Hi there,

Thank you all so much to those who replied to my thread about the loss of my pet hamster, Cashmere. I adopted a pet guinea pig, Snickers from a different pet store in January, and he is the apple of my eye! He is an orangish brown, like the caramel in Snickers bars, that's where I got his name! He has a white stripe on his face and adorable markings on his body, he has become my best friend. I love cuddling with him, and petting him, he is starting to relax more and feels more comfortable here.

Does anyone have any advice on weight loss with pets? He is a bit chubby, I think that's from my feeding his fruit and veggie snacks instead of loose hay which I am allergic to. The vet said that is fine but I tend to give him too many treats, I think.

Thanks so much! I tried uploading some photos of Cashmere, my hamster who passed away and Snickers, my guinea pig.

Amy

Snickers is lovely. Such a cutie! We have guinea pigs and I just think that some are fatter than others. The pet store I got my last one at (on Saturday) said something I had never heard which was to feed them unlimited hay and carrots and only a single bowl of the pellets a day. I've never limited food in any way, but they said that the pellets are what makes them too fat. *shrug* I don't really know, I had just never heard that before.

ETA: So sorry for your loss of your hamster.

He is a cutie!

You can try giving him just veggies instead of a mixture of fruit and veggies.

Thank you for all of your kind words!

Snickers is my best friend, sweet, curious, friendly and very loving. It's nice because he has really come out of his shell, when I first bought him he was skittish and scared, now we cuddle watching TV every night. Sometimes he falls asleep on my shoulder and is so completely relaxed, it's adorable. I always look forward to seeing him when I come home and his trick is that he comes to the corner of his cage when I give him a treat, smart Snick!!

Glue, thank you so much. I miss Cashmere, my hammie but I know that I loved her and took good care of her. I still have her ashes. That's interesting about the pellets, I always give Snickers pellets but that's interesting about them making animals chubby. Thanks.

Mara, thanks!! I love him!

Locke, good idea, I do give more veggies than fruit, I appreciate the advice.

Thanks!!!

Amy and Snickers!!!

What a cutie pie.

I saw this post and just wanted to chime in. Congratulations on your new buddy. Guinea pigs are one of my favorites. Snickers should be eating primarily Timothy or Orchard Grass hay(if an adult). There should be less pellets offered than hay(they can get fat), and good leafy green veggies(not iceberg), should be offered. If you don't spray your yard with anything, they love dandelions and munching fresh grass. With fresh foods, make sure that those you offer are high in vitamin C, as piggies can't make it themselves, and are prone to scurvy. Avoid too many cruciferous veggies, as these can create gas in the GI tract. The pellets you buy should be bought in small bags and kept in the fridge, and you should consider getting a vitamin C supplement (tablets for pigs). Although GPs will beg, it is really better to limit the junk and pellets and feed mostly hay. It will make the difference in how many years Snickers will live. No nuts, seeds or things with added sugar, and not too many fruits. Also, alfalfa hay is very high in calcium, and can contribute to the formation of stones in the urinary tract(which can be fatal if they are unable to urinate), so best to avoid that, unless your GP is pregnant or growing. Taking care of snickers will prevent unnecessary sickness. Just like us, they are what they eat!

Angie, thank you! I think he is pretty cute too.

Brandis, thank you for that advice. I recently threw out some Timothy hay cubes because they didn't look good, I will get him some more soon. I remember from having a horse that hay turns. I'm highly allergic to the loose hay. I sometimes give him a veggie, fruit and seed treat bar. He loves those treat bars but I don't give them too often.

Thank you everyone for all the kind words and advice.

Amy and Snickers

I just wanted to say this guy is adorable! I have bunnies & hamsters

aww what a cutie I had two guinea pigs, one past away half a year ago and I still have my oldest one who's 8 years old now. I love him to death. They have their own little personalities with their little habits, it's a joy to watch them. Mine doesn't like fruits very much but he LOVES salad (no iceberg though, its not good for guinea pigs)

yes pellets can make them fat, my vet warned me. Yuki (my guinea) LOVES his pellets so I have to ration his otherwise he'd be rolling around lol...mine likes to lick all my face, he's cleaning it, 'cause obviously I don't seem to do that right lol ;p

Savemykisses-

Aww, thanks. I was recently away for a week and I missed him so much. My mom had a bun when she was younger, I miss my hammy, she was a cutie pie!
There are some great FB pages for buns!

CuteFlower-

I'm so sorry your guinea pig passed away, that's sad. . I was a wreck after Cashmere, my hammy died. Wow, 8 years! That's amazing!!

Snickers is picky about treats and some fruits but he loves cucumber, apple, celery and he likes carrots. I've found a few pet store treats that he likes. He loves the fruit, seed and nut treat bars, and he likes some hay nibble rings but he's not a fan of yogurt treats.

Aww, Snick sometimes nibbles inside my ear!! It's so funny! I know he's trying to groom me!! . It's so adorable!

Do your guineas purr? Snick purred like a kitty kat once I was home after my trip, it was so sweet. Do your guineas nip? I'm trying to get him to stop that!!!


Take care!

Amy and Snickers