Baby food an how much?!

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Dusty_bugs

Dusty_bugs

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Hi guys, so a last attempt to get my girl to put weight on.. she's eating everything I show her (not all of it but attempts everything) but she gives up after a little while and sleeps ALOT. So have to go down every couple of hours and wiggle something edible at her.

Went to tesco today and picked up 3 organic fruity baby food pots and she LOVES. Will have about 10mls befores he decides maybe she'd like something else (which is alot for her!)

the only question I have is, how much in one day is a reasonable amount. The sugar is pretty high I guess but also it contains rice starch and I thought starchy things weren't so good ?/
 
Which ones did you buy?

I use the Ella's kitchen ones for sick piggies as they're just fruit puree basically. I wouldn't use anything with other things added personally.

I either mix it with critical care (so they're getting fibre in them, rather than just empty calories) or use it to disguise the taste of medications.

I'd say giving her too much will just end up causing diarrhoea as there's a lot of water in them.
 
I'm using the heinz organics. I only bought 3 types.. so if they're not the best ones for her I can eat them! NOM!

The ingredients are pretty much fruit puree, rice starch and vit C as ascorbic acid.

Good point about the diaorrhea.. though at the moment she is avoiding wet veggies like cucumber and she doesnt use (and never has used) her water bowl or bottle.. so I syringe feed her water throughout the day aswell. :/ If her poops go west I'll stop the baby food!
 
sorry not heinz. hipps...

my vet says to go for the veg one but they all had potato so I couldnt.. apparently too much of the fruit one can cause yeast explosions in the gut followed by gas>bloat>death.. so has suggested 2x infacol twice daily if feeding the fruit purees.
 
Why don't you puree veg yourself and mix it in with critical care?

Potatoes are not poisonous, but not recommended in a regular piggy diet because they are too starchy.
 
I used to give her crit care 5 times a day for nearly 6 weeks and she has had enough of it. I then mixed in porridge oats which I had bashed with a pestle and mortar which interested her twice and then she was done with that too. She wont take it boiled either. She wont eat anything off a spoon as she cant lick so she bites everything and doesnt like clamping onthe metal spoon.

TALK ABOUT DIFFICULT.

I made her a veggie smoothie once but had to use alot of veggies to make up an amount that would reach the blades, and threw it away after 3 days in the fridge incase it went weird. I guess it might freeze?

How come starch is so bad? Is it an intolerance thing and is it such a problem in guineas who are trying to put weight on?
 
How about porridge and banana mush? Usually a popular one, i have fed this to mine when they've been poorly. Porridge and baby food, xx
 
Sorry for hijacking your thread but I am having the same problem.

Ellie isn't poorly but after the op she had at the end of August, she has lost some weight and is down to 930g which means she has lost 10% of her body weight. As she is only a small piggy anyway, the weight loss is more noticeable :(

She is eating everything I have given them (veggies, dry food and hay), I have been stalking her at meal times as I was worried it could be dental but obviously it isn't.

I give my girls bran mash but typically, Ellie is the only one who isn't keen. I like the idea of porridge and banana but Ellie isn't keen on banana!

I have just given them a handful of porridge oats with their veggies and Ellie ate some from the plate.

Would it be advisable for me to try Ellie with baby food or not bother?

I have been wondering about trying critical care myself but have been advised not to plus I don't really like the idea of syringe feeding unless an animal is poorly. She wouldn't just eat it from a spoon either as although they have a selection of nuggets and muesli, Ellie prefers muesli.
 
How old are your piggies? Older piggies often dont regain all of the weight they lose after surgery or being poorly. Lilly was around 1270g in Dec last year, in Jan we had some dental issues and he was very poorly for 4 weeks and went down to just under 1000g, it took a long while for him to regain some weight and he is only now around 1150g, i spoke to my vet and she reasurred me it is normal for older piggies not to regain all of their weight. xx
 
I will try bran/porridge/banana/baby food combos and see what happens.

