Bunch of diet-related questions, as I still can't get my head around balance after 8+ years.

[Digital-Sneeze]

I know these are probably commonly asked questions, but maybe someone can pick up something that might be key to me tweaking things a little.

So, I've just lost my 6th guinea pig. A girl, aged 4.5 years, quite suddenly. The youngest I've ever lost. It seems like it was possibly bloat, perhaps even GDV; I noticed she wasn't passing many poos yesterday, though behaviourally and eating wise she was normal. After realising she wasn't purring when stroking her, and some very minor behaviour changes I weighed her, to find she was approx 100g heavier than her usual weight. I'd become complacent and hadn't weighed her in long time, as she had never had any health issues, and I was also focused on another pig that is experiencing problems (diagnosed with sterile cystitis, based on a urine analysis, but is still experiencing pain and blood in his urine despite loxicom and glucosamine supplements after 2 weeks). I realise now her poos hadn't actually been normal for her for a while (typically did giant piles of small, perfectly formed small poos), so of course it's entirely my fault for not picking up on this. She died at the vet this afternoon, being kept there waiting for an exotics to examine her. If I'd been more cognizant of her poos I could have attempted to treat it and she might not have been in the position she was in. The only minor upside this time is that she was part of a trio, so I don't have to (immediately) worry about having a lone pig.

If I'm honest, slightly soft poos are largely a constant in my pigs, so clearly I need to change something. I have it in my head that reducing veg intake will mean less fluid intake, which will contribute to bladder stones. Logically this probably doesn't make sense, but I feel like reductions in veg has caused bladder stones for me in the past so I can't shake this idea.

I feel like the more watery veg, the less chance of stones, but increased chances of other issues like GI stasis, bloat and GDV. So I just don't know what the balance is any more.

I clearly still have a lot to learn, and feel like I might have fallen into bad habits, so I was hoping to get some answers that keep rattling around in my brain.

* I base my veg diet on the recommended one here, but I don't know if it's too much. Typically: morning: slice of pepper, sprig of coriander, slice of cucumber. Evening: slice of pepper, sprig of coriander, lettuce leaf and a green bean (though I've started giving a green bean every other day). This feels like the right amount, but I wonder if it's too much. I also no longer give pellets, so I worry their calcium is now too low. I've just bought the Piggy Parcel Pellets to try out, as I'm questioning myself again about their nutrition and calcium intake.

* I give multiple kinds of hay: in their cage, the Nature's Own Timothy hay, Devon meadow hay and sweet green hay. Outside their cage (they're free roam), I give the blend of Haybox hay in a separate area. They also get a small handful of oat hay a day, and more recently I tried wheat hay (the Hay experts wheat forage hay) but I'm going to stop this. I also have recently given them hay cookies again. I also now wonder if this is also just too much variety. I worry they get bored, so I add extra things in. Now I'm my head I worry this over-indulgent variety is what causes soft poos, bloat etc.

* Filtered water: are all filters effective? Their bottles have always had Volvic water, as it's low in calcium, but I quite recently started using a filter for tap water to soak their veg in in addition to this. I wonder about the efficacy of filters, and that it's not actually filtering what needs to be filtered.

* Basically, is less more with guinea pigs. Is a simpler diet of 1 or 2 hay types, less veg variety per day better and, also, is too much very green hay problematic. I worry that endless green hay doesn't contain enough fibre, and contributes to soft poos, and potentially bloat.

Now I'm holding out for a sow to adopt, and hoping she gets on with my current boy and girl, but girls are harder to find on their own (so if anyone knows of any in the Brighton and surrounding area I am more than willing to adopt). And next up a scan for my boy, to find out if he'll be the third guinea pig I've had that's developed a stone (and possibly first with major dental problems due to slanted molars), but I'm still trying to find the right balance with my pigs, and future ones, and trying not to overtreat from now on, despite the begging.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m sorry for your loss.

1-2 types of hay is enough. I would not feed the oat or the wheat to be honest.
We have definitely seen rich varieties of hay cause digestive issues on the forum.

The total veg for the day should be one cup per pig per day.
It’s absolutely fine if you want to feed it in two portions but what can be easier is if you make the whole portion in one go and then put half of it aside for the evening - that way you know they’re having one cup per day.

If you have a piggy with sterile cystitis, then changing the diet can be problematic but a basic diet can also be better. Too much variety isnt always a good thing if they are sensitive.

I don’t know enough about the specifics of water filters to know how well each one works. I have a 3in1 kitchen tap with a filter attached and that’s good enough for me!
It may be that the fact you don’t feed pellets (that really isn’t a problem) and don’t feed high calcium veg, and searching for the lowest calcium water might mean their calcium balance is to low.
Unfortunately there is no magic answer and you have to work out what works for them.
Soaking their veggies in water before feeding introduces such a negligible amount of water that really all you’re doing is adding an extra step of work! A lot of it will just run off during eating and while it’s sitting in their cage, it doesn’t actually add much water to their diet.

There isn’t an exact science though and you have to work out what works for your piggies - we have the guide but some are going to be more sensitive than others and adjustments need to be made for each piggy.

I don’t feed my piggies pellets either.
For hay, they only get meadow hay from a local farm. I did used to give a small amount of orchard mixed in as well but it’s so much more expensive than the bale of meadow I buy and harder to come by so I haven’t bothered probably for about two years.
For veg (and including the fact they don’t have pellets) they do have a bit more than one cup of veg each (and I feed veg just in the evening) - They have coriander, lettuce, cucumber and bell pepper every day.
To make sure they get enough nutrition due to not having pellets, I give spring greens and kale once a week. They may also have something else thrown in if I have it in - this week was carrot leaves. They also have up to 14 hours of grass per day in the summer.
In winter they get a dried forage mix a few of times a week because I don’t feed pellets.

 

[hana<3pigs]

Oh no, darling I'm so sorry for your loss - try not to blame yourself. I agree with what Piggles&bums said - especially about feeding the cup of veg in one go. However, I prefer the peters timothy and rye hay, and I do feed my piggies oxbow senior guinea pig pellets 3-4 times per week.

 

[Digital-Sneeze]

Thank you, and thanks for your replies.

The wetting of veg always seemed a bit odd to me. I only started doing it as my exotics suggested it a few months ago, but I always assumed that any extra water they get in their veg will just be less drunk from the bottle.

I will also stop oat hay I think. It's hard to break away from the mindset that my pigs will get bored without me constantly giving them different things throughout the day, but I know it's partly just me being selfish, as I enjoy it when they beg and I get to make them happy.

I will also start measure their veg, perhaps I am totally off with it. I've never really tried measuring it by volume, but I will also try them with a small amount of the Piggy Pellets, as perhaps it will balance their calcium intake a bit better. I will also think about giving a small amount of kale or spring green (I swear I never see it anywhere, though) once or twice a week as well, as covering for possibly nutrition gaps can't be a bad thing.

My remaining girl has been sludge prone her whole life, and I've been giving extra cucumber in the afternoon, and an extra lettuce leaf in the morning, and she does seem improved recently, so perhaps I'll continue with that for now.

I have a scan booked for Bertie next week. If he does have a stone then clearly I'm doing something wrong, and I will have to reassess everything.