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can guinea pigs overeat

Can Guinea Pigs Overeat?

If there’s one thing that guinea pigs are really good at, its eating.

They will have a nibble at anything and if like the taste of it, they will eat it.

One of the main reasons for this is that their teeth are constantly growing and they need to keep chewing in order to grind down their teeth.

So this means that they always looking for things to chew on. So is there a danger that they could over-eat at all?

Can guinea pigs overeat?

The answer is yes they can.

However, fortunately, most guinea pigs are pretty good at self-regulating themselves.

They don’t eat all the time and do get full like we do.

So it’s important that they always have access to hay to chew on to grind down their teeth as well as vitamin c pellets and fresh water.

But just as importantly its good for them to have space where they can run around so as give them the exercise they need otherwise there is a danger they will get quite large.

What about overindulging piggies?

However, there may be some piggies who will overindulge and eat everything that they see. It’s quite interesting to watch then and why they eat.

Some will eat all their food and some will leave some of it depending on whether they like the food or whether they are full.

I have seen overweight guinea pigs and this can cause problems for them.

Just like us they are prone to be lethargic and to other diseases and ailments like Bumblefoot for example.

So watching and regulating what they eat is a good practice for the long-term well being of your guinea pigs.

How to regulate what your guinea pigs eat

A good practice to help this is to regulate what you give to your guinea pigs on a daily basis.

As mentioned before most guinea pigs will eat everything you give them especially if they enjoy it.

But if you limit what you give them to daily rations then you can stop this from potentially happening.

For example, you may choose to give a guinea pig 2 handfuls of guinea pig mix, 3 matchbox sized rations of veg and a little fruit.

Don’t forget that hay shouldn’t be rationed. Give them a limitless supply of to chew on and a limitless supply of water as well.

You may choose to change this as you see fit, you know your guinea pigs and what they are like.

But this guide should help you make a start with this and ensure that your guinea pigs don’t overeat or go hungry either way.