What Foods Will Help My Guinea Pig Gain Weight?

Why Is My Guinea Pig Losing Weight?

There could be a range of reasons why your guinea pig is losing weight. If you notice a more sudden loss of weight, it would be best to see a vet as soon as possible. There are many health conditions that could cause your guinea pig to lose weight, such as kidney disease and overgrown teeth.

Another reason for weight loss is stress. If your guinea pig is stressed in their environment, they will be more focused on looking out for danger or running away and hiding, and eating will not be as important.

Weight loss could also be due to incorrect diet.

A guinea pig could be losing weight simply because it’s not consuming the right nutrients or the right number of calories to sustain them.

What to Do If My Guinea Pig Is Underweight

If your guinea pig is losing weight unintentionally, you will need to get straight to a vet. They will be able to perform a body check, run some tests and find out the root of the problem. If there is a medical reason for your guinea pig losing weight, you’ll be able to sort out a treatment plan to get them back to a healthy weight.

Before you’re able to get to the vet, it’s best to try and observe the guinea pig’s behaviour for a while. Look out for any changes, whether they are eating and loosing weight or abstaining from meals altogether. This is a good indicator for what the problem is, and it’s extra information that would benefit your vet.

It’s quite possible your guinea pig may not be eating due to stress. If physical illness is ruled out, you may want to turn your attention to their enclosure.

Their area needs to have plenty of space for your guinea pig to run around, lots of dark places for them to hide and tunnels and toys to play with.

If your enclosure is lacking in hides, the guinea pig may simply not feel safe enough to eat.

How to Help My Guinea Pig Gain Weight

After the vet visit, it’s now time to adjust their diet to help them gain more weight. The best place to start is changing the amount of pellets they’re given. Guinea pigs need pellets to be the base of their diet, and they will be the main source of their nutrients.

Make sure your guinea pig has a constant supply of hay that is changed daily. Hay should be the majority of their diet and is wonderful at aiding digestion and filing down their teeth. If your guinea pig’s weight loss was due to issues with their teeth, then this should be the focus.

What to Feed My Guinea Pig

There is a lot to choose from when it comes to feeding your guinea pig, from the type of pellets to different vegetables and types of hay. All these factors play a big part in the health of your guinea pig.

Not only is a variety of food good for guinea pigs physically, it’s enriching for them too. Having a large variety will better mimic their diets in the wild, and make mealtimes more enjoyable for them and entice them to eat more.

Having a large variety will better mimic their diets in the wild,

and make mealtimes more enjoyable for them and entice them to eat more.

Pellets

For pellets, Burgess Excel is a great start. Easily accessible from Pets@home, it’s a perfect balance of nutrients for your guinea pig’s daily diet. They need roughly one heaped tablespoon of pellets per day, but if you’re wanting your guinea pig to gain weight, you’ll most likely want to increase this amount a little bit.

Vegetables

Adding a variety of veggies to mealtimes is also needed to provide a balanced diet. Guinea pigs can eat about 250g of fresh, clean vegetables a day. Some of the best, and safest, veggies for guinea pigs are:

·       Romaine Lettuce

·       Spinach

·       Courgette

·       Kale

·       Coriander

Just like humans, guinea pigs are not able to make their own vitamin C, so they require foods high in vitamin C in their diets. It’s important to use veggies to meet this requirement.

Fruit

Guinea pigs can also eat a variety of fruits, though these need to be given in much more moderation and as a treat. Fruit is very high in sugar, and overfeeding of fruits can cause excessive weight gain. Fruits should be given a few times a week at most, and some safe options are:

·       Bananas

·       Kiwi

·       Apple

·       Strawberry

Hay

Hay should make up about 80% of a guinea pig’s diet, so it’s absolutely crucial that they have a clean and constant supply of it. Purchase a hay that is high in fibre; some good options are:

·       Timothy Hay

·       Meadow Hay

·       Orchard Hay

Avoid hays such as Clover or Alfalfa unless instructed by your vet.

They tend to be too high in calcium for an older guinea pig, but are better suited to nursing mothers or piggies under 6 months.