Leeland is 4 this xmas and before her tongue problem was 1.1KG.. then she dropped to 800gms and we have since been hovering upto 850 but nothing higher - and that is with Crit. care, porridge in dandelion leaves, plenty of water, orange juice or vit C tablets crushed into food, baby food, and every veg under the sun that guienas are allowed. She will have a go at everything near enough and is ravenous, but her hunger cuts out after 10 minutes and she goes for a sulk. She eats her hay but it has to be 100% fresh (I'm burning straight through it) and I have got in about 3 or 4 types to keep her interested. I'm dying to get her some more company soon.. she has been on her own for 2 weeks now, but with other complications I dont want to put her under the stress of domination rituals and bonding when she cant use her legs so well (pododermatitis in 3 feet, badly in 1).

No worries about the highjak! It's interesting (though sad!) to know who else it is happening to and how. I'm glad your piggy hasnt lost as much as Leeland, you can feel Leelands spine from shoulders to tail bone and her ribs and pelvis 8... But her tummy is generally full and her poops (although small) are a good texture and colour.

Can you find clean dandelions in your area? they work with anything to get your girl nibbling them. I would suggest wrapping the porridge mix in the leaves like parcels or cigars and holding it up for her whilst she works through them :)
 
She could be depressed being on her own which could be contributing to all of this, i think if you are in a position to do so, it would be a good idea to get her a friend soon, they really do blossom with company of their own kind.

Lilly was 3 and a half when we had the problems and he didn't regain all of his weight. xx
 
Toffeewoffee said:
How old are your piggies? Older piggies often dont regain all of the weight they lose after surgery or being poorly. Lilly was around 1270g in Dec last year, in Jan we had some dental issues and he was very poorly for 4 weeks and went down to just under 1000g, it took a long while for him to regain some weight and he is only now around 1150g, i spoke to my vet and she reasurred me it is normal for older piggies not to regain all of their weight. xx
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if this is aimed at me but Ellie is around 4.5 years xx
 
Yes it was aimed at you you too hun, i would expect that she will never re-gain all of her weight and that the weight she is now will be about it. xx
 
Dusty_bugs said:
I will try bran/porridge/banana/baby food combos and see what happens.

Leeland is 4 this xmas and before her tongue problem was 1.1KG.. then she dropped to 800gms and we have since been hovering upto 850 but nothing higher - and that is with Crit. care, porridge in dandelion leaves, plenty of water, orange juice or vit C tablets crushed into food, baby food, and every veg under the sun that guienas are allowed. She will have a go at everything near enough and is ravenous, but her hunger cuts out after 10 minutes and she goes for a sulk. She eats her hay but it has to be 100% fresh (I'm burning straight through it) and I have got in about 3 or 4 types to keep her interested. I'm dying to get her some more company soon.. she has been on her own for 2 weeks now, but with other complications I dont want to put her under the stress of domination rituals and bonding when she cant use her legs so well (pododermatitis in 3 feet, badly in 1).

No worries about the highjak! It's interesting (though sad!) to know who else it is happening to and how. I'm glad your piggy hasnt lost as much as Leeland, you can feel Leelands spine from shoulders to tail bone and her ribs and pelvis 8... But her tummy is generally full and her poops (although small) are a good texture and colour.

Can you find clean dandelions in your area? they work with anything to get your girl nibbling them. I would suggest wrapping the porridge mix in the leaves like parcels or cigars and holding it up for her whilst she works through them :)
Click to expand...

Thanks :) Ellie loves dandelions, I'll have to go in search of some.

It's nice talking to someone going through the same thing. I can feel Ellie's spine too :( although only on half of her back. She's never been a chunky girl but she just feels really small and light compared to her friends :(

I shall be keeping my fingers crossed that Leeland gains some weight for you soon. It's such a worry isn't it :(
 
For the record, Leeland is 4 this xmas. She weighed 836gms 2 days ago, but this morning had a MASSIVE breakfast and weighed in at 902gms! pow-pow

..will probably lose it all in mega poops though!
 
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