Guinea pig help

[heddylamar]

Are there any guinea pig people here? I have one who's in desperate need of a diet, and two who need to hold steady. Everything I've tried thus far hasn't worked on porky pig, but the other two lost weight (boo).

I need ideas.

[Tsavo]

I have had pigs for years. I have 4 rescues at the moment.

I assume they are together in a little herd. I think you should separate to chubbo but still allow them to be together across fencing. I presently have a C&C enclosure that is about 4 x 8 feet. I have a third divided off with one boy in there who can't get allow with the other three who are in the remaining two-thirds. But they can communicate across several feet of fencing so he doesn't feel isolated.

I would throw a lot of fresh food to the two losing weight and of course have free choice Timmy pellets and hay for then. You can feed less fresh food and pellets to the chubbo but still do free choice hay.

Did a vet tell you to diet the chubbo? I have never dieted a pig.

[PhoenixRising]

When I had an overweight guy a few years ago, I made sure to switch to a timothy based pellet instead of alfalfa. Many of the guinea pig foods out there are actually alfalfa based. I also enforced portion control, but that's harder with other piggies. Always have loose timothy available, and limit your sweet fresh foods- less carrots for example and instead feed more of your leafy greens.

[heddylamar]

I have 2 young males, and an older female. They get along well now, but because it was a tenuous herd dynamic originally (had MF, rescued now-porky M), I didn't want to seperate them fully. But given the last few days, that may be the direction we have to go.

Anyway, my diet attempts since March:
1) limited fresh veg to greens (romaine, parsley, or cilantro), plus bit of one other (tomato, celery, bell pepper); fruit (orange normally) once a week
2) continued 1; cut free choice hay in half; add more if they eat it all (this is where the two lost weight)
3) continued 1; feeding porky pig hay/grain seperately (weighed portion) for several hours; removing hay tray from C&C cage when I return him to the herd; giving all 3 several hours access to the hay tray in the evening when I feed fresh veg

Since I started #3 on Sunday, porky pig has begun barbering. I don't think the other male is dominating him, since he's the more dominant of the two, but, as you can imagine, I'm very distressed by the outcome.

The vet hasn't told me to put this one on a diet -- I've avoided telling him. He expressed great displeasure about the last piggie who gained weight to similar rubenesque proportions.

For perspective, this little guy should be 1100-1125 grams, and the vet was happy with him at that weight, but he was 1342 grams at Sunday's weigh-in. The other two snack on free choice hay, then move off to sleep/play elsewhere. This guy lives in the hay pile, except for a few wild popcorning runs about the cage, and simply doesn't quit eating. They have plenty of space -- it's a 4x7 C&C.

[heddylamar]

When I had an overweight guy a few years ago, I made sure to switch to a timothy based pellet instead of alfalfa. Many of the guinea pig foods out there are actually alfalfa based.

Yup! I feed Oxbow adult, which is timothy-based, plus timothy hay.

[PaulaO]

This thread is worthless without peeg pictures. Just sayin'

[Tsavo]

Are the two males neutered???

[heddylamar]

Haha. Yes! They are kind of adorable

Remi, the 2.5yo male who needs to diet as you can somewhat see from the extra neck folds and rubenesque-physique:



Sasha, 5.5yo female:


Rocco, 2.5yo male:


Rocco's glamour shot is from February 2017 when he was 1yo. He DOES NOT hold still, so there haven't been any great updates since then ... except blurs. My camera phone doesn't do him justice, and I need a second person to tempt him with cilantro to get any semblance of a still shot with the Canon, and my husband is a less than helpful set person

Remi had a bit of a traumatic introduction to our household. The friend who had to give him up hadn't neutered him and he was living alone Remi developed an infection. Once that was over, introducing him to Sasha took a few days. She was not a fan of the youngster who liked to push her around. And it took 6 months of living in a situation like what Tsavo has set up before he adjusted to living near another male.

[heddylamar]

Are the two males neutered???

Oh yes.

[Flight]

Cute!! Sorry, nothing more to add

[Tsavo]

Very cute microswine!

I question whether the weight of your pig is an issue at the moment. The other thing is I would say if he does keep gaining that there is a veterinary reason at play.

I have only had one comment from a vet about the largeness of one pig... I think he was much heavier than your pig. She did not tell me to diet him or how to do it. I did nothing and he did not die younger than most pigs.

