weight problem

Question
My male guinea pig has gained a lot of weight over the past 2 months. He has a well balanced diet of pellet food and fruits and vegtables and he exercises about an hour a day. I find no way to explain the weight gain. What could be wrong? Should I be worried? Please Help!  

Answer
Hello Ana.

Let me ask this Ana. How old is your piggie? If he is young (about 4 months old) then maybe it's just the diet you feed him and a mix between him getting older and filling out his body that could be making him gain weight. You may be feeding him too much.

If he is older, and all of a sudden gaining rapid weight even though you haven't changed his diet at all, then their may be a problem there and i would suggest taking him the the vet ASAP. It could be bloat which is trouble for his body.

If you think that maybe your just all of a sudden feeding him too much, then you would need to change his diet, and maybe give him a bit more exercise.

The typical diet for a piggie should be close to this. (by the way, i would cut fruits down for piggies because too much can cause diabetes. I usually feed my piggy a small slice of an apple/pear/melon once a week. Sometimes once every couple of weeks. Fruit is just sugar that WILL turn into fat for your pigs)

1. Fill up the pellet dish once a day, and don't fill it up again until next day, same time.

2. NONSTOP hay. Your piggy should be fed a constant supply of timothy hay. It's helps the digestive track, keeps your piggies busy/entertained, and helps grind down the ever growing teeth.

3. Veggies. About a cup a day.
  EXAMPLE: one baby carrot, a few strands of parsley or cilantro, and a couple of medium sized pieces of romaine lettuce, dandelion greens, or swiss/red chard.

Hope this helps.
Christy :)