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I think my guinea pigs are overweight! Help!

FiaFlora

FiaFlora

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I just weighed my guinea pigs today and one weighed 2.6 pounds or 1180 grams and the other weighed 2.8 pounds or 1270 grams. Just over a month ago they both only weighed 2 pounds or 910 grams. There is no way that is good! I believe the are about 1 1/2 years old (they are sisters) maybe even less then that. When I got them in March they were almost full grown. Anyway I feed my guinea pigs about 1/8 of a red pepper daily, a few slices cucumbers every few days, and bits green peppers, carrots and strawberries occasionally. I give them constant hay. And I feed them about 1/2 cup of pellets daily. Then I let them have floor time for about 30 minutes, I have lots of toys but they usually just hide in the tunnel the whole time. Am I doing something wrong? Is there a reason they are overweight? Please help.
 
Don't worry, if you can feel the rib cage, they're not overweight. My sow is 1200g and my neutered boar is 1100g. My heaviest piggy was 1500g. Like humans, they all vary is size and weight
 
FiaFlora said:
I just weighed my guinea pigs today and one weighed 2.6 pounds or 1180 grams and the other weighed 2.8 pounds or 1270 grams. Just over a month ago they both only weighed 2 pounds or 910 grams. There is no way that is good! I believe the are about 1 1/2 years old (they are sisters) maybe even less then that. When I got them in March they were almost full grown. Anyway I feed my guinea pigs about 1/8 of a red pepper daily, a few slices cucumbers every few days, and bits green peppers, carrots and strawberries occasionally. I give them constant hay. And I feed them about 1/2 cup of pellets daily. Then I let them have floor time for about 30 minutes, I have lots of toys but they usually just hide in the tunnel the whole time. Am I doing something wrong? Is there a reason they are overweight? Please help.
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Hi! Your piggies are now adults and have got a very normal adult weight in the range that will get you compliments from a piggy savvy vet. Please be aware that in the next two years the weight will likely go up even a bit more as they are at the peak of their lives before they gradually lose it again as they become older citizens. We do the same as humans; it is only spread out a lot more and is overshadowed by the modern lifestyle, so we are no longer aware of it as much.

You may find this guide here helpful to work out whether your piggies are a good weight for their size at all ages ('heft' - or feeling for the equivalent of the piggy BMI index). That is often more effective re. checking for individual over/underweight since guinea pigs have such a wide variance in size, while the scales are needed for the weekly health monitoring.
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight
 
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