Feeding Routines And Veggie Questions

RingoandOlly

RingoandOlly

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So I'm going to start my boys with some new vegetables and improve their diet a bit and I have some questions:

Does anyone have a routine that they have done for ages with no issues?
What is a substitute veggie for cucumber/cucumber skin?
Which veggies to avoid?
Which veggies are good all rounders?
My piggies live outside; shall I increase their pellets so they have enough energy to keep warm?

If you can answer any of the questions, it will be much appreciated.
Thank you everyone! xx
 
Cucumber is a constant staple in our girls diet. Any reason you are cutting it out? Pepper is also another daily food we feed.

High calcium veggies should be feed sparingly, we feed parsley and cabbage on different days and only twice a week. Try to keep calcium down in diet.

Have a good read through the food section, lots of food regimen threads to research, read lots and see what your piggies enjoy
 
I agree with sport billy. Some of my piggies adore cucumber while others red pepper or celery. I grow spinach and parsley but use sparingly due to high calcium content.
Pellets come last in their diet, feed as much hay as they can eat. This keeps them warm inside and out!
The site Guinealynx has downloadable veg nutritional charts that help us make correct decisions in what to feed or not to feed.
 
Yep thanks, I have read all the sites but it's all rather baffling to absorb when I only have specific questions :blink:. I don't want to feed cucumber anymore because they used to just eat the skin but have now gone off it entirely so I'm looking for a nutritionally similar thing to feed as it was one of their staples. I'm looking for some routines too. I only give mine parsley about twice a week too and have cut spinach out entirely x :))
 
My piggy eats courgette as fast as she eats cucumber so maybe that could be an alternative, probably more nutritionally dense too. She yet to refuse any veggies! Or fruit for that matter!
 
I mix and match, but the food l beleve is the most important is Carrots to work there incisors, Alfafa king Thimathy hay to work there molars, and red/yellow bell peppers to provide the vit c they need! And cucumber, high in water!
Veg I avoid are all green leaf apart from the occasional treat of grass and readygrass!
I have had my pigs on this diet, with a small handfull of dried food and none. Of my pigs have had any problems for a long long time, and l have not had any dental issues for even longer than that and there poops are regular and well formed :tu:
 
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I give mine hay and grass mostly, but some peppers, dandelion or strawberry leaves and two handfuls of pellets a day between them. I use the pellets mainly for hand feeding. Anything else is occasional treats.
 
I give mine a mixturemainly of:-

Lettuce (not iceberg)
bell peppers
Cucumber
carrots (occasionally)
celery
apple (occasionally)
blueberries (a favourite but occasionally)
spinach
kale
brocolli stalk
Cauli leaves
baby sweetcorn

Hope this helps!
 
RingoandOlly said:
Routines? xx
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Most of my piggies live in the garden Piggy Palace so after a cuppa for me I go out to say good morning. Give any medication any may be on then give them all the fresh grass, clover and dandelions hubby and I have collected! I then chop all the veg that they are having that morning - peppers, celery and cucumber are the main favourites but interspersed with occasional Kale, spinach and parsley from the garden. Once or twice a week they'll get apple or pear or melon etc. I then try and get one group at a time cleaned out and then given bundles of hay to play in and eat of course! Water dishes and bottles are also cleaned and refilled. Can take me about an hour each morning as I'll have a good look at each piggy while it's eating or running around plus cuddles! Later on I'll recheck them give them grass again, let them out in their runs or in for cuddles. Evening is much the same as my morning routine!
 
RingoandOlly said:
Routines? xx
Click to expand...
Pellets for breakfast: 5 small handfuls (I have 5 piggies)
Out on grass if nice if not stay in hutch.
Just before it gets dark cuddle time.
Back in hutch
Veg time.

That's the main routine. They do get cuddles during the day but not at the same time every day so that's not really routine it's more like as and when really.

There is lots of fresh hay in the hutch and I change the contents of the hutch regularly (different hideys, log tunnels, tubes, etc) to keep my herd of 5 stimulated especially if they are in the hutch all day because of bad weather. They are outside piggies as I have no room for them inside.

Once a week they get checked over. Eyes, ears, any lumps and bumps, boar bits etc.
 
