This guinea pig with type two diabetes can only eat green things

By Amy Reast via SWNS

A guinea pig has been forced into a strict lettuce, cucumber, celery and spinach diet - because he has a rare case of type two diabetes.

Guinea pig Maple Le Page became a source of concern for his owner Jo Le Page, 40, because he was draining his water bottle every day and peeing constantly.

Blood tests showed tiny Maple had diabetes, which surprised vets due to its rareness.

Jo, who has kids Grace, nine, and Isaac, five, feared Maple would require insulin injections - which can be traumatic for some pets.

Vets suggested they first try putting Maple on a strict diet - only eating green things.

So Maple switched out fruit and kibble for the calcium-rich greens, and Maple, now one and a half years old, is thriving.

Jo, from Guernsey, UK, said: "He was drinking about a quarter of his body weight every day, which is a lot for a guinea pig.

"I noticed how much the water was going down and how much he was weeing and I knew something was wrong.

"Luckily his diet worked...so we didn't need to worry about insulin injections.

"Now he loves any greens. Mixed lettuce is his favorite!"

Jo had Maple from birth after unwittingly buying his mother, Pearl, while she was pregnant, Maple was one of three in her litter.

From a very age young, the family noticed him drinking lots more than his sisters - due to being in a separate cage to prevent more babies.

From a very young age the Agouti Rex guinea pig, would drink excessive water and peeing constantly – a sign of diabetes in humans as well as animals.

When taken to the vets in May, it transpired his blood sugar level was 22.6 mmol/L - way above what vets would expect to see.

So they instructed that Jo should put Maple the diet to help reduce his blood sugar, because he had the rare situation of type two diabetes from birth.

Jo said: "We tried two weeks of changing his diet, no dry food, no sweet veg, no fruit, and change his meadow hay to Timothy hay.

"He could just have lettuce, cucumber, celery, sometimes parsley and spinach."

After a fortnight of his new green-only diet, they returned to the vet and found his blood sugar had dropped by more than two-thirds - and was now at just 7 mmol/L.

Luckily Maple loves his new plant-based lifestyle and is perkier now his health is better.

Jo said: "Maple is a real character. He squeaks the loudest and practically hangs out of the cage when the door is opened.

"He likes to 'popcorn' - which is when a guinea pig skips in the air when they're happy.

"They all squeak when they hear the fridge door open and when a packet rustles although - he is the loudest.

"Luckily he loves greens - he gets particularly excited when he hears the fridge open!"