Guinea pigs are chubby little creatures that can make a nice pet for the ones who wish to have some pet with minimal looking after. The owners are not always conscious of their pet guinea pig’s weight. Staying healthy is one primary factor that keeps the owners alert.
But if the guinea pig is not suffering from any particular problem then it does not occur to the guinea pig owners to check the bodyweight of the pet.
Contents
How do you know that the guinea pig has become fat?
Every creature has a particular body shape. If the guinea pig gains weight, then its legs will become roundish and the paw will become thick. Also, you have to check if the neck portion of the guinea pig starts getting layered up. The eyes get smaller as the fat in the face increases. Also, you may see its belly sticking out and touching the ground.
The increase in body weight will slow down its pace and that is how you will be sure that it is time to check the diet of your pet.
How does the guinea pig become fat?
Diet is one of the foremost causes of the obesity of guinea pigs. When the food that the guinea pig is taking is too much and the amount of exercise is too little, it becomes fat.
Guinea pigs are usually vegetarian and they do not eat much fatty food. Also, they are by nature quite active and like to move or run for the whole day, at least during their waking hours.
What should you do if your guinea pig becomes fat?
A crash diet is not the thing that you should apply to your little guinea pig. A crash diet is never useful when it comes to long-lasting benefits. Sudden change in the diet or decrease in the amount of food can cause severe illness in your dear pet.
Even if you think that decreasing the food amount is necessary, do that in a step-by-step process. Also, keep the guinea pig well exercised. Arrange for some tools or accessories to initiate the exercising habit in your little pet.
Which food can help your guinea pig to lose weight?
As most of the foods that a guinea pig eats do not contain fat directly, yet the amount of food can sometimes be too much for the guinea pig.
Only if you feed hay to your guinea pig can you expect the weight to be decreased. The hay is not high in nutrition content and thus, it can fill the small tummy of your guinea pig but will not increase the weight.
How the lack of exercise can make the guinea pig fat?
When you are living in a small area and the guinea pig does not have enough space to exercise, then you must take it out to some open space like the backyard or the park nearby. Regular exercise is a must for guinea pigs as they are pretty active creatures. They run and roam a lot when left in the wilderness and thus you should not deprive this small creature of its regular exercising schedule even if you have adopted it.
So if you are living in a small apartment and wish to adopt a guinea pig, arrange or plan for some space where your pet guinea pig can move and play freely. This way its metabolism will be regularized and the weight will be in check.
Can the guinea pig eat and still lose weight?
If you find that your guinea pig is eating more than it should usually have at the right age and size and yet it is not gaining weight, then you should check its water consumption. Sometimes it has been seen that the guinea pigs drink and eat a lot and yet it is not getting fat. On the other hand, it may lose weight while eating and drinking so much.
This can be the symptom of diabetes, which is an ailment caused by hormonal imbalance. This hormone secretion will make the creature hungry more than usual and yet the energy from the food will be wasted. Get your guinea pig checked by the vet to get it cured.
What is the usual weight of a guinea pig?
A mature guinea pig should weigh around 1.5 to 2.6 pounds. But there can be variation in the weight of guinea pigs depending upon the various breeds, food type, and locality.
How can you tell from the bodyweight that your guinea pig is getting obese?
Though we have mentioned the normal weight of a matured guinea pig, we have also stated that the weight can differ from breed to breed, location to location, or different diets. So if you are deciding that your guinea pig is getting obese or not, you should not only trust the mentioned number of pounds.
What you should do is just keep a track of the weight of your guinea pig. It should be a regular process and you should weigh it at least once a week to see if its weight is decreasing or increasing.
Up to a year of age the weight of the guinea pig increases but after that, it is not a sign of good health. So if you find that the weight is increasing gradually then check the diet and make sure that the guinea pig exercises a lot.
You should be also bothered when you will find the weight to be decreased. Unless the guinea pig is suffering from some sickness, it should not lose weight. The gradual decrease in the weight without any measure from your side should be the symptom of something more severe.
How you can manage the diet of the guinea pig with increasing weight?
Feeding the guinea pig lesser food is not an option as that will only make it weak and also less protected from various diseases. They will lose the immunity that they get from the various kinds of nutritious foods.
In case you find the guinea pig to become fat, you should replace the regular fibers with some healthy fruits that are suitable for the guinea pigs. No food that is high in fat or salt should be fed to guinea pigs as that will help them in gaining weight all the more.
If you are offering it some commercially available food from the packet, then measure the amount by counting the pellets. The foods that are available in pellet form are good for maintaining the health of the guinea pigs, as unlike powdered, dust, or granule formed food, you can count the number of pellets and offer it to your guinea pig.
Also Check:
How important is it to seek the vet’s service in the matter of weight loss of guinea pigs?
If you are confirmed that your guinea pig has gained weight and it needs to lose weight to become healthy, you should check it with the vet once. The serious conditions that may arise due to the weight loss process or diet should not be handled by you without any suggestion from vets.
The diet specifically should be decided by the vet, as he or she knows the best way to keep the nutrition level intact and yet decrease the bodyweight of your guinea pig.
Some innovative games may also be helpful in terms of weight loss. Find the games that are available online and encourage the guinea pig to play with that equipment.
Guinea pigs are usually fun-loving creatures and after the initial start, they will love to enjoy such gaming sessions.
Water intake should not be decreased at the time of to weight-loss session. As during the weight-loss period, guinea pigs are fed with vegetables and fruits, they tend to get less thirsty as these things contain a good amount of water. You must check the amount of water it is drinking during a day along with the lesser amount of food.
More:
