Good Feeding Routine?

[ISAAQqwes]

Hello, I feed my guineapigs 4 times a day because I thought they needed breakfast lunch (brunch if I'm present) dinner, and each meal consists of romaine lettuce shared between both of my guineapigs (2 romaine, red pepper occasionally and carrots or cucumber occasionally, in one bowl which they share) I don't mind because they don't fight. My Q) should I be feeding my guineapigs 4 times a day? I read on guinea lynx that they're to be fed vegetables once a day and my guineapigs have shown excess calcium in their pee so I want to cut their feeding down and change the romaine. I've checked, it's powdery but still makes me cry if this goes on. PLEASE HELP. (I've had them for 3 weeks, I'm new to this and I thought the forum is full on nice people.) thank you

 

[Claire W]

Hello and welcome. Most of us on here feed our piggies vegetables once or twice a day depending on routine. I personally feed my 3 breakfast and tea.

They get a selection of pepper, cucumber, coriander, green beans and little gem lettuce. They also get pellets in the morning and fresh hay throughout the day.

Cut back on the carrot as it’s high in sugar and swap the romaine for little gem or another lettuce (but not iceberg).

It is also a good idea to filter their water as that can contain a lot of calcium especially if you live in a hard water area. I use a brita filter jug

 

[Swissgreys]

A good place to start is our illustrated diet guide:
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

I would certainly start by reducing their fresh food and making sure that 80% of their daily food intake is hay.

 

[Lady Kelly]

I feed mine once a day for veggies and once a day with a teaspoon of pellets each. Hay makes up the vast majority of their diet

 

[PigglePuggle]

Mine get fed twice a day most days, usually a teaspoonful of pellets and a slice of cucumber each for breakfast, plus lots of hay- then a teaspoonful of pellets, a slice of red pepper, and some sort of herbs or salad leaves for dinner (we alternate through the week coriander, babyleaf salad, spinach, little gem or romaine lettuce, occasionally dill) followed by more hay. If they wheek for food in between I just give them more hay.
On saturdays they dont get any pellets, they get extra treat veg scatter fed in their playpen and hidden in the hay, like carrot slices or baby corn, and usually beansprouts for their dinner, and they get treat hay foods too like readigrass or hay cookies as well as their usual hay.
You can never have too much hay!

 

[ISAAQqwes]

Mine get fed twice a day most days, usually a teaspoonful of pellets and a slice of cucumber each for breakfast, plus lots of hay- then a teaspoonful of pellets, a slice of red pepper, and some sort of herbs or salad leaves for dinner (we alternate through the week coriander, babyleaf salad, spinach, little gem or romaine lettuce, occasionally dill) followed by more hay. If they wheek for food in between I just give them more hay.
On saturdays they dont get any pellets, they get extra treat veg scatter fed in their playpen and hidden in the hay, like carrot slices or baby corn, and usually beansprouts for their dinner, and they get treat hay foods too like readigrass or hay cookies as well as their usual hay.
You can never have too much hay!

Thank yoyu for responding, I found this msg helpful. I was curious, what does baby corn do to the guineapigs? My dad bought some for our meal today so I would like to feed them if benefitial

 

[ISAAQqwes]

Hello and welcome. Most of us on here feed our piggies vegetables once or twice a day depending on routine. I personally feed my 3 breakfast and tea.

They get a selection of pepper, cucumber, coriander, green beans and little gem lettuce. They also get pellets in the morning and fresh hay throughout the day.

Cut back on the carrot as it’s high in sugar and swap the romaine for little gem or another lettuce (but not iceberg).

It is also a good idea to filter their water as that can contain a lot of calcium especially if you live in a hard water area. I use a brita filter jug

I read on guinea lynx that red leaf lettuce has less calcium. Anyways : I fed them a 23g meal today shared between the two. Each guineapig got : one red lettuce leaf, 2 Spinach, half a cherry tomato and green pepper small chunk and I don't know if that's enough. I feel like I'm underfeeding them for some reason and overly conscious if I'm feeding too much Spinach. I know Tomatoes are acidic so yea. I have 2 guineapigs so one got 1/5 of the 50g allowance. I found this msg helpful, thank you for responding. :') I appreciate the help

 

[ISAAQqwes]

Thank you everyone to who replied to my question :')) I also have another last one: My guineapigs don't know how to drink. I've found out Isabelle runs away from the sound of water, but Tata doesn't. I've seen Tata drink but not isabelle. How do i train Isabelle to drink without dampening the vegetables, I've found it might give them too much if I'm spooning it in her mouth.

 

[Claire W]

Thank you everyone to who replied to my question :')) I also have another last one: My guineapigs don't know how to drink. I've found out Isabelle runs away from the sound of water, but Tata doesn't. I've seen Tata drink but not isabelle. How do i train Isabelle to drink without dampening the vegetables, I've found it might give them too much if I'm spooning it in her mouth.

You may find that she's drinking when you're not looking or getting enough water from her veg. I've had my latest piggy since July and still haven't seen her drink but she would be dead by now if she wasn't getting any water

 

[Seven7]

Thank you everyone to who replied to my question :')) I also have another last one: My guineapigs don't know how to drink. I've found out Isabelle runs away from the sound of water, but Tata doesn't. I've seen Tata drink but not isabelle. How do i train Isabelle to drink without dampening the vegetables, I've found it might give them too much if I'm spooning it in her mouth.

I would get a water bottle for them.
I recently replaced with new water bottles because the older ones were leaking.
Water bottles aren’t too expensive at least here in the US.

 

[PigglePuggle]

Thank yoyu for responding, I found this msg helpful. I was curious, what does baby corn do to the guineapigs? My dad bought some for our meal today so I would like to feed them if benefitial

Baby corn is a nice treat veg, like carrots it is quite high in calories but a small amount (like half a baby corn per pig) is a nice treat once or twice a week.

 

[ISAAQqwes]

Baby corn is a nice treat veg, like carrots it is quite high in calories but a small amount (like half a baby corn per pig) is a nice treat once or twice a week.

Thank you (I feel like I've been saying thank you a lot lol)

 

[ISAAQqwes]

I would get a water bottle for them.
I recently replaced with new water bottles because the older ones were leaking.
Water bottles aren’t too expensive at least here in the US.

Alrighty. I will get to that :') thank you.

 

[ISAAQqwes]

You may find that she's drinking when you're not looking or getting enough water from her veg. I've had my latest piggy since July and still haven't seen her drink but she would be dead by now if she wasn't getting any water

I highly agree, my piggy should be dead by now aswell if that was the case. I'll set up a waterbottle just incase lol.