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Overweight guinea pig

mls18

mls18

Teenage Guinea Pig
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The vet today told me that my guinea pig is overweight, he's 2.6 pounds(he was 2.2 pounds last week before I adopted him, but also that was when he was sick) and she said he felt a bit on the overweight side. I don't understand how he can be overweight though as I don't give pellets, and give only a cup of veggies a day, only a very rare fruit. He's also very active and runs around all day, does anyone have any tips on what to do? I honestly don't feel as if there's anything I can take away from his diet besides the fruit, but I don't get how that would be what's making him overweight. Anyone have any ideas? Also, does anyone know how I can check for myself to see if he's overweight so I can keep track of it? Over the years I've tried to check my guinea pigs but I can never seem to figure out how to do it right.
 
What checks did the vet do to make them think hes overweight?

Use the guide I’ve linked to below to check his heft. If you cant feel any ribs at all then he is overweight. If you can feel every single rib then he’s underweight. Whether you proceed with the diet depends on the above, you cant just go by numbers (weight). 2.6lb is equivalent to around 1.2kg. How old is he again?

Weight - Monitoring and Management
 
Siikibam said:
What checks did the vet do to make them think hes overweight?

Use the guide I’ve linked to below to check his heft. If you cant feel any ribs at all then he is overweight. If you can feel every single rib then he’s underweight. Whether you proceed with the diet depends on the above, you cant just go by numbers (weight). 2.6lb is equivalent to around 1.2kg. How old is he again?

Weight - Monitoring and Management
Click to expand...
She felt him and i think she also took his weight into consideration, thanks I'm going to try and see if I can find out myself! Hes 2 years old
 
Cant seem to find his ribs..dont think that's a good sign😦 I think I can sort of feel them though if I press a tiny bit, but not sure.
 
Read the guide above - section on heft - and use that to help you. Section 3. Also read the section on weight loss.
 
His diet sounds fine. Maybe he’s just a chunky pig.
 
His diet sounds fine. You aren’t overfeeding veg and he sounds to be active.
What sort of veg are you feeding though?

As Siikibam has said, you need to check his heft as that is the important bit. Weight alone is not an indicator of what is healthy for him. Put your hands around his chest and move your fingers slightly, you should be able to feel them
 
Piggies&buns said:
His diet sounds fine. You aren’t overfeeding veg and he sounds to be active.
What sort of veg are you feeding though?

As Siikibam has said, you need to check his heft as that is the important bit. Weight alone is not an indicator of what is healthy for him. Put your hands around his chest and move your fingers slightly, you should be able to feel them
Click to expand...
Mostly lettuce, zuchini, cucumber and celery and then sometimes parsley, dill, pepper, brocolli, cabbage or whatever else I have in the house at the time.
I tried checking his heft and I cant really feel his rubs unless I put a tiny bit of pressure on him.
 
mls18 said:
Mostly lettuce, zuchini, cucumber and celery and then sometimes parsley, dill, pepper, brocolli, cabbage or whatever else I have in the house at the time.
I tried checking his heft and I cant really feel his rubs unless I put a tiny bit of pressure on him.
Click to expand...

That all sounds fine then. He should have a thin layer of fat over his ribs
 
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