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Can i go nugget free?

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DMS260820

Got a bit of a problem with Bernie eating two table spoons of nuggets in one sitting, and then sometimes Dot does the same, cant be any good for them really. I am using grain free timothy based. Anyone here that doesnt bother with nuggets? Its only the vitamin d I'm concerned about because i have indoor pigs and no garden.

Using two bowls hasnt worked, i do sometimes scatter feed, but then i still dont know who has eaten what. If its not a worry then il just let them get on with it
 
You could always separate them for a few minutes while they eat, one in one out of the cage. That's what I do for my two boys and it works quite well.
 
I have 4 piggies and I wouldn't have a clue between the two bowls which one eats what. For all I know daisy could be having 3 pigs share. They are all healthy though (apart from poor Lily's eye) so I don't worry about it. I think it's entirely possible to overthink these things
Thats cool, il just carry on the way it is. Thanks
 
If they really like their nuggets, you could use them as a treat food during lap time or similar perhaps - that way you know how much they're getting. Or for those occasions when you're passing the cage and they give you the "Hey slave, can't you see we're all starving here?" wheek.
At their first checkup two weeks ago, my vet told me that all three of mine need to lose a little weight, so I should probably try these myself! :lol:
 
If they really like their nuggets, you could use them as a treat food during lap time or similar perhaps - that way you know how much they're getting. Or for those occasions when you're passing the cage and they give you the "Hey slave, can't you see we're all starving here?" wheek.
At their first checkup two weeks ago, my vet told me that all three of mine need to lose a little weight, so I should probably try these myself! :lol:
Nice idea, but they refuse to see them as a treat out of the cage lol, they just bite them and drop them, and then search my hands for veg
 
We just give ours nuggets as treats over the day. We use JR farm grainless so they are pretty big. So we come in the room, nugget, close the blinds, nugget, make a cup of tea, nugget...
 
I know this is controversial but for 6 years I didn’t feed my pigs any nuggets, but they did get some more veg than recommended in the excellent guides. Never had any problems but I started doing nuggets (oxbow cavy cuisine) in a small dose only recently as some of my pigs are getting on in age and due to recent bereavement of losing a piggie weren’t as interested in their veg.

They are all good tomato/pepper eaters, alongside other veg so perhaps that’s helped - I know peppers can be tricky to get pigs to like them (they only eat them if I cut them a certain way, and I remove seeds/the insides from tomatoes).

I’ve never had skin problems.

Please note that the food/diet guidance on this site is excellent and I’m not recommending anyone gives up on pellets and they should follow Wiebke’s guide - though you asked a specific question and I answered as per my experience. I guess I’m saying it can be done but it needs to be carefully thought out.
 
I know this is controversial but for 6 years I didn’t feed my pigs any nuggets, but they did get some more veg than recommended in the excellent guides. Never had any problems but I started doing nuggets (oxbow cavy cuisine) in a small dose only recently as some of my pigs are getting on in age and due to recent bereavement of losing a piggie weren’t as interested in their veg.

They are all good tomato/pepper eaters, alongside other veg so perhaps that’s helped - I know peppers can be tricky to get pigs to like them (they only eat them if I cut them a certain way, and I remove seeds/the insides from tomatoes).

I’ve never had skin problems.

Please note that the food/diet guidance on this site is excellent and I’m not recommending anyone gives up on pellets and they should follow Wiebke’s guide - though you asked a specific question and I answered as per my experience. I guess I’m saying it can be done but it needs to be carefully thought out.

I don't think it's that controversial really. A few members on here have gone down the route of not feeding pellets and with a properly balanced diet I can see why they wouldn't be needed. If I were more confident that daisy doesn't hog her favourite bits of veg and stop the others from getting in then I might be more inclined to research it further
 
Guinea pigs don’t need nuggets and in fact nuggets contribute towards bladder issues in guinea pigs.
Yea simon told me this. Well he said if anything, he thinks nuggets are likely to be the cause. Thats why i went to grain free. Dot is 3 next month though, and no stones yet. But she hasnt always beem on grain free, i started her out on harringtons ( no alfalfa.

But saying that, i had a boar make it from when i had him age 2 to 7 years old. And i fed a high calcium diet and way too many nuggets, because i didnt know any better back then. He had no health problems atall, until he was 7, but they were not diet related. Cancer and arthiritis.
 
Yeah my two beautiful past boys had more nuggets than my pair now as I was slightly more clueless with the probs they can cause.
When Rupert had his bladder probs starting and his op i cut down and fed grainless. Second stone Simon said I don't really need to give them as long as they're getting vitamins they need from the veg.

But with him being 7 in a few months and Jess being a small sow (and nearly 6) I just feed a few for them to forage on in a pile of hay or when they're out for playtime so they have to work for them. They'd both obv lost weight when I cut them out so wanted to make sure a good weight just in case!
 
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