Post by moletteuk on Nov 21, 2011 19:11:13 GMT
My 3 girls are gaining weight very rapidly and I just thought I'd ask whether anyone has any thoughts on this? I think it's a response to the time of year, but they have each put on about 40g now, with Florence, the largest, up to 310g now - she looks fat!
They are just over a year old, their hard feed is a mixture of xtravital, pets@home, gertie guinea and science selective squares. When they were growing up their favourite treat was flat peas, which they got along with twigs, buckwheat, locust beans, rice flakes, herbs etc for treats. Up until the end of the summer they were getting about 33g of hard feed a day between them once a day.
Me and the girls have been enjoying the natural nutrition thing, but I've kept their hard feed at about 30g and swapped all the treats to natural stuff, twigs with leaves on, bramble leaves, more different plants & herbs, & seeds.
When I noticed the weight going up, I reduced the hard feed to 27g and cut out all flat peas and other higher calorie treats. They were still gaining weight.
Over the last few days, now that Florence is getting worryingly fat, I've reduced the hard feed even further to 22g between them, and all 'treats' are getting reduced even more, but they are still gaining weight.
They are eating more hay than usual.
I've also noticed they aren't running in the wheel so much. It's as though they are deliberately doing less activity to make sure they keep gaining weight for the winter. It's really weird, they must be getting loads fewer calories, but are still piling on the fat.
Another behaviour change is that they have stopped the manic nest building that they have loved doing for the last six months or more.
I plan to gradually move their hard feed over to JR Farms degu special/premium.
All still seem healthy and happy.
I'm sure they are all girls and not pregnant.
Any thoughts or ideas? Would you be worried?
They are just over a year old, their hard feed is a mixture of xtravital, pets@home, gertie guinea and science selective squares. When they were growing up their favourite treat was flat peas, which they got along with twigs, buckwheat, locust beans, rice flakes, herbs etc for treats. Up until the end of the summer they were getting about 33g of hard feed a day between them once a day.
Me and the girls have been enjoying the natural nutrition thing, but I've kept their hard feed at about 30g and swapped all the treats to natural stuff, twigs with leaves on, bramble leaves, more different plants & herbs, & seeds.
When I noticed the weight going up, I reduced the hard feed to 27g and cut out all flat peas and other higher calorie treats. They were still gaining weight.
Over the last few days, now that Florence is getting worryingly fat, I've reduced the hard feed even further to 22g between them, and all 'treats' are getting reduced even more, but they are still gaining weight.
They are eating more hay than usual.
I've also noticed they aren't running in the wheel so much. It's as though they are deliberately doing less activity to make sure they keep gaining weight for the winter. It's really weird, they must be getting loads fewer calories, but are still piling on the fat.
Another behaviour change is that they have stopped the manic nest building that they have loved doing for the last six months or more.
I plan to gradually move their hard feed over to JR Farms degu special/premium.
All still seem healthy and happy.
I'm sure they are all girls and not pregnant.
Any thoughts or ideas? Would you be worried?