9 week old always so hungry!

Sammi1

Sammi1

Junior Guinea Pig
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I have 2 female 9 week old guinea pigs.
They have always begged for food like normal but it's getting extreme now.

They see a hand & think it means food, as soon as i put my hand in their cage i get bitten.

Daily feed schedule goes like this-

5am about a cup of veg
8am pile of hay. old hay gets removed. Half cup of pellets
11/12 fresh grass
Afternoon herbs & sometimes a treat apple, carrot etc..
Bedtime cup of veg.

They always have hay available & there is always pellets leftover.
I split the veg to try & stop the constant begging.

What do i do? These girls wheek all day & the bites are drawing blood.
They have been vet checked & are fine health wise.
They get about 3 hours of floor & cuddle time over the day & live in a 6ft x 4ft enclosure.
Thankyou!
 
Sammi1 said:
I have 2 female 9 week old guinea pigs.
They have always begged for food like normal but it's getting extreme now.

They see a hand & think it means food, as soon as i put my hand in their cage i get bitten.

Daily feed schedule goes like this-

5am about a cup of veg
8am pile of hay. old hay gets removed. Half cup of pellets
11/12 fresh grass
Afternoon herbs & sometimes a treat apple, carrot etc..
Bedtime cup of veg.

They always have hay available & there is always pellets leftover.
I split the veg to try & stop the constant begging.

What do i do? These girls wheek all day & the bites are drawing blood.
They have been vet checked & are fine health wise.
They get about 3 hours of floor & cuddle time over the day & live in a 6ft x 4ft enclosure.
Thankyou!
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

Please cut on the junk food like too much apple and carrot. Your piggies need to eat hay hay hay.

You have simply fallen into the begging trap. At first it was wonderful to have them begging and to give them something to eat - but that has given out the wrong kind of message. You have tought them that wheeking means getting yummy things out of you and that the more often they wheek, the more things they get.

As long as you give in to pester power, your piggies will continue to pester since it obviously works. You have to stay hard and only give them their veg and pellets (which shouldn't be unlimited) twice daily. Once they figure out that pester begging is no longer working, they will stop and only beg when it is coming up to feeding time. This means that you have stay firm and tough for a week or two and not react to any wheeking. You will find that your fridge will remain wheeker alarmed, but that is a normal piggy hazard.

Create a special food call so your girls learn when food is on the way and that it is on the way only when you announce it, apart from hay refills whenever necessary (but not more so and not on demand!)

All the best!

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
Piggies are ALWAYS hungry. They don’t have an off switch and need to eat constantly. But they should be eating hay as 80- 90% of their diet.
Like toddlers Piggies learn behaviour. Yours have learned that when they beg you put your hand in and hand feed them treats. That’s why when you put your hand in they are expecting food. By sticking to a routine and following the diet guide @Wiebke has listed above they will soon learn to stop begging except at mealtimes.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi and welcome

Please cut on the junk food like too much apple and carrot. Your piggies need to eat hay hay hay.

You have simply fallen into the begging trap. At first it was wonderful to have them begging and to give them something to eat - but that has given out the wrong kind of message. You have tought them that wheeking means getting yummy things out of you and that the more often they wheek, the more things they get.

As long as you give in to pester power, your piggies will continue to pester since it obviously works. You have to stay hard and only give them their veg and pellets (which shouldn't be unlimited) twice daily. Once they figure out that pester begging is no longer working, they will stop and only beg when it is coming up to feeding time. This means that you have stay firm and tough for a week or two and not react to any wheeking. You will find that your fridge will remain wheeker alarmed, but that is a normal piggy hazard.

Create a special food call so your girls learn when food is on the way and that it is on the way only when you announce it, apart from hay refills whenever necessary (but not more so and not on demand!)

All the best!

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Click to expand...

They get apple or carrot twice a week should i cut that out completely?

Should i continue to split the veg into 2 meals or feed in one go?

Also with the pellets they aren't unlimited but are there all day because they hardly eat them should i remove them?