I feed my piggies veggies on a morning when I wake up and when I get back from work which is normally about 7am (on a weekday - about 9 or 10am on weekends) and at 5pm (I'm pretty much always availiable to give it them at this time so I give it to them at 5pm every day). As soon as they hear my bed squeak (yes... my bed is quite rickety) they go crazy and when they hear me coming up the stairs after I get back from work, they also go crazy. My piggies love kale and bell peppers and fresh grass. I give them a wide range of veggies each day but those are their favorites. We use their pellets for hand feeding as they are high in sugar content and not all that good for the piggies. I have three piggies so I top up their hay everyday as they seem to inhale it ha XD:))
 
Routine.

As soon as I appear downstairs they whistle formfood.

Brekky is grass and or hay around 7.30
More grass around 10.30

Veg or top ups of grass and hay whenever they whistle!

Clean out every couple of days lap time twice a week with lots of yummy grass and veg to try and bribe them to put up with being held.

5.00 is pellet and hay and grass time. A handful of harringtons for young Caramel and a handfu! for Jingle and Mistletoe to share.
 
RingoandOlly said:
Haha mine don't like courgette unfortunately :no: x
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Aww no, my baby wolfs it down! But again hay is always in her cage, usually a few pellets as she eats them throughout the day, and grass and dandelion leaves when i can get them. She also enjoys the odd beech leaf too!
 
My current routine:
First thing I do when I get up is go out to my piggies and take them a pea flake each and 40g of pellets for the two of them with a teaspoon of oats on top when it is cold for them.
I also give them loads and loads of hay in their tray (and in their hidey and bottom corner of hutch when it's cold).
When I get home I feed them each a little bowl of veggies and find the pellet bowl empty. They get pepper and coriander every day and other veggies too but I'm going to revise their diet because I have been giving them too much calcium.
Whilst they eat upstairs I spot clean the downstairs and top up the downstairs hay and water bottle.
Then, when they have finished their veggies, I let them downstairs and spot clean the top, emptying their hay tray and adding new wood shavings and hay. I then refill the water bottle on the top (they have 2 300ml ones because the big 600ml one leaked loads and is now on their run and also so that they can both always get water without a scuffle). When all that is done, I let them into the run if it is dry and not too cold and shut them back in and check hay when it starts to get dark. I then sweep the run because they kick loads of wood shavings and hay out of the hutch.
They get health checked once a week after they are fully cleaned out and on that day they eat their veggies on my lap.
They get cuddled and talked to everyday but I think this mostly benefits me haha. :)
 
RingoandOlly said:
My current routine:
First thing I do when I get up is go out to my piggies and take them a pea flake each and 40g of pellets for the two of them with a teaspoon of oats on top when it is cold for them.
I also give them loads and loads of hay in their tray (and in their hidey and bottom corner of hutch when it's cold).
When I get home I feed them each a little bowl of veggies and find the pellet bowl empty. They get pepper and coriander every day and other veggies too but I'm going to revise their diet because I have been giving them too much calcium.
Whilst they eat upstairs I spot clean the downstairs and top up the downstairs hay and water bottle.
Then, when they have finished their veggies, I let them downstairs and spot clean the top, emptying their hay tray and adding new wood shavings and hay. I then refill the water bottle on the top (they have 2 300ml ones because the big 600ml one leaked loads and is now on their run and also so that they can both always get water without a scuffle). When all that is done, I let them into the run if it is dry and not too cold and shut them back in and check hay when it starts to get dark. I then sweep the run because they kick loads of wood shavings and hay out of the hutch.
They get health checked once a week after they are fully cleaned out and on that day they eat their veggies on my lap.
They get cuddled and talked to everyday but I think this mostly benefits me haha. :)
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It sounds like they have an absolutely wonderful life! They're obviously well loved
 
My current routine would be:

Morning: Top up meadow hay, refil waters, scatter feed (keeps them busier for longer...and saves washing up lol) rosewood natures menu pellets.

Lunch: Mixed cereal grass hay, a good handful per pig, pure grass pellets scatter fed and a piece of a dried forage herb, weed or wild flower per pig.

Evening: Veg time. I usually feed 4/5 out of the following with a small handful sized portion per pig. Spring greens, cauliflower and cauliflower leaves, brocolli and stalk, celery, celeriac, beetroot, baby corn, carrot, carrot greens, swede, parsnip, savoy cabbage, sweetheart cabbage, bok choi, chinese leaf, spinach, curly kale, cavelo nero, peashoots, sweet potato, apple, baby cucumber (I find theyre less likely to just eat the skins of these ones) tomato, bell peppers, parsley, corriander, mint...I think thats it? Theres possibly more but off the top of my head thats all I can remember :xd:

Before bed they get half an oxbow treat, either multi vitamin because of Brambles lowered immune system or the vitamin c ones and i'll top up any meadow hay if theyre running short. If theyre feeling very noisy theyll get another piece of dried forage to keep them busy.

