GabrielM
New Born Pup
I saw this on Amazon when looking for feeders, (I am planning on getting 2 males), and I was wondering if these were best suitable for guinea pigs.
Are automatic feeders a good idea?
- Thread starter GabrielM
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- pellet feeder
Suki&Indie
Junior Guinea Pig
Hiya so I personally wouldn’t use those feeders they provide nearly unlimited pellets! Piggies only need a small amount of pellets as the majority of their diet should be hay. It’s like offering unlimited dessert - you wouldn’t want to eat the healthy stuff! Just a nice flat/non tip bowl is fine 
GabrielM
New Born Pup
Okay thanks! I will keep that in mind when shopping for feeders.Hiya so I personally wouldn’t use those feeders they provide nearly unlimited pellets! Piggies only need a small amount of pellets as the majority of their diet should be hay. It’s like offering unlimited dessert - you wouldn’t want to eat the healthy stuff! Just a nice flat/non tip bowl is fine
RedLoredAmazon
Adult Guinea Pig
Hi fellow Hoosier! I agree with @Suki&Indie about the auto feeder. I just sprinkle the piggies' pellets once a day around their cage. They get a ton of enjoyment from searching for their food. Or you can just put it in a little pile in their house.
I agree also. No they are not a good idea at all - don’t get any kind of automatic feeder, it wouldn’t work for guinea pigs as pellets must be strictly limited at all times.
Use a measuring spoon to measure out just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day and just sprinkle pellets into their hay so they can forage for them. Once the portion is gone (usually within a few minutes) then they should not get anymore pellets until the next day.
Feeding too many pellets will lead to - unhealthy weight gain, will cause reduced hay consumption which in turn will lead to poor gut and poor dental heath. It will also cause too much calcium to be in the diet which can lead to bladder stone formation.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Use a measuring spoon to measure out just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day and just sprinkle pellets into their hay so they can forage for them. Once the portion is gone (usually within a few minutes) then they should not get anymore pellets until the next day.
Feeding too many pellets will lead to - unhealthy weight gain, will cause reduced hay consumption which in turn will lead to poor gut and poor dental heath. It will also cause too much calcium to be in the diet which can lead to bladder stone formation.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
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I just scatter feed pellets around the cage, usually every other day rather than daily.
Like @RedLoredAmazon says, they get a lot of fun foraging for their pellets.
We look forward to seeing pictures of your new piggies when they arrive
Like @RedLoredAmazon says, they get a lot of fun foraging for their pellets.
We look forward to seeing pictures of your new piggies when they arrive