Am I being a bad guinea pig owner?

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Daisyanddandelion

Daisyanddandelion

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Hiya
I change my pigs water everyday and make sure they're dry food bowl is filled up but I don't give them fresh food everyday! I do every other day but should i daily?

Daisy-c

P.S Daisy and dandelion squeak their wishes for a happy new year
 
I give mine dried food and a selection of 3 or 4 veg twice a day,but everyone is different. Do they have fresh hay daily? x
 
By fresh food do you mean vegetables? As guinea pigs should have 50g of veg per pig per day, as the vegetables contain all the vitamins and minerals that the pigs need. I give mine veg twice a day, morning and night.

Is there any reason why you give fresh food every other day?

Lovely names for your piggys! :))
 
i give mine 4 /5 different types a day only at night time tho and i spend £11 to £15 a week on their veg (for 5 piggie's) tho i have 19 piggies at the moment and probably only spend an extra fiver
 
I Know it is important for them to get their Vit C.Mine get so excited when their fresh veg comes,it is lovely to see.
 
I think there would be an uproar if mine didn't get their daily veggies. In fact I suspect JoJo is working out an escape plan so he can get to the fridge when I am but 10 minutes late feeding them...

Fresh veg daily is really something they should have.
 
I feed mine veg twice a day. when I get up and around teatime(for us humans lol) Thankfully us as a family have veg for dinner most days of the week, so what ever is left over after hubs prepared dinner the piggies get.They have a bag full in the fridge which consists of carrot,broccoli,cabbage, sprouts, sweet potatoe and cauliflower leaves(they dont like the actual cauliflower0
 
i would be more inclined to feed dry food every other day and give vegs every day (i too give am & pm) and unlimited hay and water x


happy new year daisy & dandelion x>>
 
I give mine hay and pellets in an unlimited amount and give veggies/fruit usually once a day. I think as long as they are getting fresh veg when you can then they will be fine.
 
Veggies are an important supplement. Obviously, hay is the most important part of a piggy's diet and should make up around 80% of their food intake. After that, veggies are the next most important and should make up at least 10% of a piggy's daily diet.

If you're going to miss out on anything, you can miss out on pellets/nuggets as in many vets' opinions, they are not essential. Many pellets are sold as being vitamin C-rich but in fact the vitamin C decreases over time and often there is very little vitamin C content in them once you've opened the bag. Piggies can get all the vitamin C and other essential nutrients from their veggies and hay.

Hope that helps. :)
 
Just wanted to say that bad piggie owners are those who don't ask when they are not sure they are doing the right thing - and who don't really care.

The best piggie owners are always looking at how they care for their piggies, wondering if they could be doing things better.
 
I don't feed mine fresh veg everyday! most days i get squeeeeeeek to death if I don't but the odd day they are happy with a hay top up i leave them! x
 
Hey and welcome to the forum!

I give my girls fresh veggies AM and PM. They get their morning breakfast before i get mine, haha! They know their routine and they wheek on cue for their veggies now :)) !

If you can give them veg at least once a day i defo would :)
 
It's worth it just to see them getting excited as well as it being an essential part to their diet! :) Would def recommend making it daily... my two get theirs at around lunchtime and they are ready waiting for it. Very cute.
 
Yeeerp, they need fresh food everyday! Like Human's, Guinea Pig's can't produce their own vitamin C, so get their nutrients from their fresh food (and pellets&hay ofc).
I'm sure they'd be alright, if you fed them fresh food every-other-day, but it would be much more beneficial if you gave it to them daily. :-)
 
i replace the hay every mornig and then they get fresh veg for their tea everyday. they always have pellets out for them aswel but they barely touch it
 
mikulinek said:
Veggies are an important supplement. Obviously, hay is the most important part of a piggy's diet and should make up around 80% of their food intake. After that, veggies are the next most important and should make up at least 10% of a piggy's daily diet.

If you're going to miss out on anything, you can miss out on pellets/nuggets as in many vets' opinions, they are not essential. Many pellets are sold as being vitamin C-rich but in fact the vitamin C decreases over time and often there is very little vitamin C content in them once you've opened the bag. Piggies can get all the vitamin C and other essential nutrients from their veggies and hay.

Hope that helps. :)
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Can only echo this. Here at the rescue we do pellets once a day am, and top up hay, then in the evening they get another hay top up and a selection of veg. However, anyone who is being kept downstairs learns the sound of the fridge door, and so inevitably I'm guilt tripped into giving extra during the day :)
 
Vitamin drops are useless as any goodness is lost through evaporation. Why cant you just give your guinea pigs vegetables each day?
 
Emmiiee said:
I don't feed mine fresh veg everyday! most days i get squeeeeeeek to death if I don't but the odd day they are happy with a hay top up i leave them! x
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I would feel very guilty if I didnt feed my boys fresh veg every day. Any veg that is left in the cage for 24 hours is going to be stale and un-appetising, I wouldnt eat it so why should I expect them to. It can also cause them to get gas or bloat, which would result in a vet trip and un necessary vet bills....I think Id rather give them fresh veg every day rolleyes
 
Daisyanddandelion said:
Hiya
I change my pigs water everyday and make sure they're dry food bowl is filled up but I don't give them fresh food everyday! I do every other day but should i daily?

Daisy-c

P.S Daisy and dandelion squeak their wishes for a happy new year
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i give ditto fresh water and nuggets everyday, i also give fresh hay everday, he has also got woodlands dandelian feast (available at pets at home) which he has a small handful of each morning, .. As for fresh fruit and veggys he has three or four diff veggies every other day ie pepper brocoli cucumber apple and then the followong few days later hell have pear, spinach, orange, and say cabbage.. It gives him a little variation.. He also loves the pets at home yogurt drops but i feed these very sparingly due to the high calcium level. ... But thats just *** i do everyone is different..so long as ** ninni-pig gets plenty of hay thats the main thing :-)
 
mine get fresh veg twice per day and I get lots of pleasure watching them enjoy it:)
 
It is fine if the dry food is not completely full each day, but they do need veggies and fruits. Guinea pigs actually need 62.5mg of vitamin c each day.
 
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