[VanillaRat]

So Apolla is a little overweight.
I bought a couple of guinea pig magazines the other day and noticed that NONE of the piggies in the pics were as fat as Apolla.There was some info about obesity in piggies and they explained that a fat GP has a pear shaped body and well...Apolla does.She is quite fat.

Now it is time to put her on a diet.I need some tips tho,like how should I go about it? How should I portion her meals???

Here is a picture.

 

[litlebunnies2]

I don't think she's going to like a diet,(says that word quietly) She is after all a piggie and piggies love food, my piggie would've staged a revolt

 

[Sasami]

What kinds of pellets do you feed? I would limit pellets and treats while increasing vegetables. Make sure she has plenty of hay, of course.

 

[VanillaRat]

She gets tons of unlimited hay and veggies.

The pellets are ones I got at Wal-Mart.I know,I know...bad.But I had to pick some up when I first got her and thats what I got.I am not positive on the brand,I think it is "Hartz".It has a good vitamin C content,but do you think they could be making her fat? The good brands that I hear people mentioning here like "Oxbow" (I think thats the name)...well we don't have them.I looked in the pet stores and there are no good brand names of alot of pet foods,so sometimes I have to use my best judgement and in Wal-Mart,these were the only pellets that didn't have other junk mixed in.

She gets to run around my room for a couple of hours a day.I have the baby gate up,so she cannot get out,but my room looks out to the living room,so I can still interact with her if I am out there.

So now I am wondering if the pellet brand is what is making her fat?
Before I got her,she was on a "Hartz" brand,but it had some other stuff mixed in,which Apolla would pick out and eat.I changed the diet and she started gaining weight.I would think she would gain weight from the other kind,before just pellets.

 

[Jennicat]

An idea diet for an adult guinea pig is unlimited grass hay, approximately 1 cup of veggies per day, and then a limited amount of pellets 1/8th-1/4 of a cup. To be honest, Apolla does not look obese to me.

Guinea pigs are naturally very 'pudgy' and round looking.

 

[VanillaRat]

An idea diet for an adult guinea pig is unlimited grass hay, approximately 1 cup of veggies per day, and then a limited amount of pellets 1/8th-1/4 of a cup. To be honest, Apolla does not look obese to me.

Guinea pigs are naturally very 'pudgy' and round looking.

Okay thanks.

Really? She looks really fat to me,compared to other guinea pigs I have seen.But thanks for the info anyway.I was filling her dish with pellets,plus she got the unlimited hay and her veggies.

I apologize for all the questions,but she is my first GP and even with all the info I read,sometimes questions are not answered or I just want personal opinions from other owners.

 

[Korali]

I dont think she looks that fat either .. lol

Ive had a few GPs and they all got the walmart pellets too, just a little with lots of hay and veggies .. and she should be fine>

she is so cute .. makes me want one too !!!

Korali

 

[VanillaRat]

Okay,well I will assume she is not fat...just pudgy! Remember she is my first guinea pig and I am still learning.

So the pellets from Wal-Mart are fine?
I remember before I had a piggy,when I was researching,alot of people said to use a high quality food.But the kinds they mentioned,I have not seen around.

 

[litlebunnies2]

I used Blue Seal, and Bunny gets Blue Seal bunny pels I think its okay. She doesn't look all that fat, just cute and round.

 

[Korali]

Okay,well I will assume she is not fat...just pudgy! Remember she is my first guinea pig and I am still learning.

So the pellets from Wal-Mart are fine?
I remember before I had a piggy,when I was researching,alot of people said to use a high quality food.But the kinds they mentioned,I have not seen around.

If we lived in a place where High quality food was available for small animals it would be great .... but we just dont. SO we have to make do with what we have, I had one GP that lived along time like 6 yrs and all he ever had was Walmart pellets and lots of hay and veggies !

Its natural to want the best for your new piggy friend !!!


Korali

 

[Jennicat]

Pigs that tend not to be pudgy are usually younger pigs. They stay very sleek until they become adults, and then slowly get pudgier.

Personally, I don't feel the Walmart brand of pellets because they have poor quality ingredients. My pigs eat Oxbow, and they love it. A lot of people complain about how expensive it is, but I can buy a 50lb box of Oxbow pellets for $50, and it's only $1 a lb. Think of all the little bags of food you buy at Walmart or the pet store for 3-5 bucks for sometimes less than a pound, and you're actually saving money!

 

[VanillaRat]

But we can't get "Oxbow" here as I mentioned in my second post.Or any high quality food,as I also mentioned.Newfoundland is not a big place and we actually don't have alot here in reality.

 

[Jennicat]

You could look into better quality stuff being shipped in. I did it before I found the local awesome pet store. If that fails, check pet store type pet stores, Mazuri makes an alfalfa pellet which isn't as good as Oxbow, but which is light years beyond what you typically find in Walmarts.

 

[VanillaRat]

I will have a look again,but I don't remember seeing any good brands in any of the pet stores.I will definatly check again and see about ordering in.The thing about having things shipped in,it takes AGES!!! I know from experiance.

I just found out I may be getting another female GP,so Apolla will have a friend.I will check what they feed their GP's.

 

[Dragonrain]

I get Oxbow rabbit pellets shipped to me for my bunnies, since no stores around me sells them. The pellets themselves arn't that expensive IMO, but the shipping does add a decent amount to the price.

However, I don't feed my rabbits pellets that often, and only a handful at a time, so a bag of pellets lasts me a long time. I just make sure to buy new stuff before the old stuff runs out, then even if it takes a week or two for shipping, I still have some of the old stuff left to last untill I get the new shipment.