Is my guinea pig overweight at 3 lbs? How can I help him lose weight?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Small Animal | Guinea Pig | Male | 3.1 lbs
Is my guinea pig overweight? If so, what should I do to help him get to a healthy weight? I just weighed him and he weighed in at 3 lbs 1.7 oz.
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on July 4th, 2020
Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center with your question about Snowball and for providing pictures, they are very helpful. Yes he is a bit overweight. He should be weighing around 2.5lbs and he does look overweight in the pictures. You need to adjust his diet. Around 80% of his diet should be high quality grass hay. He also needs vitamin c. In order to get a variety of nutrients and vitamin C, give your guinea pig up to 1 cup (128 g) of fresh vegetables and about 1/4 cup (30 g) of fresh fruit a day. Stick to this diet, nothing extra, and that should help him lose weight. Limit the amount of pellets he gets, as that can be a cause of weight gain. The Humane Society recommends that guinea pigs eat about 1/8 cup (30 g) of pellets a day. Also avoid high starch foods and commercial treats. Finally, get him to exercise. Let him run around the house supervised, and set up obstacles and toys in his cage to get him moving. I hope this helps!
7Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on December 29th, 2018
Thanks for reaching out about your guinea pigs. Typically a normal diet of hay, pellets and some vegetables will keep guinea pigs at their proper weight. concerns would be why are your pets thin? Dental disease, intestinal infections/parasites or metabolic concerns would be possibilities. Try to have a look at the incisors for any abnormal wear. If your guinea pigs appears sick, a veterinary visit is recommended. Good luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
-
Published on June 13th, 2019
Thanks for reaching out. The key is to decrease caloric intake. Pellets and vegetables are usually the culprits. A good quality hay, free choice, is difficult to gain weight with. Cut pellets and treats in half. Increase allowed exercise by allowing to roam (supervised) in a play area. Good luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
My guinea pig is really fat and I do give him excercise but he doesn't like it at all I don't know what to do
I went to vet got told my guinea pigs are overweight didn’t get any advice on how to help them lose weight can you give some advice on what I feed and also some tips for more excirse
Based on these photos is my brown guinea pig Mocha overweight? I am getting a scale but I just needed to know if her weight is something to really worry about. She is about 6-7 months.
Which vegetables can help in increasing guinea pigs weight.???
Hi I need urgent help! Flopsy is looking extremely obese and there is fat sagging under his neck, he lives with a rabbit friend (peter) , peter is in great shape. I have checked flopsy for signs of GI stasis and it he is fine, I give 1/2 cup pellets
My Guinea pig Mickey doesn't seem to be loosing weight but it seems I can feel his hip bones/spine and ribs he doesn't seem to be bloated he is constantly eating and pooping/peeking but seems he has no fat where these bones are. He gets unlimited o
My guinea pig, Shay, is a 5 mo. female. She weighs around 2.2 pounds already, and she is very long. I read that reducing treats and monitoring the amount of hay given could help, but the problem is that I have another 5 mo. female in the cage who is
Its about my pet guinea pig. He is a very active guinea pig. But from past few days he had stopped eating and drinking. He lost weight as well. He wants to eat, grab food but cannot eat. I thought that he has some molar problem and took him to the ve
What is a good way to get guinea pigs to exercise?
Hi, my guineapig has alwasy been a little bit fatter than a normal piggie but i have noticed lately that i can feel his bones with just a tiny squish on his stomach and he has two little patches on the side of his stomach that are bold. He is still
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