Unless specifically told otherwise, I would feed all pigs including large ones unlimited timmy hay, unlimited timmy pellets, and two servings of fresh food a day, one usually a lettuce and one being cukes or peppers or carrots , etc. If read the riot act on a pig's weight I would portion the pellets but change nothing else.

The median age of pigs is about 3 or 3.5 as I recall although they can live much longer. So half die by 3.5.

[Sue B]

Not much help, but those are adorable pictures. I love to hear the little buggers whistle, don't you?

Guinea pig life span is 4-8 years, although i have seen some as old as 10!

I wonder if there is some way to construct a feeder that the thinner ones can access but that the fatter one can't. I am envisioning something, that, when full, all can eat from, but as the feed goes down the piggies have to crawl through a hole to access the rest of the food?!

[Moutaineer]

Like Flight, I know nothing of guinea pigs, but they sure are cute... I can't tell the back from the front on Rocco!

[AmityBee]

Very cute microswine!

I question whether the weight of your pig is an issue at the moment. The other thing is I would say if he does keep gaining that there is a veterinary reason at play.

I have only had one comment from a vet about the largeness of one pig... I think he was much heavier than your pig. She did not tell me to diet him or how to do it. I did nothing and he did not die younger than most pigs.

Unless specifically told otherwise, I would feed all pigs including large ones unlimited timmy hay, unlimited timmy pellets, and two servings of fresh food a day, one usually a lettuce and one being cukes or peppers or carrots , etc. If read the riot act on a pig's weight I would portion the pellets but change nothing else.

The median age of pigs is about 3 or 3.5 as I recall although they can live much longer. So half die by 3.5.

I very much agree with this!!! He doesn't look too bad in the picture plus 1300g is still an OK weight for a healthy male plus a littel extra weight is usually a good thing, they tend to loose weight so fast when they get sick! I like mine to be on the chubby side, just in case...

I just got a new male, big fella, who didn't eat for almost a week when I got him (my dominat female didn't care for him at first, poor guy) and he was still at 1200g while looking underweight.

I do have a overweight female at the moment (said dominant female who's at 1200g) and a sickly, very much underweight female (satin with starting OD ) at just about 900g. That Pig is tiny and made it to just a little over 1000g at her best.

Personally, If possible, I'd loose the pellets but stay with free choice of hay for Remi. Stick to low starch/sugar veggies (no carrots, fruit). I think the kind of hay avaiable differs a little (I'm in europe) and we basically only feed "grass" hay (piggies and horses alike). Timothy and alfalfa are treats here.

I only offer pellets as treats or if I need to fatten one up. I feed Supreme Science selective guinea pig which is alfalfa based. Mine get fresh grass or veggies (tomato, cucumber, roman lettuce, carrot, bell pepper, pok choi, fennel...) twice a day and free choice of grass hay.

I feel the life expectancy depends on the breed too. My teddies (swiss and US alike) never get to be as old as the smooth haired or abessinians. They usually lived till 5-8 y/o while the teddies tend to get sick and die eventually at around 3-4 years. I just lost a male US teddy to a colic at 3,5 y/o. The sickly one ist a swiss teddy satin and I doubt that she will even make it to 2,5 y/o. The fat and healthy one: smooth haired...

The girl is beautiful! I love silver agoutis!

[Tsavo]

Mine get fresh grass

I forgot to mention this! I give mine fresh grass when the gardeners haven't applied chemical. It is like crack to the pigs.

The other thing is I doubt a vet would tell anyone to restrict timmy hay which I see you agree with.

[heddylamar]

I very much agree with this!!! He doesn't look too bad in the picture plus 1300g is still an OK weight for a healthy male plus a littel extra weight is usually a good thing, they tend to loose weight so fast when they get sick! I like mine to be on the chubby side, just in case...

I totally agree a bit pudgey is better than too thin. Remi's just taken it to new levels It's like picking up a gigantic potato -- he's Sasha's size, but carrying weight that would be far better on Rocco's larger frame.

Sasha and Rocco could stand to gain a few grams.

I'm going to look for grass hay to sub out for the timothy. Otherwise, everything that's been suggested (low starch vegetables, very limited fruit, not much grain, free choice, etc) is our standard MO.

The girl is beautiful! I love silver agoutis!

She's a shy sweetheart! Until the boys hassle her too much -- looking at her, from across the cage, can be too much some days -- then she just crawls into a safe space and screams until J or I rescue her Rocco's a gentleman, but Remi can be a little pest and set them both off

[Tsavo]

I don't tolerate naughtiness. My Matt can't be with the other three boys because they need to feel safe.