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Blowing up

  • Thread starter Thread starter ksiusha237
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ksiusha237

Hello,
So I have two guinea pigs. One is 2 and one is 3. My three year old guinea pig LOVES to eat, my other one is a little more picky.. however I noticed lately that when I feed him he tends to blow up a little. I'm not sure if it's his fur or if he's having a reaction or if I'm even imagining it. I was making sure that nothing is wrong. Also he ALWAYS seems hungry and I was seeing if it's normal. After a while he is okay, but whenever he hears my voice he thinks its time to eat. I'm thinking of putting them on a diet and I was wondering what is the ideal plan?
1 letttuce of romaine in morning and night
... what else is good?
i have: Cucumber, pepper, parsley, apple, banana

Sorry my question is kind of confusing, my main questions are: Why would my guinea pig seem to be blowing up? AND What is an ideal amount for a diet to feed a guinea pig?

Thank you very much
 
Hi there you should check out the food threads, plenty of ideas and help on foods and quantaties for the little ones.
I personally would not put them on a diet, if they're healthy and eating and drinking fine i'd not muck them about by doing this :)
 
But what about my guinea pig "blowing up" when he eats? Or is this normal? Should he seem "fatter" after he eats?
 
It maybe wind, a quick trip to the vets should solve this for you. Remember when you go to feed him just before so they see what you're talking about. Other than that he maybe just so full that he has to sit there and rest after gutsing down his food ;)
 
Hello! Some guinea pigs just do that, please weigh him before he eats and when he's 'blown up' to see if he is gaining and losing the weight. If so, he may need to be taken to a guinea pig savvy vet. If not, there's not really a problem at all, some guinea pigs just do that. If you're still not sure, you could also take pigtures of him before he eats and when he's 'blown up' and we could tell you what we think. However, I think that weighing is the best to see if his weight is stable or not, since he is full grown and should not be losing nor gaining much weight. A tiny bit is alright, but not a lot.

A guinea pig always needs acess to fresh water, food, and hay, as well as fruits and veggies daily (kale and oranges are especially good because they are so high in vitamin C). Please do NOT put your guinea pig on a diet. A guinea pig will not eat if he/she is not hungry, but should always have the option.

Kimmie
 
Glynis said:
Well done Kimmie that's great advice, much better than what i said. ksiusha237 i hope this helps your little one :-*
Click to expand...
lol thanks ;D. When you have a guinea pig rescue you know almost everything and what you don't know you quickly find out!

Kimmie
 
Sounds great. I won't put them on a diet, I just get worried that they're sooo fat. What will I weigh them on? I will take a picture of my pig and try somehow to show you. Or I could email it to you? or somehow private message if I can't post it on here becuse I'm not sure how. Thank you very much for your help!
 
LOL don't worry i'm hopeless at doing piccies too, i get help from a special person ;)
I use kitchen scales remember to make sure they're on zero then weigh them, put all the info on this thread and i'm sure we'll be able to help you somehow :)
Well done for listening to this advice from Kimmie, she knows what she's talking about guineas and diets are not a good idea at all :(
 
I'll PM you my email address so you can just send me the pigtures that way ;D
Like I said, a guinea pig won't eat if he/she isn't hungry. I've had many guinea pigs at the rescue that are just pigs and eat and weigh a lot. If he's 'normal' otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.
Kitchen scales are what I use as well, they seem to be the most accurate, so Glynis hit the head on the nail.

Kimmie
 
Hello,
Yes, his behavior is very normal. He continues to snuggle, run around during play time, and gets very excited when it's time to eat. Last night, this morning and this afternoon he did not blow up. I think he did slightly, however everything else about him is very normal. If some guinea pigs just do that, what is the reason? Thing with him is that he LOVES to eat and when I give them their veggies and lettuce he will sit and eat all of it without a break. Where as his friend takes breaks and comes back then goes back in cage to eat hay/pellets. Maybe he "puffs up" because he doesnt take a break? He is quite a character.. and also quite clingy to me. Thank you very much for your help.

One more question: Is it normal for a little crusty stuff to gather at the eye? Sometimes a little on his eye is this crusty stuff but I take it off and he's fine. Do all pigs get this? Also sometimes I notice some crusty stuff on the lip and I take it off. Is this normal?
 
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