Weight check (again)

[Cue]

I’ve posted here multiple times about concerns for my Cheese Stick’s weight. I love her so much and want the absolute best for her, but unfortunately in the US we have very poor standards for weight normalcy (in both animals and people.) I trust our vet that she is maintaining our standards for weight, but Its just not sitting right with me. Is it possible to tell just from pictures of she’s really overweight? Maybe it’s piggie beauty standards but I feel like most pigs I see are much thinner.

 

[Piggies&buns]

We can’t tell from a picture I’m afraid - it’s requires hands on check.
The best thing is for you to check her heft as that will tell you whether she is a good side for herself. The guide below explains further

Weight - Monitoring and Management

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

No, you cannot tell just from a picture unless a piggy is decidedly overweight - some breeds have a chunkier body structure than others.

Please gently feel for the heft around the ribcage as to whether you can just about feel the ribs (normal weight range) or not (overweight). That is something you can easily do on your next cuddle. If your piggy has a noticeable groove where their spine should be, then they are also on the overweight side.

Guinea pigs have a very fast metabolism. Please double check your diet and go easy on pellets (1 tablespoon per piggy per day) and cutting out high sugar/starch/fat veg like carrots, grains (including sweetcorn) and fruits. Cut out any treats and use their normal veg for enrichment. On a good normal mainly hay based diet guinea pigs usually don't usually get badly overweight but they are at their heaviest between 2-4 years and it can be difficult to shift then.

Please take the time to read chapters 3, 5 and 6: Weight - Monitoring and Management

Here is our diet guide for a check of whether you are overfeeding: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Enrichment ideas to help your adult piggies being a bit more active: Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

 

[Wiebke]

PS: Even if your piggy is not at all overweight, being as healthy and fit as can be will translate into an extended normal healthy life span (major medical issues that cannot be influenced by diet excepted).

 

[Cue]

Is there a way to encourage run time outside of the cage? They often just want to go home, even being as familiar as they are with their room.

 

[Wiebke]

Is there a way to encourage run time outside of the cage? They often just want to go home, even being as familiar as they are with their room.

Hi

There are ways and tips. You can find them listed in chapter 7 of the weight guide and in our enrichment guide link with pictures and videos. It is really worth the time to have a look at the links in my first post.

Please accept that we are all doing this for free in our free time on top of a job, our own piggies and private life. We simply cannot write everything out in detail in every single thread; for that I have created a very practical information collection that contains all the little how-to tricks and the necessary basic information to help you understand the why. You can find all the crucial little tips in those links.