my piggies are skinny!

L

Loulabelle

Junior Guinea Pig
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hi all am new here and am worried about my piggies are a bit skinny

they have veg, pellets and hay as advised but they seem a bit skinny , they appear healthy in every other way ...ive increased the amount of food going in incase i was being a bit stingy ( there are 4 sisters together) but they don’t seem to be getting fatter

can you advise any higher fat foots that would help !

thanks!
 
Welcome to the forum
What makes you think your piggies are skinny?
Have a read of the forum care threads on feeding.
They will help you to give a properly balanced diet.
80% of their diet should be hay so make sure they always have plenty available
Please can we see pictures
 
they just feel it if that makes sense , i’ll try to take some in the daylight tomorrow i don’t have any recent ones
 
What makes you believe they are underweight? You should check their heft, the heft is the rib cage, if you can feel each little bone and you feel the rib cage sticking out then they are underweight. If you can just feel its presence but not sticking out they should be fine. There is a thread on the forum about how to give your pigs a balanced diet, here it is: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Do you weigh your piggies every week? Are they losing weight? Heres a good thread on weighing : The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight
If you are worried you should go see a vet to make sure everything is alright.
 
thanks , no i don’t weigh them weekly ...should I ? it’s been a long time since i had piggies so i now feel out of my depth and a really bad mum, ill have a feel of them again tomorrow in daylight , i’ll perhaps start weighing them .

they’re absolutely sweeties all very different personalities, one is particularly nervy though which is difficult, they are 7momth old sisters.
 
Hi!

Please feel around the ribs whether your girls are a normal weight (you can just about feel the ribs) or underweight (you can feel the ribs sticking out. The guide also gives you tips on what you can do. But the very best thing is a normal hay based diet and not filling your piggies up with fattening empty calories like too much carrots (which for a guinea pig or rabbit are like dieting on big Mac burgers).
In the longer term they will reach their own ideal weight and size on a good diet, stay much healthier and live longer than if you panic and give them too much sugar and fattening foods.

Please take the time to read these guides here; you will find them very helpful:
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
thanks all , ive had a cuddle today and taken into account what you’ve said , their ribs feel fine and they’re bright eyed ,got some lovely kisses from waffles xx
 
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