fat/obese

Question
QUESTION: my guinea pig is really fat. i can see extra flesh hanging out
everywhere!! but i dont know what to do. when i try to get him to exercise, he doesnt react well. at best he'll ignore me and at worst he'll run away from me and stay away. but i dont know what to do. the only thing he really shows interest in is food. he doesn't get alot of pellets or hay, mostly fresh food, twice a day; usually grass, leaves, spinach, fruits, etc. is there anything i can do to make him lose weight or exercise?

ANSWER: Well, first of all, you should not feed your guinea pig spinach. And you should not feed him too much fruit. Fruit is very fattening, and should only be fed to them occasionally.

As far as exercising, just let him out of his cage for like an hour a day.  Let him walk around.  He will get bored standing in one place,and he will eventually walk around.  As long as he has a lot of room to run and enjoy himself, he will.  

And don't feed him leaves either.  Give him fresh vegetables, such as parsley, kale, romaine lettuce, red/green leaf lettuce.  

Also, do not give your guinea pig a ball or a wheel.  Guinea pigs are not as flexible as hamsters and ferrets, and their backs can break.

So your only option really is to let him run around on the floor.  Especially if he isn't eating that many pellets and hay.  You can also cut down on his vegetables. Still feed him twice a day, but give him less.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: i always take him outside, atleast once a day, but no matter how much i try, he always manages to find something to eat, and instead of running he sits and gorges

ANSWER: When you take him out of the cage, don't put any food out for him.  Make sure all his food is left inside the cage, and do not supply any food for him while he is exercising outside of the cage.  This way, he will not find anything to eat, and he will not be able to just sit there and munch on food.

If you do this, along with supplying a little less food, he should lose weight over time.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: sorry, i keep on asking follow-ups
but, when i make sure that the food is no where near him, he runs around for a while and then just sits down and lays there. i've tried playing games with him, like rolling a ball toward but it doesn't really work.

Answer
If he runs around for a while and then just sits there, just leave him out longer.  Since he is overweight, he might get tired after running around and just needs to rest.  If you leave him out longer, then he will probably run around a little later after he rests.

You could also try putting him in a new room while he is out.  This way, he will want to explore the new surroundings.  If he is always in the same room, he may be bored of it.  For example, if he is always in one bedroom, where everything is the same, try putting him in a different bedroom.  This way, he will want to see all the little places he can get into.  The thrill of exploring will hopefully prompt him to move around a bit more.