Sorry for all the questions i just don't have this problem with my other piggies.
 
VickiA said:
Piggies are ALWAYS hungry. They don’t have an off switch and need to eat constantly. But they should be eating hay as 80- 90% of their diet.
Like toddlers Piggies learn behaviour. Yours have learned that when they beg you put your hand in and hand feed them treats. That’s why when you put your hand in they are expecting food. By sticking to a routine and following the diet guide @Wiebke has listed above they will soon learn to stop begging except at mealtimes.
Click to expand...

I didn't think i was giving in but now looking at it the way i split the meals up it would seem that way to them.

Ugh iv never had young guinea pigs mine have always been older & already in routine, kind of forgot i need to teach these little one's their routine!
 
Sammi1 said:
They get apple or carrot twice a week should i cut that out completely?

Should i continue to split the veg into 2 meals or feed in one go?

Also with the pellets they aren't unlimited but are there all day because they hardly eat them should i remove them?

Sorry for all the questions i just don't have this problem with my other piggies.
Click to expand...

I feed my piggies one cup of veg in the morning, and put in fresh hay.
Mid morning I check and add more hay as required
Mid afternoon I check and add more hay as required
In the evening, they get one cup of veg and one tablespoon of pellets plus more fresh hay to last them all night.
As you can see veg and pellets are such a tiny part of their diet, and the majority of what they eat is hay.
My two never leave pellets in their bowl, they get such a small amount that they eat it all and then move back onto hay.
Mine will get a small piece of carrot perhaps once every 10 days/two weeks or so. They hardly ever get fruit - I gave them a small thin slice each yesterday but that was only the second time they’ve had it in the four months I’ve had them!
 
Mine only beg for food after cuddle time (I have them well trained don't know how - it just kinda happened!). After cuddle time is veg time. I have my special "dindins" call and they know this means veg. If I go near them with no veg (and no "dindins" call) after cuddle time cos I'm clearing their stuff away they don't 'alf tell me off.
 
Pigs are always begging for food, particularly if it works! Mine recognize footsteps so they can divert their energies to the most well-trained humans- in our house, that's my 16-year-old son. The pigs own him. I have said he is a slave to the pigs, but he told me he prefers to be considered an unpaid intern!
 
Freela said:
Pigs are always begging for food, particularly if it works! Mine recognize footsteps so they can divert their energies to the most well-trained humans- in our house, that's my 16-year-old son. The pigs own him. I have said he is a slave to the pigs, but he told me he prefers to be considered an unpaid intern!
Click to expand...


Haha this made me laugh!

I'm use to the begging, i have 5 other piggies that like to let me know they are starving whenever I'm about... it's the getting my hand torn apart whenever i go near them that's getting to me!
 
Piggies&buns said:
I feed my piggies one cup of veg in the morning, and put in fresh hay.
Mid morning I check and add more hay as required
Mid afternoon I check and add more hay as required
In the evening, they get one cup of veg and one tablespoon of pellets plus more fresh hay to last them all night.
As you can see veg and pellets are such a tiny part of their diet, and the majority of what they eat is hay.
My two never leave pellets in their bowl, they get such a small amount that they eat it all and then move back onto hay.
Mine will get a small piece of carrot perhaps once every 10 days/two weeks or so. They hardly ever get fruit - I gave them a small thin slice each yesterday but that was only the second time they’ve had it in the four months I’ve had them!
Click to expand...

I don't think they like the pellets, i never see them eating any, 2 of my adult piggies don't like pellets either.

I might start topping hay up more often, they do have unlimited hay but just want to test me... OR my hands taste really good haha
 
Claire W said:
My piggies are 3.5 years old and still think a hand means food :D
Click to expand...


I have a 7.5yr old boy sweetest thing who is so set on his routine that if I'm 10 minutes late he starts wheeking like he's hurting!
But he has never bitten me.. I think my feelings are hurt i love these girls & they just want to eat me hahaha
 
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