Help with my guinea pig.?

Question

When i first got Mater the pet store told me to let him exercise in an exercise ball. he never did and i think the reason why is because it hurts his back or so i read. I bought him a playpen and he wont run around. all he does is sit there and pee on the potty pads that i bought him. i just don't know what to do. does anybody know how much food to give him. i only give him about a cup a day along with oranges and hay. have any ideas on how to help him lose weight?

Answer 1

the both of them explained it all

Answer 2

Alissha covered it well, my only additional suggestion would be to get him a same s*x friend since guinea pigs are social.

Answer 3

Once he's more comfortable with being in the exercise pen he'll start to move around more.  Just give him time and perhaps some extra veggies treats.  It's wonderful that you're not trying to force him into an exercise ball or wheel, they can seriously injure a guinea pig.

As far as his diet goes there are a few things that you can change.  The majority of his diet needs to be a grassy hay like timothy, orchard grass or bluegrass.  Pellets should be provided in a limited amount, 1 cup sounds like a huge amount!  I feed Oxbow and Timothy gets 1/4 cup per day.  If you are not already feeding a high quality feed then take a look at these web sites for the best products around:

http://www.kmshayloft.com

http://www.oxbowhay.com

For veggies he needs far more than oranges.  Each day he should get a cup of mixed veggies.  You want most of it to be leafy green veggies like lettuce (any kind but iceberg), cilantro, parsley, and kale.  Then there are other things that can be given in smaller amounts like bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, celery and fruits.  Tons of diet ideas here:

http://www.guinealynx.info/diet.html

You can also give him more room to exercise.  I don't know what kind of cage you have, but pet store cages are almost always too small.  One guinea pig needs at least 7.5 sq ft and this is way more than most cages.  You can build a cheap, easily cleaned, and fun cage like this:

http://www.guineapigcages.com

You can find so much information and advice in the Guinea Lynx care guide.  I would advise reading it all more than once, there's a ton of information to take in.

http://www.guinealynx.info/healthycavy.h...