Any New Years Diets Needed For Piggies?

[fortifiedwithtea]

Piggies of the guinea variety that is .

I have weighed all the fortified pigs and Fatimus has reached a new record at 1200g . Our second piggie girl re-named Naughty since the tumble drier incident is not far behind at 1125g. Our poor old man pig OB is at his lowest ever 725g even though he appears well.

So how do you diet a piggie?

And what to with OB? Would critical care bulk him out abit? And if you think that's good idea how much should I give him? He hates it and wouldn't take it when he was prescribed it after his last dental but since then he has started drinking from a bowl thinking I could try slipping it in his water.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

fortified I've managed to get a bit of winter beef on my GP2 (he's the little Abby type) he's a very bony little boy compared to his smooth brother.

I have no idea how they manage to get fat on vegetables but GP1 has managed to get quite a sizeable ole rump on him.

GP2 loves sweetcorn, beetroot, the exotic hays (like camomile and dandelion. Herbage)

I did give him some Alfafa hay when I was trying to bulk him but you have to be careful with the high calcium levels .

I think they get a bit 'spare' when they get older.
I don't know if Critical Care would help bulk him out. I'd worry in case it stopped his digestive throughput (ie poohs).
Like Complan for very unwell elderly people. They end up constipated then lactulose then the strain on their hearts to go.
I'd be concerned about filling him up too much and his innards would say "Fine. Don't need hay"

In an emergency, when you need to get the nutrients into them, then fine.

Is OB eating well? Probably not as much as the girls (though life changing events with tumble driers will make her crave parsley )

[fortifiedwithtea]

Thanks for the reply 70. I hadn't thought about him getting constipated. I cann't risk giving him anything too high in calicium either as his wee is usually pink to some extent.

In case anyone thinks Naughty went for a spin. She didn't. The little bugger ate through the tumble drier electric cable (thankfully not while it was running).

[BonkeyMollocks]

Hmmm... I haven't weighed my two for a while but BigPig is...well big .

Re weight off - I think less pellets (my two snaffle them.up like its their last meal) and more exercise is age way to go.

BigPig is a lazy arse - although he has been popping bit.more lately, Rather funny to watch him get his lardy arse in the air.

LittlePig is fine i think weightwise . He seems to have filled out . But he is a completely different shape so now he just looks bit less skinny.

Weight on? Umm...how the.bloody he'll.do.you get weight on a animal that eats veg ??
The.only thing I can think of is maybe some naice hay to try and encourage him to eat more.
LittlePig is a big fan of redi-grass. A handful is gone.in minutes!
Barn dried forage is aother have as is oxbow costs a fortune timothy hay.

[BonkeyMollocks]

Many apologies for typos in ^ that.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Our boys still go out in their Pighouse to excercise (but I know they don't).
DD takes them to the garage run for a play- they've got boxes and tunnels but they are not energetic little mammals IRL.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

GP2 started the New Year in my Bad Books -well more DH fault really.

He was cuddling DH (who always wears black clothes) GP2 -who is jet black apart from 3 white hairs, a fatty eye and the teeth) was lying there like the cat in the Bond Film.

We put the GPs in a washing basket with a towel when they want a pee.
DH went to the kitchen, I asked "Where's GP2"?

DH had put him in a basket of clean washing
Little boy peed (at least a pint) through the layers of clean clothes.

[fortifiedwithtea]

Naice hay sounds the best way to go for OB. He eats very slowly nowadays. According to vet normal for gerriatric piggies. Although he licked up a plate that had had Christmas cake on it at a good pace, that horrified DD1.

Bonkey Fatimus is the same as BigPig, won't move her lardy arse unless she has too.

70 had to laugh. Alittle wee goes along way doesn't it .

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

He probably loved the Christmas cake crumbs for the Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry that was feeding it.(But I'm sure the cake was delish )

And you thought OB was too old to try anything new and fangled

[guineapiglet]

Who had to redo the washing then??? Did GP2 reiron it all for you?! It is amzing how such little critters can produce so much liquid when they never appear to drink at all! Love the idea of OB eating christmas cake, that would have been one for the calendar! Still think we need to come up with a plan for a guinea exerciser, so these new year's diets pay off...< looks at own tummy - in disgust>

[FernieB]

Would also love some GP diet ideas - Smoothpig is known as Portlypig in our house because of his size. Scruffypig is much smaller but he's a fidgeter so probably gets more exercise that way. I've cut down their pellets, but they don't eat so many anyway - they mainly just throw them around their cage. I'm also putting them out in the conservatory for more exercise but they just go and lie down near the radiator. How about a treadmill? I could stick a pile of cucumber & parsley at the end of it to encourage them.