Hello! I just got my piggy about a month ago (my brother had owned her for about a year but then moved to a place where he couldn't have pets so he gave her to me) and took her to the vet for a wellness check and just to get some questions answered. The vet said she is in great health, she was just a bit on the overweight side but just barely. She adviced me to cut down on the hay I feed her.
Charlie (the guinea pig) has a diet that normally consists of about a half cup of spring mix lettuce in the morning with a slice of green bell pepper, between 1/8 and 1/4 cup of Oxbow pellets at dinner, and unlimited hay. She also will usually get a snack/treat once per day, usually a veggie or fruit like watermelon rind or something along those lines.
From all my research, I believed that guinea pigs were supposed to have unlimited amounts of hay because it helps with their teeth. However when discussing cutting back her diet with the vet she said to decrease the hay and continue everything else in the same amounts. Should I be limiting her hay or would that not be a good for her? How else could I help her lose a bit of weight; I don't want her to get too big where it could lead to health problems. Thank you!
Charlie (the guinea pig) has a diet that normally consists of about a half cup of spring mix lettuce in the morning with a slice of green bell pepper, between 1/8 and 1/4 cup of Oxbow pellets at dinner, and unlimited hay. She also will usually get a snack/treat once per day, usually a veggie or fruit like watermelon rind or something along those lines.
From all my research, I believed that guinea pigs were supposed to have unlimited amounts of hay because it helps with their teeth. However when discussing cutting back her diet with the vet she said to decrease the hay and continue everything else in the same amounts. Should I be limiting her hay or would that not be a good for her? How else could I help her lose a bit of weight; I don't want her to get too big where it could lead to health problems. Thank you!