Weight Overweight Piggie! What to do?

She's not overweight. I've never had a pig that weighed less than three pounds on a regular basis, except for one, and she was a very small boned pig and still came very close to three pounds.

Guinea pigs are herbivores, and it's almost impossible for one to be overweight unless it gets too many pellets or has a motility problem that keeps it from moving around. Could you get fat eating only salads? I didn't think so.

Extra weight is actually a big help if a guinea pig develops an illness. Adult guinea pigs gain weight VERY slowly, and the extra weight is a good cushion for them in getting back to good health.

If you're basing your worries about weight on some of the things you've read on the internet about recommended weights, you should know that most of those come from vet textbooks and are based on lab animals, not pets, and are very outdated.

I wouldn't be concerned. It's actually quite rare for guinea pigs to be overweight unless they have mobility issues or are fed an incorrect diet.

Be sure you aren't over feeding pellets, are giving about 1 cup of veggies per pig and give unlimited hay. Weigh her regularly, if she is maintaining her weight there really isn't anything to worry about.

With all of this said, I have 6 sows, 4 of which weigh over 1250g and they are all very healthy. My heaviest tops out at 1540g!

Thanks so much! Yeah, everywhere I look says 700-900 grams so I was a bit concerned. I'll continue to monitor her weight. However, Coco, my other piggie, is almost 7 and shes only 900 grams. Is that normal for a pig that age or should she be around the same size as Nibbles?

sallyvh said:

I wouldn't be concerned. It's actually quite rare for guinea pigs to be overweight unless they have mobility issues or are fed an incorrect diet.

Be sure you aren't over feeding pellets, are giving about 1 cup of veggies per pig and give unlimited hay. Weigh her regularly, if she is maintaining her weight there really isn't anything to worry about.

With all of this said, I have 6 sows, 4 of which weigh over 1250g and they are all very healthy. My heaviest tops out at 1540g!

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Oh wow! So I guess Nibbles is pretty healthy. I'm happy to hear that Thank you for your help!

Pigs are no more the same size for their age than people are. Some are small-boned, some are larger. Some are long, some are short. It just depends on the pig.

PiggieLover101 said:

shes only 900 grams. Is that normal for a pig that age or should she be around the same size as Nibbles?

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The thing to keep an eye on is if a guinea pig is maintaining their weight. If your 900g pig stays consistent at that weight, then it should be good for her. Some pigs are just naturally smaller than others.