I find the spring greens a good staple although I dont believe in feeding anything every day so even that is a few times a week type thing.
 
Eriathwen said:
My current routine would be:

Morning: Top up meadow hay, refil waters, scatter feed (keeps them busier for longer...and saves washing up lol) rosewood natures menu pellets.

Lunch: Mixed cereal grass hay, a good handful per pig, pure grass pellets scatter fed and a piece of a dried forage herb, weed or wild flower per pig.

Evening: Veg time. I usually feed 4/5 out of the following with a small handful sized portion per pig. Spring greens, cauliflower and cauliflower leaves, brocolli and stalk, celery, celeriac, beetroot, baby corn, carrot, carrot greens, swede, parsnip, savoy cabbage, sweetheart cabbage, bok choi, chinese leaf, spinach, curly kale, cavelo nero, peashoots, sweet potato, apple, baby cucumber (I find theyre less likely to just eat the skins of these ones) tomato, bell peppers, parsley, corriander, mint...I think thats it? Theres possibly more but off the top of my head thats all I can remember :xd:

Before bed they get half an oxbow treat, either multi vitamin because of Brambles lowered immune system or the vitamin c ones and i'll top up any meadow hay if theyre running short. If theyre feeling very noisy theyll get another piece of dried forage to keep them busy.

I find the spring greens a good staple although I dont believe in feeding anything every day so even that is a few times a week type thing.
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Ooooh baby cucumber is a good idea, I will try that. Thanks, and you're piggies are so well looked after. They are very lucky! xx
 
RingoandOlly said:
Ooooh baby cucumber is a good idea, I will try that. Thanks, and you're piggies are so well looked after. They are very lucky! xx
Click to expand...

I hope your piggies like them! Haha thanks, Ive been well trained..they know what they like and theyll scream until they get it! :xd::xd:
 
Eriathwen said:
My current routine would be:

Morning: Top up meadow hay, refil waters, scatter feed (keeps them busier for longer...and saves washing up lol) rosewood natures menu pellets.

Lunch: Mixed cereal grass hay, a good handful per pig, pure grass pellets scatter fed and a piece of a dried forage herb, weed or wild flower per pig.

Evening: Veg time. I usually feed 4/5 out of the following with a small handful sized portion per pig. Spring greens, cauliflower and cauliflower leaves, brocolli and stalk, celery, celeriac, beetroot, baby corn, carrot, carrot greens, swede, parsnip, savoy cabbage, sweetheart cabbage, bok choi, chinese leaf, spinach, curly kale, cavelo nero, peashoots, sweet potato, apple, baby cucumber (I find theyre less likely to just eat the skins of these ones) tomato, bell peppers, parsley, corriander, mint...I think thats it? Theres possibly more but off the top of my head thats all I can remember :xd:

Before bed they get half an oxbow treat, either multi vitamin because of Brambles lowered immune system or the vitamin c ones and i'll top up any meadow hay if theyre running short. If theyre feeling very noisy theyll get another piece of dried forage to keep them busy.

I find the spring greens a good staple although I dont believe in feeding anything every day so even that is a few times a week type thing.
Click to expand...

What grass pellets do you use and do your piggies like them? x
 
Janice C said:
Most of my piggies live in the garden Piggy Palace so after a cuppa for me I go out to say good morning. Give any medication any may be on then give them all the fresh grass, clover and dandelions hubby and I have collected! I then chop all the veg that they are having that morning - peppers, celery and cucumber are the main favourites but interspersed with occasional Kale, spinach and parsley from the garden. Once or twice a week they'll get apple or pear or melon etc. I then try and get one group at a time cleaned out and then given bundles of hay to play in and eat of course! Water dishes and bottles are also cleaned and refilled. Can take me about an hour each morning as I'll have a good look at each piggy while it's eating or running around plus cuddles! Later on I'll recheck them give them grass again, let them out in their runs or in for cuddles. Evening is much the same as my morning routine!
Click to expand...
You sound an excellent piggie slave, I hate it when you can't bring them in once winter arrives. Have all your piggies lived outside?
 
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