Is my 6-month-old brown guinea pig overweight? What should I do?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center with your question about Snowball and for providing pictures, they are very helpful. Yes he is a bit overweight. He should be weighing around 2.5lbs and he does look overweight in the pictures. You need to adjust his diet. Around 80% of his diet should be high quality grass hay. He also needs vitamin c. In order to get a variety of nutrients and vitamin C, give your guinea pig up to 1 cup (128 g) of fresh vegetables and about 1/4 cup (30 g) of fresh fruit a day. Stick to this diet, nothing extra, and that should help him lose weight. Limit the amount of pellets he gets, as that can be a cause of weight gain. The Humane Society recommends that guinea pigs eat about 1/8 cup (30 g) of pellets a day. Also avoid high starch foods and commercial treats. Finally, get him to exercise. Let him run around the house supervised, and set up obstacles and toys in his cage to get him moving. I hope this helps!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear that you think Brownie is overweight. This question is hard to address because I don't know what you are feeding and how much. Those are key questions to addressing this problem. Exercise is key of course but food intake and what types of food are very critical for maintaining a good body condition. I would advise a visit to a vet in your area familiar with guinea pigs to let them see Brownie and make some recommendations or post another question here with the above information. It's all about food intake and exercise unless something is physically wrong with him. Good luck.

These two bulging areas on the side are completely normal for guinea pigs, so it does not mean that she is overweight. as you mention, as there is another guinea pig with her, it's impossible to limit one and not the other, unless you separate them completely.

I do not think the pellets are bad but should be given in moderation. These are high in fat and can cause obesity. I recommend a large amount of roughage like Timothy hay all day long with moderate amount of veggies and small amount of pellets. The roughage is really good for their teeth too.

It sounds like the larger pig is getting more of the food you put in the enclosure and as a result one is growing too quickly and one may not be growing enough. Probably the easiest thing to do would be to separate the pigs when you are feeding them pellets or treats. You can leave the hay in the enclosure while they are together. Also make sure you are only feeding fresh veggies with very occasional treats. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Guinea pigs reach their adult weight around eight months of age, and it is for females, on average, 1.5 – 2.5lb. If Coco is 2.6lbs, she likely isn't pregnant. It is never recommend to breed a guinea pig past eight months of age due to the pelvic symphysis fusing. I would not keep her in cage with an intact male guinea pig.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your Guinea pig. You will need to have her examined by a veterinarian to know for sure if she is pregnant or not. The gestation period is roughly two months. This should help you know as well depending on how long you have owned her. Go slow around her and offer small treats to help her build trust in you. I hope this information helps!