Getting piggies to eat fruits & veggies

@the3piggies

@the3piggies

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi!

I've had my pigs for almost 2 weeks now and they are doing super well! They are eating, drinking, and pooping. They're having a balanced diet of hay and pellets, and I give them a vitamin C tablet every day. The only thing is, they aren't eating veggies or fruits. I've tried just about everything I can think of. I've put the veggies in a bowl next to their hut, in their eating area, and I even put some on the bottom of the cage so they can forage for them. I've also tried feeding it to them and just leaving them in a bowl when we're doing floor time. I've also tried pretty much every fruit and veggies that are okay for them to eat. They are getting their vitamin C still, but I just have two questions.
First, is there any benefits that they are not getting from not eating veggies besides the Vitamin C?
Second, Does anyone have any ideas for how I can get them to eat the fruits & veggies?
Thanks!
 
What type of veggies are you feeding them? Mine love green leaf lettuce, cucumbers, cilantro, bell peppers, and the occasional carrot.
 
It can take them a while to learn what is or isn’t safe. How old are they?
It also take them many tries of the same thing before they really decide whether they do or don’t like it And given its only been two weeks it’s a short period of time. What have you tried?

Hay contains vitamin c And Fresh grass, as their natural diet, also contains vitamin c so if you have access to fresh dog pee free grass, then definitely offer that to them. Pellets are also fortified with vitamin c. If they eat hay, grass and pellets, then they will be getting a good amount of vitamin c. Definitely once they are eating veggies then you can stop giving them the supplementary vitamin c - it isn’t needed for piggies eating a normal diet and is generally only recommended to be given as part of a short boost for the immune system for poorly piggies.
 
RedLoredAmazon said:
What type of veggies are you feeding them? Mine love green leaf lettuce, cucumbers, cilantro, bell peppers, and the occasional carrot.
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I've tried just about everything. Cucumbers, bell peppers, kale, lettuce, and carrots are the things I've tried the most and they won't eat any of them. I've also tried some fruits such as blueberries and strawberries and they won't eat those either.
 
Piggies&buns said:
It can take them a while to learn what is or isn’t safe. How old are they?
It also take them many tries of the same thing before they really decide whether they do or don’t like it And given its only been two weeks it’s a short period of time. What have you tried?

Hay contains vitamin c And Fresh grass, as their natural diet, also contains vitamin c so if you have access to fresh dog pee free grass, then definitely offer that to them. Pellets are also fortified with vitamin c. If they eat hay, grass and pellets, then they will be getting a good amount of vitamin c. Definitely once they are eating veggies then you can stop giving them the supplementary vitamin c - it isn’t needed for piggies eating a normal diet and is generally only recommended to be given as part of a short boost for the immune system for poorly piggies.
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That makes sense. I can try to persist with the same veggie often and maybe they'll feel more safe eating it. They're about 3 months old. I've tried just about everything. Cucumbers, bell peppers, kale, lettuce, and carrots are the things I've tried the most and they won't eat any of them. I've also tried some fruits such as blueberries and strawberries and they won't eat those either.

Got it. I was planning on giving them some grass as the weather is getting nicer so I will make sure to do that. They eat hay and pellets and their vitamin c right now. I will start giving them grass and keep trying the veggies! Thanks for your help.
 
Young piggies learn from older piggies what is and isn't safe to eat. If piggies have never had this experience of seeing older piggies eat veg they may not even realise that it's food. Keep putting out a few bits of veg each day and remove it if it hasn't been eaten. It took Patsy 6 months before she would try a new bit of veg (I adopted he) and she'd seen the other 2 eat it. So you do have to be patient. One of your piggies will be brave enough to try it and realise that veg tastes nice.
 
Betsy said:
Young piggies learn from older piggies what is and isn't safe to eat. If piggies have never had this experience of seeing older piggies eat veg they may not even realise that it's food. Keep putting out a few bits of veg each day and remove it if it hasn't been eaten. It took Patsy 6 months before she would try a new bit of veg (I adopted he) and she'd seen the other 2 eat it. So you do have to be patient. One of your piggies will be brave enough to try it and realise that veg tastes nice.
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Okay thanks! I will make sure to do that, I've tried to put some veg inside their food bowl but I'm pretty sure they still don't eat it. I will continue persisting and hopefully one of them will try eventually! Thanks for your help xx
 
Cookie&Cocoa said:
Hi!

I've had my pigs for almost 2 weeks now and they are doing super well! They are eating, drinking, and pooping. They're having a balanced diet of hay and pellets, and I give them a vitamin C tablet every day. The only thing is, they aren't eating veggies or fruits. I've tried just about everything I can think of. I've put the veggies in a bowl next to their hut, in their eating area, and I even put some on the bottom of the cage so they can forage for them. I've also tried feeding it to them and just leaving them in a bowl when we're doing floor time. I've also tried pretty much every fruit and veggies that are okay for them to eat. They are getting their vitamin C still, but I just have two questions.
First, is there any benefits that they are not getting from not eating veggies besides the Vitamin C?
Second, Does anyone have any ideas for how I can get them to eat the fruits & veggies?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
My Tip is just to try again and try different veg because they should soon get used to them.
 
Hello @Cookie&Cocoa :wel:
Time will give piggies chance to munch on veg.
I feed mine fresh twice a day. . . Some days it's like the last supper they will ever have. . Some times they can't be bothered. Lol.
Great guides on this forum which may help.
All the jolly best.
 
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