Grass & hay only diet?

[Shelley anne]

Hi, With all the trouble I am having with sludge with Bindy I have removed the pellets completely and this has really helped.
But when I add a few weeds or herbs or greens, a bit of sludge returns. It seems to me that the best diet for no sludge for Bindy is Unlimited fresh grass and unlimited hay with a slice of green capsicum for Vit C. Her poops look great like this and so does her wee.

I give her a very large serve of grass twice a day, throwing out leftovers after a couple of hours and refresh her hay three times a day. I have noticed the hay has a few weeds in it like clover so maybe she will be getting a bit of variety there. This doesn't seem to cause sludge oddly enough but the fresh weeds do.

I try to slip my young guinea pig, Lola a few weeds & greens on the side without Bindy seeing but this is hard and as Bindy is the boss, she takes it off her when she sees it.
Is a diet of just grass and hay Ok for guinea pigs long term? It really seems to be the best for Bindy and as it works really well for her I feel good about this decision but do you think it will be a problem if Lola lives on just this as well?

 

[Caviatious D]

Might be worth asking someone in a vet shop. As far as I know pellets are needed as part of their diet. Changing food without changing brands over slowly e.g. mixing it in a bit more every day can stop them getting loose as their tummies don't like sudden change. I'd check out lists of veggies that are safe as certain veggies can cause loose stools e.g. if they had too much cucumber. There are easy to view lists of safe veggies online which list what can be given in bigger amounts and what for whatever reason needs to be occasional treat. Carrot for example is high in sugar so you couldn't give them this everyday or in big amounts. I've never seen capsicum on any of the lists I just like to stick to whats on the list and learn what they like. Kales a good one for main veggie. But yes if you changed brand of pellets it could be the cause or could be the capsicum. As you know their bodies don't make their own vitamin c so pellots are a good diet enhancer in addition to fresh veggies and hay.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Might be worth asking someone in a vet shop. As far as I know pellets are needed as part of their diet. Changing food without changing brands over slowly e.g. mixing it in a bit more every day can stop them getting loose as their tummies don't like sudden change. I'd check out lists of veggies that are safe as certain veggies can cause loose stools e.g. if they had too much cucumber. There are easy to view lists of safe veggies online which list what can be given in bigger amounts and what for whatever reason needs to be occasional treat. Carrot for example is high in sugar so you couldn't give them this everyday or in big amounts. I've never seen capsicum on any of the lists I just like to stick to whats on the list and learn what they like. Kales a good one for main veggie. But yes if you changed brand of pellets it could be the cause or could be the capsicum. As you know their bodies don't make their own vitamin c so pellots are a good diet enhancer in addition to fresh veggies and hay.

To be clear -
Pellets are not vital to their diet - they are supplementary.
Kale is not a good main veggie. It is far too high in calcium to be fed anything more than once or twice a week and only in very small amounts
Capsicum is another name for bell peppers.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hi, With all the trouble I am having with sludge with Bindy I have removed the pellets completely and this has really helped.
But when I add a few weeds or herbs or greens, a bit of sludge returns. It seems to me that the best diet for no sludge for Bindy is Unlimited fresh grass and unlimited hay with a slice of green capsicum for Vit C. Her poops look great like this and so does her wee.

I give her a very large serve of grass twice a day, throwing out leftovers after a couple of hours and refresh her hay three times a day. I have noticed the hay has a few weeds in it like clover so maybe she will be getting a bit of variety there. This doesn't seem to cause sludge oddly enough but the fresh weeds do.

I try to slip my young guinea pig, Lola a few weeds & greens on the side without Bindy seeing but this is hard and as Bindy is the boss, she takes it off her when she sees it.
Is a diet of just grass and hay Ok for guinea pigs long term? It really seems to be the best for Bindy and as it works really well for her I feel good about this decision but do you think it will be a problem if Lola lives on just this as well?

Grass and Grass hay is the perfect diet for piggies, and whatever veg she can handle for vit c. I don’t think there should be any issue with that as her diet.

 

[PigglePuggle]

To be clear -
Pellets are not vital to their diet - they are supplementary.
Kale is not a good main veggie. It is far too high in calcium to be fed anything more than once or twice a week and only in very small amounts
Capsicum is another name for bell peppers.

Yes I agree, if you check out the forum diet guide, bell peppers and a slice of cucumber can be fed daily with no issues, whereas kale cannot. Theoretically, and in the wild, most vit C would come from grass, but in captivity without unlimited pastures to roam and pick the best bits, the grass will be lower quality with less vit C at certain times of year. Some people do go pellet free with no issues, but pellets in moderation, even just a few occasionally, can supply a useful boost of vitamins and minerals to the diet. But pellets are not essential, especially not every meal or every day, they are a supplement.

 

[Shelley anne]

I'm finding with Bindy that she just cant handle the pellets, nor any greens, even the low calcium ones. so the grass and hay diet is doing her really well at the moment, Excellent poop and urine.
I am basically feeding her all she can eat grass and fresh hay and a slice of capsicum. What I may do is give this a week or two to give her body a rest from the sludge, then try a wee bit of low calcium veg at a time and see how it goes.

 

[Siikibam]

Coriander is another good source of vitamin c. She could have a sprig or two a day. Sorry it’s such a struggle. But I’m sure you’ll find what works for you soon. You’ve been given good advise as well.