My Piggie Is Overweight

[Gayles Piggies]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this question, so redirect me if the question should go somewhere else.

I have five piggies - 3 girls and 2 boys - separated and not neutered. I adopted the boys about 6 months ago. Four out of the five pigs are normal weight - ranging from 900 to 1100 grams. I say this to let you know I'm not overfeeding and they have plenty of room to run and play. They are both in C&C kennels - boys are 5x2 and girls are 8x2.

When I adopted the two boys, they weighed 1000 and 1300 grams. The larger pig (Chili) lost some weight after coming here. They had only eaten pellets - no hay and no fresh food at the original owner's home, and they were two years old when I adopted them. After eating hay and fresh food, the larger boy dropped to 1200 grams, but in the last three months, he has ballooned to 1350. He's a happy little camper and healthy (vet visits). He plays, runs around, and pops.

They get fewer pellets than the girls, which I put in a pile of hay on the floor to forage, and eat mostly hay, but he's still a little chunky monkey. He doesn't get treats - they think the urinary tract support and vitamin C are treats He gets a fresh romaine lettuce leaf each day, but no other veggies or fruit that are higher in calories. His brother (they are from the same litter) won't eat any fresh food.

Is there anything I can do to help this little man lose a few grams? He's so big he can't clean himself ... truly a little chunky boy.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[anyar.dris]

One of my piggies, Bodie, currently weighs 1360g. I'm not really bothered with it. He still runs around and runs quite fast, especially when he knows he's gonna get some fresh grass. One of my past piggy, Bunny, used to be around 1500g and she's a Teddy breed. I think she was just a big built piggy.

As long as your piggy eats a balanced diet, it's fine. I guess make sure that he is not just sitting and lying down all the time then it's okay. One thing to make them move around is to rearranged their houses/beds/boxes. My piggies tend to be curious whenever we do that.

 

[Gayles Piggies]

One of my piggies, Bodie, currently weighs 1360g. I'm not really bothered with it. He still runs around and runs quite fast, especially when he knows he's gonna get some fresh grass. One of my past piggy, Bunny, used to be around 1500g and she's a Teddy breed. I think she was just a big built piggy.

As long as your piggy eats a balanced diet, it's fine. I guess make sure that he is not just sitting and lying down all the time then it's okay. One thing to make them move around is to rearranged their houses/beds/boxes. My piggies tend to be curious whenever we do that.

Thanks! Appreciate the reassurance ... he's just so much bigger than the rest of them. But, he moves around and plays with his brother.

Maybe I just need to stop worrying about him

 

[Piggies&buns]

The average weight range of adult pigs is 600-1600g. However the number on the scales does not tell you what is healthy for him. You need to check their heft to do that.

One of my boys was a very healthy 1550g and he has a perfect heft which meant he was absolutely fine. If he weighed any less then he would have been too skinny and therefore underweight.

If pellets are kept strictly limited (no more than one tablespoon per pig per day) and they are fed sugary veg then their diet is a good one.
You say he eats only lettuce though?
Do you offer other veg? It’s difficult if their diet wasn’t good at their old home as they won’t have learnt what it safe, but it’s still a good idea for you to offer a good balanced variety - the four safe daily veg are lettuce, cilantro, cucumber and bell pepper.

I’ve added a guide below to help you with heft checking

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/weight-monitoring-and-management.171577/