Or possible got fat 
They have been on the lawn for just over a year since we moved (they are in for the coldest months). I move their hutch/run twice a day as they razor the lawn in that time. They have nuggets and daily fruit/veg (unless I've none in usually once or twice a fortnight).
I've noticed they all seem to have a double chin now. They are approx 5 yo. Do I need to take them off the grass? Reduce amount of fruit etc? Or let them enjoy a happy, fat life?
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Small pets
Think my piggies are getting fat
15 replies
AtSea1979 · 03/08/2016 18:44
OP posts:
70isaLimitNotaTarget ·
03/08/2016 20:32
excuse the dodgy typing , I'm holding my lardy hog GP5 - Ijust told her she's looking tubby and now I'm being bitten 
Grass does make little piggies tubby - like little native ponies, they get fat on lush grass when they should be eating sparser grazing and walking more to find it. but we domesticate these animals so they evolve to accept the spoiling.
Grass and hay is their natural diet so should be freely available unless you have young pigs or they're going out on spring grass after winter and you don't want them to gorge and bloat themselves.
What you could cut down on is fruit (high in sugar) and root veg - carrot,parsnip all the sweeter things that are good to fatten up thinner pigs over winter.
If you leave the run longer in one place they'll naturally reduce their grass eating? I move ours every 3 days but they're a pain in the neck to remove the pegs, move them and secure the pegs again.
If mine have a grazing day they have supper of hay,pellets and limited veg.Though they claim that mowing the lawn makes them hungry because it's hard work.
Weigh them weekly.
Keep a close eye on their droppings
we do a multi purpose mite and wormer drop (Xeno 450) because I have no idea what random animals wander about my garden.
And yes, they'll have chins it goes with the territory and 5 is Piggie Middle Age.
For their own health and happiness , (their joints and to reduce the diabetes risk and strain on their hearts) they shouldn't carry too much weight but they are little vegetarian eating machines ; my DD says her boars 3 loves in his life is : DD, Food, His Wives.
EastMidsGPs ·
03/08/2016 20:57
Our Mollie is a touch overweight I fear, she claims she is simply big boned. Currently she is just a round blob and she too is middled aged - she's like her human has no waist
Sadie is still a more lean machine but as a youngster she still runs about and gets a lot of exercise - Mollie just mooches about.
Our grass has been very lush this last month after the constant rain in June and they've ate for England since. I've moved their run to our bit of manky stubbly lawn to slow them down a bit.
I do notice that once we get to early autumn ish they do try to 'bulk up' ... no doubt they think we'll have an Alaskan winter here in the EastMids 
.. and so I do try to stop them making an erm pig of themselves beforehand.
But doubt I'd ever get them to Slimming World. MOT at vet's at the weekend and their weight wasn't a concern tho .. perhaps the fat is actually thick fur
70isaLimitNotaTarget ·
03/08/2016 21:19
one of our new ladies looks very round and lardy but she's 50% fur and has actually lost an entire 30g (which is over an ounce in old money)
She is very active and always has a Mad Half Hour in the run, but she's the one sitting in pole postition for the food
MOT at the vets and their weight wasn't a concern.... or the vet didn't DARE pass comment on a Piggies weight .
When GP3 went to be neutered the vet murmered about him being a "good solid boar" and a "good weight to neuter". GP3 was 
but he was a Rex so he was designed to be large.
FernieB ·
04/08/2016 07:27
My old boy got up to 3 chins at one point. Scruffypig is now 5.5 and was quite hefty but is losing weight gradually ( probably due to age). His younger companion is rather more tubby.
Grass does make them larger but they need that extra layer of blubber to get them through the winter (or so they tell me). I'd weigh them and then let us know how much they are for comparison. Some breeds are naturally larger than others. If you are concerned then cut down on the root veg. Mine tend to be more active later in the evening, so get more exercise if they're left out until 9 ish.
FernieB ·
04/08/2016 16:36
They sound lightweight. My elderly boy is over 1100g and the youngster is around 1300g. I'd say they're fine.
AtSea1979 ·
04/08/2016 21:24
I've been reading up on dewlaps, it seems they are quite normal. They with be so pleased they can carry on troughing on melons and bananas
OP posts:
70isaLimitNotaTarget ·
04/08/2016 21:50
Ahhh lardy tri colours
We weighed ours on Sunday, DH keeps a Cavy Weigh-In Spreadsheet.
Lardy Bert here is showing off a little double chin saggy bit here, but he claims it's spare fur in his FurSuit after getting Beach Ready and losing his Winter Fat Yeah Right GP6
70isaLimitNotaTarget ·
04/08/2016 22:40
Dewlaps and the mahooooooosive arses that guinea-pigs cultivate
70isaLimitNotaTarget ·
13/08/2016 23:03
East have you asked M&S if they'd like to share their lives with a Bert-a-Like? They might give you a resounding "Nooooooo" or they might say "Yes, why not"
The sows love the protective furry arms of their boar and his very Very loud Squeak For Food Wheek.
But most of all he loves DD and DD worships the bones of him. (I didn't think she could love anything as much as GP1, but each piggie has their own unique Piganality to fill that space that is left in your heart)
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