How can I fatten up a piggie?

[zoo keeper]

Cookie had a cold and lost alot of weight. We took him to my favorite vet who gave him some drops. Cookie seems better, but is still so thin. What can we do to fatten him up. He ihas turned into a picky eater.... prefers fresh stuff to his pig chow. I even went to our local pet deli for a special mix. He nibbles on it but chows on his fresh items. He even ate a jar of baby food instead of his meal. Oh, his teeth are in great shape too.

We can't keep water in his cage, he has a water fetish and makes the biggest mess! He broke 5 bottles in one year! He gets a bowl of fresh water during his play times out of the cage so we can monitor his distructive behavior.

Cookie is fiesty and playful. He sings to his boy and cuddles with me. But his brothers are so much bigger than him. He used to be pleasingly plump.

Is Cookie just a spoiled little pig or could there be another issue here? The vet is puzzled and says the only thing would be to run some blood tests.

 

[Suisan]

He needs water all the time, even if he's causing floods. Lots of pigs take a pellet of food, drink water, and then chew the goo around until it's slush. Hay will require plenty of water too.

Put a brick or a small bowl under the water bottle, or give him a smaller water bottle which gets refilled more often.

To get weight on him, you're going to have to hand feed him. Read this: Handfeeding information from GuineaLynx

Are you weighing him every week? What does he weigh now? Is he losing weight? If he is and the vet isn't concerned then you need to consider getting a more experienced vet.

 

[zoo keeper]

He weighs 1lb 6oz. He hasn't lost any more weight, but isn't gaining either.

 

[pigsmakemesmile]

My Abby was just at the vet, was weighed and is 1/2 lb. Shocked me because he seems much heavier than that compared to my other pigs where 2 who are brothers weigh each 3 and 3/4 lb. If your pig is not losing but not gaining, just ensure that he has fresh food and water availabel 24/7. If he was sick and lost weight but is better but not gaining, unfortunately, bloodwork might be something to consider to see if there's a subtle underlying cause especially if the vet is puzzled. I have a Peruvian where I have a somewhat similar situation except he hasn't been sick. He's very tiny compared to Ben my Abby. I feel Jerry weighs less than Ben. I know he has weight on him because his belly has meat on it. He's playful and has a good appetite, it might be just his stature. But he'll be seeing the vet for another check up. good luck

 

[Ly&Pigs]

If the mix is a seed/nut/colored bit mix, get him off of it and onto a plain high quality pellet such as Oxbow Cavy Cuisine and some Critical care. Don't feed baby food either unless you need a tiny bit of a veggie baby food to mix in with the critical care. He also needs a nice variety of fresh veggies every day. See the nutrition charts in this forum section. They are in a sticky thread at the top of this forum.

You also need to get another vet because guinea pigs don't get "colds". They get Upper Respiratory Infections which if untreated with antibiotics it can get worse and the pig could develop pneumonia and die. I'd find a cavy savvy vet who knows what they are doing and drop your current vet. I don't have a clue as to what kind of "drops" your vet gave the pig. Also if the vet you went to didn't check the molars (back teeth) with buccal pad separators, then you don't know if the pigs molars are in good shape or not.

You also must keep water for the pig in the cage at ALL times. It's essential. Find a new type of water bottle if your pig is breaking other ones. Also I'd like to know how the pig is breaking them?

 

[Biscuit]

There is a water bottle solution for every pig, no matter how violent and destructive. Definitely let us know how exactly the piggy is accomplishing this.

 

[TwoOfaKind]

When I got Delilah and Daisy, Delilah was really small (the runt); My vet said to use Critical Care or Strawberry Ensure/Pediasure (both are lactose free);
There was no critical care available, so I used the Ensure; And Voila - she gained weight, and she LOVED getting it. She would come walking up to me, and stand up in the cage and start wheeking for it lol

Today, every now and again I will give my piggies some as a nutritional booster and a healthy treat !

 

[guinealover#1]

When my one guinea pig was sick and got better my vet said to give her babyfood of her choice that is safe for her. She gave us a bag of critical care and told us to mix it in with the baby food and that fattens them fast and now she is nice and healthy. I give my pigs now a treat of the mix since it is their favorite.

 

[daftscotslass]

When my one guinea pig was sick and got better my vet said to give her babyfood of her choice that is safe for her. She gave us a bag of critical care and told us to mix it in with the baby food and that fattens them fast and now she is nice and healthy. I give my pigs now a treat of the mix since it is their favorite.

There is absolutely no use in "fattening up" a pig if you don't figure out what caused it to lose weight in the first place.

There is no reason to mix critical care with baby food or to feed it unless the pig is not eating. There very, very few baby foods suitable for guinea pigs.

 

[guinealover#1]

She had long teeth and wasn't eating normal. Yes i know there aren't a lot of baby food for them but there are carrots. And yes we did know the cause and she was a little under weight so i wanted to beef her up.