Feeding the guinea pigs at TEAS

SkyPipDotBernie said:
I have got to the point where I'm feeding Dot and bernie, a huge heap of grass everyday now ( had to build the amount gradually) and I have noticed no bladder issues with Dot, all cleared up, atleast for a week now. Coincidence? Maybe, but il report back after another week , or before if I see any issues.freshly picked Grass is looking like the way forwards
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I think it definitely is!
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
I might stop her Cystease, I don't know if I dare... I sick of buying it and syringing it, it stresses her out, she doesnt enjoy it
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I would stop it! Stress isn't good for bladders! Grass, grass and more grass!
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
I would stop it! Stress isn't good for bladders! Grass, grass and more grass!
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I have just bought a new tub yesterday, so I might stop it when my batch now has ran out ( 3 days in fridge) if any problems come back, I will have. A new tub on hand, it's just because Cystease takes a while to build up and be effective, that's why I'm unsure
 
I have now changed my piggies diet to the one followed at TEAS (not much grass at the moment though). We had a few soft poos in the first few days as I changed their diet but all is well now. I have also found that my piggies are now actually eating more hay.
 
YvonneBlue said:
I have now changed my piggies diet to the one followed at TEAS (not much grass at the moment though). We had a few soft poos in the first few days as I changed their diet but all is well now. I have also found that my piggies are now actually eating more hay.
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I have to say, our piggies eat huge amounts of hay! I know some people think that by feeding more veg, it will reduce the amount of hay eaten, but that certainly hasn't been the case with the TEAS piggies and it's interesting that you've found the same @YvonneBlue 🙂
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
I have to say, our piggies eat huge amounts of hay! I know some people think that by feeding more veg, it will reduce the amount of hay eaten, but that certainly hasn't been the case with the TEAS piggies and it's interesting that you've found the same @YvonneBlue 🙂
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I have found that they spend more time in their hay loft and also empty the downstairs hay mangers too. Dora, one of my skinny pigs climbs in the manger and eats her way to the bottom.
 

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furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Animals instinctively know what they need! We should listen more to our bodies too!
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Yea, I've upped my fiber alot and feel much better. Animals live for survival, we live for luxuries. Not all of us and not completely, but to an extent. That's why I never replace anything until its no longer useful, for example cars, I use them to death and then replace. Anyway I gone a bit off subject lol
 
piggieminder said:
Mine go straight to the hay piles after eating veg, this is why I like to give a handful of veg twice a day.
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Same as mine, and also if they beg for veg too early, and I refuse to give in, they will turn to the hay and graze. I feed veg twice daily too. My breakfast time and dinner time ( tea) to some people
 
I think we've become so focussed on the diet needing to be mainly hay based, that we have reduced all other foods to a minimum and this is having a detrimental effect on the general health. I think we need to stop thinking about percentages and just make sure we offer lots of variety and as long as they have plenty to choose from, they will choose wisely!
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
I think we've become so focussed on the diet needing to be mainly hay based, that we have reduced all other foods to a minimum and this is having a detrimental effect on the general health. I think we need to stop thinking about percentages and just make sure we offer lots of variety and as long as they have plenty to choose from, they will choose wisely!
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Do you find rabbits are more simple to feed? Not needing vit c as much
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
Do you find rabbits are more simple to feed? Not needing vit c as much
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Rabbits aren't such good hay eaters! Too many people feed too many nuggets and the rabbit will choose those over hay. My own bunnies free-ranged and ate a very natural diet! They ate grass, dandelion leaves, my beautiful planted tubs of flowers! Mr Trouble, in particular, wasn't really interested in a lot of veg, but preferred weeds. He did love parsley though!
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
Rabbits aren't such good hay eaters! Too many people feed too many nuggets and the rabbit will choose those over hay. My own bunnies free-ranged and ate a very natural diet! They ate grass, dandelion leaves, my beautiful planted tubs of flowers! Mr Trouble, in particular, wasn't really interested in a lot of veg, but preferred weeds. He did love parsley though!
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My rabbit when I was a child, ate my lovely sunflower I took loads of time growing and caring for lol, little
 
I planted up all my pots and they looked beautiful. A friend came round and as I made a coffee, I said to her, 'what do you think to my lovely pots of flowers?' She looked confused and said 'where are they'. I looked out of the window and every single flower had gone!
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
I planted up all my pots and they looked beautiful. A friend came round and as I made a coffee, I said to her, 'what do you think to my lovely pots of flowers?' She looked confused and said 'where are they'. I looked out of the window and every single flower had gone!
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Lol! Where are they, you must have been like.... What? Then there's a rabbit with crumbs of flowers round its chops. I think I'd like a couple or rabbits one day, when I have a garden
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
I think we've become so focussed on the diet needing to be mainly hay based, that we have reduced all other foods to a minimum and this is having a detrimental effect on the general health. I think we need to stop thinking about percentages and just make sure we offer lots of variety and as long as they have plenty to choose from, they will choose wisely!
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I've been fascinated by this diet thread and trying to work out exact;y where the idea of feeding a nearly totally dry hay diet to browsing foragers originated from. I imagine from those selling bagged dry forage?

The first time I read it I was surprised, now I see it all over the place and it is definitely current fashion. The vet quoted as saying it was not such a good idea seems to be unusual - internet wise - (and yes of course I don't believe stuff on the internet), I'm just fascinated by this change in feeding ideas and the possible connection to some of the illnesses which seem to be so common in pet guinea pigs nowadays.

I know of course that it is a lot simpler to feed bagged forage and that everyone feeds differently - Indeed I am feeding some hay at the moment - much to my guineas' disgust - as I have lost my access to fresh grass.
The trouble is that trying to research a connection between diet and health is very difficult when there are so many pet store factory bred guineas about. So it isn't possible to compare health issues with the difficulty of genetic issues arising alongside dietary ones.
Or, did the bagged forage become more 'de rigeur' with the increase in guineas being kept indoors? That's one aspect I did wonder about?

Guinea pigs seem to be much more popular as pets than they were many years ago, and other rodents like rats and mice much less so. Perhaps sadly because they are "fluffy and cute" - and inspire impulse buying very easily.
 
Another huge pile of lovely fresh grass for the pigs tonight, went out with my head torch on and started picking loads, sometimes a local tabby cat chases me and starts thinking the grass is a play toy to slap out of my hand. When I got the grass to the pigs, I went to give it to them, and walked back out the room to see what they would do, they panicked like crazy, thinking they wouldn't get it. Then dived on it ASAP, I'm going through fleece changes like crazy now, just shows it's flushing their bladders through ✌

Anyone else think grass smells quite like apple?
 
You are lucky to have enough grass to pick @SkyPipDotBernie . At my new house despite there being quite large gardens, there are about 3 blades of grass in the front and 3 blades of grass in the back as the rest is a very healthy crop of moss! The OH has been ordered to treat it in March and after the dead moss has been raked out a load of grass seed will need to be put down and allowed to establish before the piggies will be able to get at it. It may not be until summer 2021 though :(. It is a long term project.:))
 
Betsy said:
You are lucky to have enough grass to pick @SkyPipDotBernie . At my new house despite there being quite large gardens, there are about 3 blades of grass in the front and 3 blades of grass in the back as the rest is a very healthy crop of moss! The OH has been ordered to treat it in March and after the dead moss has been raked out a load of grass seed will need to be put down and allowed to establish before the piggies will be able to get at it. It may not be until summer 2021 though :(. It is a long term project.:))
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I'd start growing it inside on the window or something. Probably have to wait ages for a new load though after the eat it
 
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