A week into guinea pigs and I think I am running into some problems

[Khoki]

Basically I've had guinea pigs for a week, maybe less and I am concerned about some things which is
1. Is this food alright for guinea pigs along with some hay?
2. I sometimes find their poop in small clusters and just recently as today, like a relatively long thin line of poop. How can I fix it?
3. How often should I feed them fresh veggies because I've fed them least once per day - 2 small peppers cut up into little pieces, i weighted it and is around 50 mg and I have a suspension that this os somehow related to my second concern.

 

[piggl]

Welcome to the forum!

1. No, that food isn’t the best for guinea pigs as from what I can see it is a muesli type nugget, which leads to selection of the tastiest pieces and not proper nutrition. What you are looking for is a plain pellet, I can’t actually find the nutritional value of the stuff you have there, perhaps you could also post a picture of the ingredients and someone with more knowledge than me may be able to advise you more on the nugget you have.
A type that is favoured by a lot of members is science selective nuggets - https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/science-selective-guinea-pig-food-4kg - but I am not sure how widely available they are.

Guinea pigs should have only 1tbsp of nuggets per day, so if you have two piggies the most nuggets they would get would be 2tbsp, but most prefer to not feed that many as they only make up a very, very small percentage of the diet.

2. The long thin line of poop/clusters can indicate dehydration or a stomach upset of some sort. Do you have water bottles or bowls for your piggies, and if so have you seen them using them at all? Are you sure they work?
All About Drinking And Bottles

3. As for veggies, piggies can have say a “slice” of bell pepper per day. I will attach the forums guide on this as it has a picture of an ideal ‘veg per day’ laid out on a plate that you may find helpful to adjust to your piggies day (post #2). Hay makes up the majority of the diet so ensure they have access to a large amount 24/7.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Most owners don’t stick to exactly what the image says, I know atleast my pigs diet gets changed based on the season/price, but it’s a great place to start. I only buy romaine lettuce, pepper and cucumber for them. I have herbs growing outside and all extras just depend on the day.

Is it bell peppers that you are feeding? Is that the only veg they get daily?

Additional to this, I will attach the forums very handy new owners guide that contains the links to answer any question you may have.
New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection

Feel free to share pictures of your piggies if you would like to, we love a good pig picture.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I agree with everything Piggl has said.

Their diet needs to be hay, hay and more hay along with some fresh grass. Hay needs to be their main food intake and makes up 80% of what they need to eat in a day. They need large piles of it in the cage at all times.

They can then have one cup of a variety of veg each day. Lettuce, a small slice of bell pepper, cilantro, and a slice of cucumber are the four safe veg they can have daily. Don’t just give them one type of veg all the time as that isn’t a balanced diet. 50g of pepper is too much.
You can’t give them their veg portion by weighing it though as the differing densities of veg make it inaccurate. You need to go by volume so give them around one cup. The sample plate in the guides Piggl linked in will help you visually.

The next is dry food. The food in your picture is not what they should be eating, it’s grain based muesli which isn’t good for them. You don’t want piggies eating grains as it can lead to health issues, and mueslis cause selective feeding. If you can get a plain hay/grass based pellet something like Oxbow which is internationally available, then they can have one tablespoon each of it per day. It is the least important part of their diet and they should never have much.
If you cannot get a plain guinea pig pellet at all, then don’t feed them any dry food. It is the one part of the diet which is expendable.

Nugget Comparison Chart
Pellets Or Muesli / Dry Mix?

My piggies only get pellets twice a week and even then I give them less than a tablespoon each.
Due to that I give them a little extra veg.

The poops you are concerned about - it is possibly because their diet may not be right. Not eating enough hay can cause issues particularly if they’ve been given too much veg.
If you could post a picture of the poops it might help us identify the issue.

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

In addition to the last post:
Since zooplus doesn't sell Science Selective any more (ar least not in Germany/Austria), you'll have to look around if you can find an online shop you can buy it from with reasonable shipping costs. In Austria, you can sometimes sometimes get them in larger or specialized pet shops as well.
But as was posted above, pellets are a very somall part of the diet and you don't have to feed any at all.

Guinea pigs always need to be adjusted slowly to new food, especially veggies. Start with a little bit and then slowly increase the amount.

 

[Khoki]

Ok so they have a 250ml bottle in their cage and from the last 1-2 days they've drunk around 75 ml, here is also a picture.About the poop, after I didn't give them veggies yesterday I think it looks normal I think. I took out the food of the guinea pigs put leaving only the hay box and water bottle. Also here is a picture of the piggies. Thank you for your advice man.

 

[Khoki]

And also yes, I am sure they work. I tested it out on the first day and I've seen them using it so idk

 

[Piggies&buns]

The amount they drink will very - some piggies drink a lot; others not much.
Make sure you have two water bottles in the cage. You always need two of every item.

All About Drinking And Bottles

Add a lot more hay into the cage, just loose in piles so they can forage through it and play with it.

It’s good you’ve removed the dry food - it isn’t healthy. In fact it’s also not safe - the seeds in it are a risk of them breaking their teeth or choking

From what I can see in the picture, the poops look completely normal.
Too much veg will cause soft or mushy poops.

 

[Dwarfpotato]

It sounds like you have your pigs' best interests at heart and you're in the right place to get good advice. You're doing great! I don't have anything useful to offer on top of what's been said but I just wanted to pop by to say your pigs are gorgeous

 

[Wheekallweek]

Gorgeous piggies!

 

[Cheekypigs]

Sounds like you're making a great start! Keeping an eye on the poops is a very good way to know how their digestion is doing. Since the poops are now looking regular, they're probably settling down fine. Keep them well stocked with hay and water and you'll be surprised how quickly they grow!

They look adorable.