lose weight

Question
i looked at the chart shown where it shows the drawing of the body shapes of pigs, from skinny to overweight. mine is on the overweight side. we never over feed her, or give her junk food. i feed her half cup of Mazuri potbelly pig food around 11 every morning. then around 5 she has a banana or an apple. then around 11 that nite she has half a cup of Mazuri food again. i dont think that is over feeding. i know it says to limit fruits, and she is so picky with vegatables. she does love spinach leafs in the bag and cucumbers. is that good for her? i want her to lose some weight but dont want her to be hungry. she walks around outside for close to an hour every afternoon. im just so worried about her. any help. thanks.

Answer
On the chart, the center pig, #3, is ideal weight. Most pigs, especially house pets, are closer to #4, which is still Ok. #5 or up is bad, and sadly, I have seen pigs that would be a 7 on this scale with bellies dragging even when the pig is standing, jowls dragging on the ground, etc. Also, pigs with naturally chubby cheeks and short, thick bodies have a more rounded appearance than a long, slender pig.

In the Education Center on www.farec.org there's instructions for finding a pigs weight by measurements. The rule of thumb is 1/2 c pellets per 25 lb of adult pig, split into at least 2 meals. Spinach and cucumbers are excellent veggies. Many "only" piggies are picky about veggies. When there's two or more pigs, the pigs will eat something they don't like, just to keep the other pigs from eating it. But when there's no piggy competition, piggies will turn their noses up at foods they don't like.