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Stomach, fat, bloated or normal?
- Thread starter Emmalou46
- Start date
Seven7
Forum Donator 2024/25
My Bear who loves to eat, is bigger than yours. As much as he eats, he also poos well, which indicates to me that he is healthy.
Mine are indoor piggies so they are fed throughout the day.
Mine are indoor piggies so they are fed throughout the day.
piggl
Forum Donator 2024/25
Unfortunately thereās nothing really to tell just from a photo, but as a general piggies do tend to plump out to the side, especially when stretching .
When you press, gently, on the stomach it shouldnāt feel hard and should be somewhat squidgy but not completely jelly/water like. After a piggies had a meal, their vegetables for example, their stomachs also tend to be a bit harder.
Weighing your piggies weekly on a reliable scale (at the same time each week) is also great for tracking these kind of things, taking a note of the weight and looking for any drastic changes can be a sure fire way to making sure your piggies doing ok (there are many other signs of illness, but weight is one that should be checked weekly and taken a note of for any sudden increases or decreases)
How old is your piggy and how much do they weigh? The āhealthā of a piggies weight comes more down to the heft as opposed to the number on the scale, although I donāt know much about this, so hopefully someone else will come along and be able to share some more insight on that (you can also find more about heft in the link I attached below).
Very cute piggy you have by the way! x
Weight Monitoring and Management
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
When you press, gently, on the stomach it shouldnāt feel hard and should be somewhat squidgy but not completely jelly/water like. After a piggies had a meal, their vegetables for example, their stomachs also tend to be a bit harder.
Weighing your piggies weekly on a reliable scale (at the same time each week) is also great for tracking these kind of things, taking a note of the weight and looking for any drastic changes can be a sure fire way to making sure your piggies doing ok (there are many other signs of illness, but weight is one that should be checked weekly and taken a note of for any sudden increases or decreases)
How old is your piggy and how much do they weigh? The āhealthā of a piggies weight comes more down to the heft as opposed to the number on the scale, although I donāt know much about this, so hopefully someone else will come along and be able to share some more insight on that (you can also find more about heft in the link I attached below).
Very cute piggy you have by the way! x
Weight Monitoring and Management
Digestive Disorders: Not Eating - Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement)
Emmalou46
Junior Guinea Pig
Thank you for your reply! He is a beautiful piggy 
Heās eating, pooping and everything else fine, he was doing zoomies and popcorns yesterday evening, it was just when he was out this evening I thought that looks a bit odd. I had a little feel and it felt squishy not hard
Heās been gradually gaining weight over the past few months, so it is more than likely me who is over feeding, pellets or treats. Itās hard not to give in to the constant squeaking for food
Heās approx 18 months, we got him from a rescue so she wasnāt completely sure of his age. Iāve just weighed him this evening and he was 1388g. The beginning of last month he was 1255g, then 1311g two weeks ago. X
Heās eating, pooping and everything else fine, he was doing zoomies and popcorns yesterday evening, it was just when he was out this evening I thought that looks a bit odd. I had a little feel and it felt squishy not hard
Heās been gradually gaining weight over the past few months, so it is more than likely me who is over feeding, pellets or treats. Itās hard not to give in to the constant squeaking for food
Heās approx 18 months, we got him from a rescue so she wasnāt completely sure of his age. Iāve just weighed him this evening and he was 1388g. The beginning of last month he was 1255g, then 1311g two weeks ago. X
I agree with @piggl. We canāt tell anything from a picture.
You need to check his heft to know whether he is a good size for himself. That is placing your hands around his ribs and seeing that you can feel his bones but with a thin fat layer on them.
If you ever suspect bloat, it is a case of stepping in with emergency care (daily weight checks, syringe feeding) and heading straight to the vet.
You need to stay strong and not give in to demanding food! If they have constant hay then they are not hungry.
Throw more hay in if they demand food and they will either eat it or hopefully get the message and give up yelling (although that wonāt be a quick thing!)
Make sure to stick to just one tablespoon of pellets per day. It important you donāt over feed them for several reasons.
You need to check his heft to know whether he is a good size for himself. That is placing your hands around his ribs and seeing that you can feel his bones but with a thin fat layer on them.
If you ever suspect bloat, it is a case of stepping in with emergency care (daily weight checks, syringe feeding) and heading straight to the vet.
You need to stay strong and not give in to demanding food! If they have constant hay then they are not hungry.
Throw more hay in if they demand food and they will either eat it or hopefully get the message and give up yelling (although that wonāt be a quick thing!)
Make sure to stick to just one tablespoon of pellets per day. It important you donāt over feed them for several reasons.