Fussy eaters

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Sharon.Mackay

Sharon.Mackay

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Hi all,
I have had my boys a couple of weeks, they are offered a wide range of veg but will only eat carrots and celery and occasionally cabbage. They LOVE cucumber but i limit this because i know they shouldnt have it too often. Is this normal? I wondered if it's just part of settling in and if i should keep offering the other veggiesanyways. They eat the pellets too.
 
I would keep offering other foods. Peppers, parsley and green beans are favourites here. When my girls were younger they were apprehensive about some foods. They refused green beans at first, then I sliced them lengthways and they ate them :{, now they gobble them whole. They also started refusing carrots soon after I got them, then I started putting a couple of pieces in when I went to bed, they were always gone in the morning. They still won't eat carrots if I put them in with dinner so carrots have remained a night time snack (I just take it out of their dinner allowance so they're not getting any extra.... sshhhh.... don't tell them).
You could also try hiding tidbits in their hay as piggies love to find things. :) It's also a good idea to introduce new foods one at a time so it doesn't cause tummy upsets.
 
My girls are the opposite, they'll eat everything, but aren't so keen on either carrots or celery. Their favourites are green pepper, broccoli and cucumber. They get fed a variety and eventually they will eat everything thats in the cage. I would still give yours a variety, and just leave them to see. They may not be used to any other types of veggies, so may take a while for them to accept it as food.
 
My guinea pigs have always been greedy :)) But my rabbits were picky eaters at first, but they got used to things after a while. I think offer them a little bit of something new every now and again and they will eventually get to like it. Just like people, their tastes change :)
 
Belle is the same. she will munch and demolish cucumber, a plate of grass, hay and any leafy veg but she dont really go near carrots, peppers, etc.

I saw her sneakily munch on the sweetcorn the other night. I just keep putting it in their cage, hoping eventually they will eat it!
 
Thanks everyone, i will stick with the usual but offer one of something different along with it (and try chopping it differently!) I like the idea of hiding food too. They remind me of the toddlers i used to look after:))
Whilst i have your attention;) Can i ask another question? My husband and i get the boys out for a short time each day to get them used to being handled. Ted started taking food from our hand and letting us pet him in the hutch so we decided they were ready, Dougal is a bit less tolerant but they wont be parted so it was tough really!
It worked fine at first, they seemed to like being out for a whille but now Ted, the more confident of the 2 has started to freak out after about 5 mins! he goes mad squealing and trying to jump away. This unsettles and upsets Dougal (who is very happy being cuddled and having a lovely time) so we have to abandon it and put them back :0 He hasnt had a bad experience when we had him out previously, he is still happy for us to stroke him in the hutch and comes to take food etc. Why has he starrted to hate being out? We cant seperate them for cuddles, they just won't have it.
Any suggestions? Sorry for changing the subject!
 
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Umm, I don't really know what to suggest. Maybe he just wants to run around...have * got any floor space that they could run around in? That way they are still getting used to your company, as you can stay in the same room as them, but they are able to move freely. He may just dislike being held for too long. I'm sure eventually they will get more used to being held, you just have to give them time :). Some guinea pigs just aren't as cuddly as others.
 
I posted this in the behaviour section and a lovely lady told me he has become confident enough to tell us he has had enough. So its good as he is trusting us more. Thanks for your feeding suggestions Xx
 
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