food for my new rescue piggie!

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biscandmatt

biscandmatt

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i know my piggie will need unlimited hay and pellets but i wasn't sure about the veg so i have been reading up on here and this is what i am planning to give him.

everday - small amount of lettuce (not iceberg), cucumber, strawberries, corriander, peppers (red, green, yellow)

3-4 times a week - any of the following - parsnip, chard, courgette, baby corn, basil, rocket, cabbage (any but not savoy)

1-2 times a week - spinach leaves, savoy cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, parsley, some fruit like a bit of apple, banana, pear etc...

does this seem ok? is everything in the right place?

i don't know what he has been having already yet so this is just a list of things to try him on to see what he likes. :)

if i introduce anything new do i have to do it gradually and over a certain amount of time? he is 2 years old.

let me know what you think, and in particular if there's anything that can be added to the 'everyday' list.

thanks :)
 
not sure about strawberries daily but could be wrong. See what others say! Everything else seems fine. Just be aware they may not like all veggies so don't stock up on masses of things until you know what they like.
 
someone on another thread said strawberries were ok daily but everyone let me know what you think. :)

the things i have in anyway are savoy cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, spring greens (can they have them?), broccoli, spinach leaves, parsley, peppers, apples, bananas. so i thought try him on some of those to start with (depends what he's used to) and then buy maybe one or two more things aswell for now. i'm off to asda tonight! :)
 
I wouldn't give strawberries every day - quite acidic at times and can cause upset tummies! :)
 
Generally speaking, I use fruit as a treat once or twice weekly, and veggies twice a day. I don't really count up how many days for this and that, I just give a selection of about 4 -5 different things at each time. By doing this they only have small amounts of everything anyway, so not enough to cause any problems hopefully. xx
 
ok, thanks. i thought that aswell, if i just feed a small amount of things and then alternate them each day then he will always get a variety and a small amount of each. :)

do i need to be feeding him twice a day with veg then? and how much for a single piggie? :)
 
My rough guide is usually about an 80 / 20 split.( 80% veg 20% fruit.) :)

Twice a day is preferable. Regarding quantity, your piggy will let you know in time. I take out whatever hasn't been eaten in half an hour. They all have different appetites, you'll just have to give it time to get to know his. :)

And yes they can be fussy too - I've got some who like peppers, some who don't, some who only like yellow ones and some who only eat green ones.................... and so the list goes on !

Fresh grass however is never refused by anyone :))
 
right, last night i went to asda and i didn't know what to get...so i got all of these:

parsley
corriander
savoy cabbage
broccoli
carrots
spring greens
beansprouts
peppers (red and yellow)
celery sticks
baby courgettes
baby sweetcorn
mixed cabbage bag - green cabbage, white cabbage, carrot, kale.
apples
bananas

What's the best thing to do now, just feed him a selection of a few and then a different selection the next day etc... is it possible for him to get a stomach upset if he isn't used to any of these foods?

 
yes just a few each day. Try to limit amount of apple / banana to maybe once / twice a week due to the sugar and the acidity of apples.

You'll **** fine some go down better than others and no which ones they do not like so don't need to buy next time!
 
BeckyP said:
Hey biscandmatt please can I come and live with you :)):))
Your piggy is deffinatly going to be well fed :)
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:)) i think i went a bit over the top there!

i got an email before from the rescue and he has been having all of the things on my list regularly, except beansprouts, courgette and banana so think i will start off with a few of each that he is already used to and alternate them each day. looks like he isn't too fussy though!

i am only going to give the apple, banana and carrots 1-2 times a week. the other things i will alternate, with a few things everyday that are ok to be fed everyday.

the rescue said he doesn't understand why he keeps being passed around all the time. :( but at least now he will have his forever home. :) and soon a new friend and hopefully he will settle and be happy. :)

he's here at around 7pm thursday evening and i can't wait! got him loads of new things and got his cage ready. just needs megazorb and hay in his tray tomorrow and water in the bottles...and of course some food!...and it's all ready!

apparantly he's quiet and a bit shy so he likes to hide under things - his hay, blankets etc... awwwwwww!
 
I hope you have a wonderful time getting to know your new little one. I must say, after reading about the veg, you seem like a dedicated and generous piggy owner and I think your rescue piggie will be very very happy!

Sarah x
 
Sarah from Chucklebunnies said:
I hope you have a wonderful time getting to know your new little one. I must say, after reading about the veg, you seem like a dedicated and generous piggy owner and I think your rescue piggie will be very very happy!

Sarah x
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aww, thank you. :) some may use the word obsessive though! :)) he's here now and he's amazing! we love him to bits! :)
 
Yes I want to come and live with you too, all that yummy food! :))

Is the rescue piggie still growing, or he is adult? if he's adult I would limit the parsley, as its very rich in calcium. A little is fine but too much can cause bladder stones to form. If he is a baby a little more is fine as he is still growing and will need the calcium.

You may need to start on veg slowly if the little one isn't used to it..and work your way up, just to ensure no tummy upsets. :)
 
You are on the right forum to do 'obsessive' with piggies!
Mine are fed a variety of veg twice daily. x
 
nutmeg said:
You are on the right forum to do 'obsessive' with piggies!
Mine are fed a variety of veg twice daily. x
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he's two years old. he has been having a variety twice a day, he now has let me know his faves and he's doing really well. he is very happy and settled today and this is his third day so he's doing great. i'm so happy because he lets me cuddle him and hand feed him and he's popcorning and squeaking so he seems to like it here. he had an instant bond with my brother alex who's 14, he loves him so that's great because alex is my rabbit, and now guinea pig, sitter! :))
 
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