Feeding

[Steph2piggies]

I leave the food dish in cage and it has plenty of food and I give assorted veg daily and hay is always filled. Should I feed at a certain time and not leave dish in cage to limit poopage? These guys are POOP MACHINES!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hay should make up 80% of their diet. Pellets should be limited. Only feed one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day. I feed my boys their pellets in the morning, give them an hour to eat them and then remove the bowl. It’s not about limiting poop, it is about the fact that hay is the most important part of their diet so you don’t want to leave constant access to pellets.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Siikibam]

Even if you take out the bowl, they will poop. They’re machines and actually what poo you see today is from up to two days ago.

You can have a feeding schedule depending on you, but hay, as mentioned above, should be available 24/7.

 

[Lady Kelly]

You won't limit the poops unfortunately, that is simply a sign of a healthy piggy. Pellets are fattening and can discourage eating hay so I limit these

 

[VickiA]

Poop is the sign of a healthy piggy digestion. They have guts that need to move constantly so they need to eat , wee and poop constantly. As said above 80% of the diet should be hay. They must have access to unlimited hay.

 

[Wiebke]

I leave the food dish in cage and it has plenty of food and I give assorted veg daily and hay is always filled. Should I feed at a certain time and not leave dish in cage to limit poopage? These guys are POOP MACHINES!

Hi!

Veg and pellets should be limited and treated more like a daily treat (they only make around 15% of the daily food intake. The more hay your piggies eat, the healthier and long-lived they will be because it the food they have evolved on, from their back tooth growth rate to the digestive system and - as grass and hay actually are rich in vitamin C - is the reason why do they cannot make their own vitamin C; their has simply been no need.

Removing the feeding dishes (ideally one per piggy unless you prefer to sprinkle feed) in between meals encourages them to eat as much as hay as possible.

Here is our detailed feeding guide, which looks at all aspects of the diet and includes a picture of a sample diet: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[PigglePuggle]

We feed small meals twice a day, just as much as they will eat in about 20 minutes, then we remove the dishes and add big piles of unlimited hay. They do need to eat hay and poop constantly, and if ever you are unlucky enough to have a very ill piggy that stops pooping... well after that, if not before, you will learn to appreciate the joy of huge piles of hay being turned into huge piles of healthy poops on a regular basis!

 

[Seven7]

For my piggies, I split their veggies into three portions per day so they get breakfast, lunch and dinner. Veggies are always accompanied by herbs and fruits.
I don’t feel this is too much veggies according to my giggles. In all, each of my piggies get around a cup and a half of veggies, herbs, and fruits a day.

 

[Seven7]

What kind of vegetables do they like the most?

Mine are introduced to large variety of veggies, herbs and fruits.
Their daily veggie is romaine lettuce so it is there for them everyday. Romaine lettuce is accompanied with herbs like mint, cilantro, basil, parsley, dandelion and etc. Mine also get some fruits a couple of times a week, like apple, grape, and etc.
Along with daily romaine lettuce, my piggies get other veggies like cucumber, carrot, kale, pea, celery and etc.

At a very young age, my piggies were introduced to many different types of veggies, herbs, and fruits so they can eat variety.