My guinea pig is overweight and won't exercise. What's the best diet?

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!

Just looking at pictures makes it hard to see if your Guinea Pig is overweight. Maybe a little bit? Just make sure that she gets LOTS of hay, a decent pile of greens, not too many pellets (and the pellets should be timothy based pellets with no junk food in them) and very limited treats and you should be ok.

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.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Issues with teeth are very common in guinea pigs, and do frequently result in issues eating. Dyba may have an issue with his facial nerves or muscles, making it difficult to bite/chew food. Loss of appetite can be caused by many intestinal conditions, but less specific conditions as well, such as cancer or infections. I recommend having Dyba seen by another vet, you may want to look into having him seen by someone who specializes in small mammals or pocket pets. In the meantime, you can try moistening his pellets to make them easier to eat. I hope this helps and that all is well!

Great question! They make large balls (like hamster balls but bigger) for guinea pigs. You can also put him in a a large area like the kitchen or even a kids swimming pool (empty) when you feed him. Sprinkle the food around so that he has to run around to get to his food. These things helped my guinea pig lose weight and I hope it helps Chico too!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Physical activity would definitely help. However, a lot of it comes back to the diet that is fed. It is not necessarily about the amount of cups but it is more about the caloric content in each cup. You can follow the recommended amount of food in the bag (though they tend to recommend a higher amount than needed) or preferably have your veterinarian calculate the needed intake based on the most current weight. I recommend you try the Science Diet metabolic weight management diet which works great for weight loss. Good luck and have a good night!

Hello there! I'm sorry to hear that Mickey isn't looking well. I'm glad to hear that he is eating, drinking, urinating, and defecating normally, as changes in any of these habits can indicate a disease process. It sounds like he has a great, healthy diet of hay, pellets, and vitamin C tablets - my only suggestion here would be to make sure that the fresh fruits and veggies offered to him are high in vitamin C (such as kale, parsley, guava, broccoli, and sweet peppers), as the tablets are usually only meant to supplement the fresh portion of the diet. It does not sound like Mickey is lacking in vitamin C, however (as you didn't mention any of the typical signs of scurvy), and the muscle loss you are describing is likely not due to anything missing in his diet. Without knowing his other potential symptoms and a full physical exam, the only other thing I can think of is age-related changes (you did not mention his age, but as you seem to has a great grasp of his usual body condition and his daily routine, so I assume that he is at least an adult). As guinea pigs age, they may develop conditions like arthritis, which could result in decreased activity, and therefore decreased muscle mass. These changes usually occur in older guinea pigs (5-7 years), but can start as early as 3 years old, depending on the individual guinea pig's weight and habits. I highly recommend that you get Mickey to the vet when you can - preferably a vet that is comfortable with guinea pigs, or an exotics specialist. It sounds like you are doing right by Mickey at home, but the only way to get to the bottom of his muscle loss is through a thorough veterinary exam. The vet will weigh him, listen to his heart and lungs, and make recommendations for other potential issues that can be checked and ruled out as causes. This may include x-rays or bloodwork. In the meantime, keeping Mickey active with mild to moderate exercise regularly can help keep those joints lubricated and prevent further muscle loss. If Mickey appears at all painful, or if any of his habits change, you should contact a vet as soon as possible. Good luck!