Do they need bowls

4harmony2

4harmony2

Junior Guinea Pig
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I have always used bowls ,but was beginning to wonder would they be better off foraging through clean hay for their nuggets like recommended with Rabbits ? :eek:
 
4harmony2 said:
I have always used bowls ,but was beginning to wonder would they be better off foraging through clean hay for their nuggets like recommended with Rabbits ? :eek:
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I would recommend keeping the bowl. If you think about it they would be eating from dirty hay which can't be too nice.
 
They don’t need to have bowls. Scatter feeding so they forage is great enrichment but also stops food hogging. It means they are kept occupied as if they are bowl fed then they just sit there and eat, but scattering gets them moving and using natural processes.
I don’t use bowls for my piggies or rabbits - veg and pellets are scatter fed amongst their hay
 
I spot clean my cages as well as giving them their through clean every 3 rd day they eat off the floor when in their garden runs !
 
I scatter feed pellets and veg and my girls love foraging away finding all their food. I hide it too. In hideys, behind hideys, on top of hideys and generally scatter it about. They have "breakfast in bed" (Pellets in the hutch) twice a week when I have to clean the run otherwise breakfast is always served in the run. Veg is always served in the hutch in the evenings.

Honey and Blossom said:
I would recommend keeping the bowl. If you think about it they would be eating from dirty hay which can't be too nice.
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They eat dirty hay anyway. Mine sometimes prefer it. They always have clean hay to eat every day but I can't be there all the time whipping out the dirty hay as soon as they have wee'd and pooped on it. I have come to the conclusion that it must taste nice with extra "seasoning".
 
I do put the nuggets in bowls, for the dental piggies, as they find it harder to pick up the nuggets, from the hay. However, normally I wouldn't use bowls. I don't feed my cat from a bowl! Check out her page on Facebook here! (1) Priya's Puzzles | Facebook
 
We stopped using bowls a few months ago and scatter feed veg & pellets. We did it because Pewter is a greedy pig and would tip the bowl on its side so poor little Benito only got to see the bottom of it & she had all the food! :)) They seem to enjoy foraging much more, especially for their pellets!
 
Oats are a help with weight gain on a post op piggie or a sick one who has lost a lot of weight waiting for treatment. They are also used for elderly piggies like Peanut (6.5 years) who stuggle to keep weight on due to old age. The concern with oats is that they are high in oxelates and could cause stones. I would not feed oats to a piggie with bladder issues or one that doesn't need them. Peanut's cage mate Rusty has had bladder stones so Peanut gets oats 2 or 3 times a week away from the cage.
 
I was cleaning the piggies out the other day and Chanel decided to eat dirty hay. Why?! 🤦🏾‍♀️ I stopped using bowls a long time ago. Even when they were on fleece I would scatter feed their pellets. They absolutely love going digging. ‘Go fish’ is their prompt to go hunting for pellets. They actually sometimes push hay out the way! When it comes to veg I hand feed each one their portion. If I make them a salad mix for dinner then I’ll scatter feed. Else veg is hand fed and pellets are scatter fed.
 
Siikibam said:
I was cleaning the piggies out the other day and Chanel decided to eat dirty hay. Why?! 🤦🏾‍♀️ I stopped using bowls a long time ago. Even when they were on fleece I would scatter feed their pellets. They absolutely love going digging. ‘Go fish’ is their prompt to go hunting for pellets. They actually sometimes push hay out the way! When it comes to veg I hand feed each one their portion. If I make them a salad mix for dinner then I’ll scatter feed. Else veg is hand fed and pellets are scatter fed.
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Same here
 
I've always used bowls....but I think when I get piggies again I'm going to scatter feed instead 🙂
 
I put some nuggets in bowls but the veg is scattered around. Ours have veg in morning and nuggets at bedtime and unlimited hay, sometimes with dried forage mixed in, topped up as and when required. We've also started giving fresh grass and fresh forage in readiness for going out on the grass
 
4harmony2 said:
I have always used bowls ,but was beginning to wonder would they be better off foraging through clean hay for their nuggets like recommended with Rabbits ? :eek:
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i use a bowl u can also then keep track of how many pellets they have eaten by seeing how many/much is left in the bowl [ unless they tip it over 🤦‍♀️]
 
Annie's pets said:
i use a bowl u can also then keep track of how many pellets they have eaten by seeing how many/much is left in the bowl [ unless they tip it over 🤦‍♀️]
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They shouldn’t have so much that they can leave them in the bowl. A tablespoon per pig per day is their portion and is the best way to keep track of how many they’re eating.
 
Siikibam said:
They shouldn’t have so much that they can leave them in the bowl. A tablespoon per pig per day is their portion and is the best way to keep track of how many they’re eating.
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/// to make sure they have eaten all that has been given there for they are eating reccomened amount of vitamin c ///
 
For some reason we have a bowl for the nuggets, which are a breakfast feed- Pedro and Basil share the bowl and it's cute they do- the bowl is massive for the amount they get, which is just as well otherwise maybe they wouldn't share so nicely😆 Everything else is scatter fed on fleece or hay and pure piggy joy follows☺️
 
@Annie's pets Even when scatter fed they would still eat them all. Remember there’s vitamin c in hay as well. If it suits you then continue. My piggies enjoy hunting for them 😉 and makes my life easier not using bowls.
 
I scatter feed my four guinea pig's pellets. They have veg for vitamin c. Too many pellets can put them off eating hay apparantly.
 
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