have their bowls full with oats all day for them to eat as they please. We started giving them when one of my boys lost a lot of weight due to illness earlier this year in order to top his weight back up. We’ve continued to give them as older piggies weigh less than they did in their prime and oats are high calorie so help keep their weight up.
I’m glad you rescued the poor little guy! It’s a miracle he doesn’t have dental issues since he’s been without hay for so long. I can’t believe how tiny he is. Here’s hoping he makes it through and is able to live out the rest of his life in luxury.
 
Little Ones said:
Definitely put some oats in. I’d even fill his bowl with them. My two senior piggies have their bowls full with oats all day for them to eat as they please. We started giving them when one of my boys lost a lot of weight due to illness earlier this year in order to top his weight back up. We’ve continued to give them as older piggies weigh less than they did in their prime and oats are high calorie so help keep their weight up.
I’m glad you rescued the poor little guy! It’s a miracle he doesn’t have dental issues since he’s been without hay for so long. I can’t believe how tiny he is. Here’s hoping he makes it through and is able to live out the rest of his life in luxury.
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He loves the oats! The vet said his teeth are over long so lots of things to knaw, he had chewed the inside wood down in his hutch so that would of been out of hunger and desperation I suppose x
 
Hope piggy is still doing okay, I think we’re all quite worried about him because of what he’s been through.
 
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