Feeding the new pigs

[bydandie]

Hi, this is my first post and it's born from confusion about feeding Guinea pigs.

We got our two new girls last week as pets for our daughters, and they were born in mid-Nov. We were given hay and pellets that they were fed in the pet shop and told that they like carrots and to introduce other foods slowly.

Since then, I've read that carrots need to be given sparingly due to too much calcium, that they need a cup of veggies a day and that Alfifa hay is the best for them due to the amount of calcium. So, my questions are:

How are we supposed to give them a cup of veggies each if they've only had carrots and that's supposed to be given sparingly?

If daily carrots are bad for guinea pigs due to too much calcium, yet Alfifa hay is good for young pigs due to the amount of calcium then are daily carrots really that bad for them?

They get plenty of hay, water and pellets changed daily and have been getting carrots daily up until last night. Can someone give me some advice about how to feed them properly (i.e. the veggies)?

 

[lynda1]

I'm fairly new to piggies but alpha should only be fed too pregnant sows and their babies for the first few weeks, unlimited hay and pellets should be fed for the first year then after a year pellets should be reduced. Here is a link that I found useful for what veg you can feed and yes carrots should not be fed everyday, try adding a little bit of a few different things to see what they like.

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42

I'm sure someone with better knowledge will be along soon.

Ps Hello and welcome, hope to see some pics of your little ones soon.

 

[Pigglywinks]

It's recommended that guinea pigs under 6 months have alfalfa hay and unlimited pellets as they do require the extra calcium as they have a lot of growing to do during that time. After 6 months you should begin switching over to timothy or meadow hay as this is lower in calcium but still has all the necessary fibre. Pellets should then be reduced, many people have different views on the amount to feed, I generally feed my adult pigs 2 eggcups full of pellets per pig per day as 80% of their diet should be hay anyway. Regarding vegetables you should introduce different ones very slowly as too much can upset tummies, herbs are good to start with and piggy favourites include parsley, basil, dill and coriander but as I said, these should be given in small quantities. There are various threads on the forum regarding fruits, vegetables and herbs that are safe to feed and also which ones are high or low in vitamin C and calcium.

After 6 months I would try not to feed fruit or vegetables that are high in calcium more than a couple of times a week, again other people will have different views on this but I personally have a pig that has experienced bladder sludge and a stone in the past so I don't like to risk it. The issue with carrots as far as I am aware is Vitamin A, though I'm sure other forum members know more about this. I hope I have helped you in some way, remember to introduce slowly and in small amounts, also not to introduce too many at a time.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome!

Foods can be confusing! Please be aware that shop guinea pigs usually haven't had any veg in their lives before. do not introduce more than one new veg at a time and continue to offer things they haven't taken to straight away. The bigger the range of food you expeose them to, the less picky they will hopefully become.

Up to 80% of the daily food intake should be hay. Alfalfa/lucerne is a legume, not a grass plant and very high in calcium and protein. With unlimited good quality pellets, there is no need to feed it other than to pregnant and nursing sows because the pellets usually have alfalfa in them, too. If you really wish, supplement alfalfa for a few weeks, but please do not use it to replace hay. Too much calcium in a diet can help the formation of bladder stones in guinea pigs with a disposition for them. Hay is important to keep the guts going at optimum level (that is what they are laid out for) as well as keeping the crucial back teeth ground down evenly.

Give unlimited pellets until the growth rate slows down between 6-9 months old and then very gradually reduce them to the 1/2 - 1 handful that a mature piggy needs after 12-15 months of age. Weigh your piggies weekly; it is also a very good habit for monitoring their health and it can save lives if you discover any major weight loss early on.
http://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html

Vegetables and fruit should make about 1 cupful/handful per piggy per day in as many servings as you like. Aim for a mix of different veg, but introduce only one new food at a time.
Some foods high in calcium and vitamin A should be avoided as a daily food (spinach, kale; carrots and lettuces). I would recommend including one high vitamin C food in your daily feed, a slice of pepper of any colour, or a bit of broccoli or resh parsley or dille(the latter three not daily). Coriander/cilantro is the fresh herb you can give a sprig of daily.
Cabbages CAN be fed (they are actually not a bad source of vitamin C!), but introduce them slowly and always as part of a mix. Stop feeding them to any piggy with a tender tummy.
Fruit can be given about twice weekly; like tomatoes, too much can cause mouth and lip sores. Too much sugar is not good either! The trick is to feed everything in moderation and to vary the diet, but you need to find your own balance between what your piggies like, availability, practicality and the size of your purse!
Here is a list of what veg they can eat:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42

 

[Pigglywinks]

Thanks Wiebke,

I didn't know that alfalfa hay wasn't as necessary as people made out, you do learn something new everyday.

 

[Wiebke]

My own surprise baby Tegan (from the avatar) is now a staggering 700g at 3 1/2 months old (please don;t panic if your own youngster weighs less!), so she's not suffered from being on a normal adult diet living with a big group of piggies since she's been weaned, has she?

(Tegon on the top with her auntie Ffwlbri sleeping below, just so you can compare the sizes)

There is always a tendency to overdo things when somebody impresses the need of extra calcium or vitamin C etc. A good, balanced diet already offers what a piggy needs, so any extras are just in the way of tweaking. You can harm a pet with too much kindness as effectively as by neglect. It is also always worth having a look at the ingredients of any premade foods in a pet's diet before adding any extras. Many veg also contain calcium, so you need to consider that, too. Any creamy pees or white patches mean that excess calcium has been excreted.

If you want to find out more about what is in various veg and fruit, I can recommend looking at this chart, but only if you do not want to end up even more confused!
http://www.guinealynx.info/chart.html

 

[bydandie]

Thanks all, so what pellets are best at the moment and what would be a good plan to go from no veggies to veggies?

 

[Wiebke]

As to which pellets, you may find this thread interesting and helpful: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=83004

Veg: Start with cucumber, chopped celery, slices of pepper, fresh coriander; at this age you can give spinach a bit more often (balance off with alfalfa).
Foods you can feed 2-3 times a week (so I rotate between these and offer about 2 of them each day): halved cherry tomatoes, lettuce (preferably not low nutrition iceberg), broccoli (stem, leaves and florets), bits of carrot, sweetcorn (mini or big), green beans or mangetout, leaves of cauliflower; fresh parsley, dill, basil or mint.
I feed cabbage daily and never had any problems with my piggies, but I wouldn't introduce it as the first veg. Leafy green cabbages like sweetheart, savoy, spring greens, green cabbage are fine if you feed just a bit every day.
Spinach and kale are occasional treats because I have piggies with chronic bladder infection problems and need to be careful about the amount of calcium I feed.

Give a little bit of your own fruit as a taster: apple, pear, halved grape, slice of satsuma or orange), bits of organic banana peel or a bit of banana (many piggies like the peel better), strawberries (including the green bits).

Prepare to eat a lot more chunky vegetable soups, stir fries and pasta or curry sauces or pizzas enriched with leftover veggie bits in the future! inbreeding

 

[bydandie]

Thanks, I really appreciate the advice. So would I give them one of those each day, slowly increasing the variety, or do I give them 2-3 of them each at a time? I know that these are likely really basic questions, but I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing.