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Guinea pig weight problem

Hello I know this isn't aimed against me but I have never ever had a problem with feeding to much carrots mine never seemed to care neither did I have a problem feeding unlimited pellets
a friend of mine always had unlimited pellets and actually had her guinea pig live a full 6 years! unlimited pellets can be a problem only some of time, but i would definitely not take the risk of excessive feeding. most of the time, it all comes down to what your guinea pig is like and what/how much food it can take in.
 
Carrots are a high sugar food. Too much sugary items in the diet can cause an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut which can lead to digestive problems. Therefore, sweet things such as carrots and fruit are once per week at most and considered as treats only. There is no need for root veg and fruit to feature highly in the diet at all. In my 30 years of keeping small animals, this has always been the advice and supported by vets. You are of course free to go by whatever advice you wish but the advice of the forum is carrots are considered treats and kept very very limited.

Likewise with pellets, they are full of unhealthy grained based fillers which add nothing to the diet (And in fact going grain free is advisable particularly for piggies with bladder problems). They can overeat pellets and then hay consumption drops which can lead to health problems including dental issues (pellets don’t wear down the teeth) as well as excess calcium intake which can lead to bladder stone formation
Great thanks in learning so much more about piggie care and can't wait to change it so my piggies are healthier, what veggies would you recommend for a Guinea pig with a sensitive belly instead of carrots and celery
 
a friend of mine always had unlimited pellets and actually had her guinea pig live a full 6 years! unlimited pellets can be a problem only some of time, but i would definitely not take the risk of excessive feeding. most of the time, it all comes down to what your guinea pig is like and what/how much food it can take in.
Okay thank you very much, I will give him less pellet then I did before as well with my other piggies and see if that helps I just want him to eat more hay as that's the main problem
 
Great thanks in learning so much more about piggie care and can't wait to change it so my piggies are healthier, what veggies would you recommend for a Guinea pig with a sensitive belly instead of carrots and celery

The guide below will help you, but daily mine get mostly leafy veg of coriander and lettuce. They then get a couple of slices of bell pepper to boost their vitamin c intake (although hay and grass also contain vit c), and a slice of cucumber. They will get the odd other item if ive got it in the fridge, but those four items form the basis of the daily veg. They then get a higher calcium veg occasionally.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

The important thing for you though is getting piggy to a vet to investigate the weight loss, as well as reducing pellet intake to encourage hay consumption. Do read the guides which I’ve linked in this thread regarding weight loss and syringe feeding.
 
Definitely have this investigated. One of my rainbow bridge piggies started losing weight drastically, he was eating perfectly. Anyway, he ended up having liver disease. As things progressed, he became increasingly thirsty all the time and also constantly hungry. He’d always be asking for food any time anyone walked in the room. He was constantly ravenous. He also started to act a little funny in the mind, too. His largest weight was around 1500 grams and his lowest around 800 grams. The liver disease made it so his body couldn’t process all the nutrients in the food he was eating which is what creates the weight loss. Since he was diagnosed, he lived 8 months before being PTS due to some sort of stroke.
Weight loss definitely is indicative of a health issue, whether this is not eating enough to maintain weight or having an underlying problem that needs investigating with some tests - usually a blood test is able to identify issues with any organs. So please, get him seen by the vet and have some tests done as the weight loss is becoming very significant.
Thank you very much I'm so sorry for your loss i will definitely try to get a vet booked as I don't want to loose him he hasn't changed at all just yet still drinks same amount, eats same amount wees/pops same amount and doesn't really nag for food unless he knows its dinner time ill get a vet booked to check him over
 
Great thanks in learning so much more about piggie care and can't wait to change it so my piggies are healthier, what veggies would you recommend for a Guinea pig with a sensitive belly instead of carrots and celery
i think this was a question asked to piggies+buns but i think that i may be able to help anyways.

here are some good DAILY veggies
-yellow bell pepper (red and orange cannot be fed as often)
-romaine lettuce
-zucchini

from what i know, these are the best veggies for piggies. i think you should also do more research for how much they can be fed. i hope this helps :)
 
The guide below will help you, but daily mine get mostly leafy veg of coriander and lettuce. They then get a couple of slices of bell pepper to boost their vitamin c intake (although hay and grass also contain vit c), and a slice of cucumber. They will get the odd other item if ive got it in the fridge, but those four items form the basis of the daily veg. They then get a higher calcium veg occasionally.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

The important thing for you though is getting piggy to a vet to investigate the weight loss, as well as reducing pellet intake to encourage hay consumption. Do read the guides which I’ve linked s2in this thread regarding weight loss and syringe feeding.
Okay thank you as well I will take this changes into consideration and will definitely try to get a vet booked for him as I can't loose him and I am very worried
 
i think this was a question asked to piggies+buns but i think that i may be able to help anyways.

here are some good DAILY veggies
-yellow bell pepper (red and orange cannot be fed as often)
-romaine lettuce
-zucchini

from what i know, these are the best veggies for piggies. i think you should also do more research for how much they can be fed. i hope this helps :)
Thank you this is very helpful too I will take this into consideration too
 
Okay thank you as well I will take this changes into consideration and will definitely try to get a vet booked for him as I can't loose him and I am very worried

For ease to finding it, this is our syringe feeding guide which explains more than I can repeat in each post. Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

You will need to feed him as much as necessary in a 24 hour period to stabilise his weight. Weigh him daily at the same time each day so you can monitor this. Do get him a vet - there is going to be a reason why he is losing so much weight - and let us know how you get on
 
For ease to finding it, this is our syringe feeding guide which explains more than I can repeat in each post. Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

You will need to feed him as much as necessary in a 24 hour period to stabilise his weight. Weigh him daily at the same time each day so you can monitor this. Do get him a vet - there is going to be a reason why he is losing so much weight - and let us know how you get on
Okay thank you I will take a look and definitely get a vet booked as I don't want to loose him when he's only 3 years old
 
i think this was a question asked to piggies+buns but i think that i may be able to help anyways.

here are some good DAILY veggies
-yellow bell pepper (red and orange cannot be fed as often)
-romaine lettuce
-zucchini

from what i know, these are the best veggies for piggies. i think you should also do more research for how much they can be fed. i hope this helps :)

Any colour pepper is fine to be fed daily.
 
Hello all

Update u have just weighed him and he know weighs 900g which is better and I've changed his pellets so he only has a tablespoon in the morning I've also put a massive pile of hay in his cage instead of a hay rack which he's loving

Make sure you weigh him at the same time each day so you minimise fluctuations.
It would still be worth a vet check because he has lost quite a bit of weight to date
 
Make sure you weigh him at the same time each day so you minimise fluctuations.
It would still be worth a vet check because he has lost quite a bit of weight to date
Okay thank you. Going to weigh him every Wednesday around 12. Would you advise daily weighing or is weekly okay

And I will attempt to get a vet appointment
 
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