Grazers...not my piggies - more like scoffers!

[WombatnPiglet]

Hi

Another question from me (can you tell we've only had piggies for 10 days?:red)

I am keeping an eye on our piggies' weight as I got them from a rescue and Piglet in particular is quite 'large'. So I limit them to one bowl of nuggets a day, unlimited hay and then a cup of veggies in the morning and then half a cup in the afternoon. I hope this is ok?

What I find interesting is that when I come down in the morning to clean them out and get them fresh water and hay, I also give them their veggies (usually brocolli stalks, romaine lettuce, mange tous and spinach) and they scarf down the majority of the veggies and at least a third of the pellets (I've got the Excel ones) while I'm still there- so in about 20 minutes! I thought they were supposed to graze throughout the day. Am I not feeding them enough?

They are 2 and a quarter and 1 and a quarter years old and both big boars? They have loads of hay- in the hay rack, in the litter tray and stuffed into a toilet roll each.

Am I on the right tracks or am I (inadvertantly) starving them?/

 

[ghostbusterbunny]

Hey! First off - don't fret. You're feeding them exactly what they need. Piggies will scoff when you first put fresh food in for them - it's as if they're afraid you're going to take it off them sometimes and watching them gobble it's easy to feel like they're not getting enough!

Piggies are grazers and after they've done the scoffing when they first get their food, you'll find that they pick for the rest of the day. Mine get their veggies and pellets before I put them to bed and by the morning all that is gone and they spend the rest of the time grazing through their hay - which is what they should be doing.

You are most definitely on the right tracks!

 

[NatalieMT]

It's like feeding time at the zoo round my house when the pigs get their fill! I wouldn't worry about them scoffing what you're giving them because I think it's just part of being a pig. I think what you are feeding them sounds perfect!

Excel recommend 30-50g of nuggets per day, per guinea pig. I estimate this to be a palm sized handful each but I've never actually weighed it out to see what is what - maybe I should, would be quite interesting! Obviously they love to graze on hay and mine occasionally get ReadiGrass too and you can't go wrong with a nice variety of veggies. Unfortunately the way to all my piggies hearts is through food, I wouldn't consider any of mine to be overly greedy but it does seem like they can put it away sometimes. Weight wise I'd prefer them to be spot on or a little bit over rather than under and I guess pigs do come in all shapes and sizes. One of my boys is about 1.5kg, I have a 1.2kg female and the rest are averaging 850-1kg. Pickle has gone a bit smaller with old age (she's 7+ now) but she still has a good appetite and has taught her husboar all about begging. Provided your boys are happy and healthy I'd continue with your current regime and just carry on keeping an eye on them as you are doing.

 

[ellie_jo3213]

I weighed out 50g of nuggets once - its such a tiny amount! I used to feed mine ad lib nuggets.. until she would only eat them and no hay, then her teeth overgrew and i've had problems eversince....

 

[Lilly]

I've had my 2 boys for a while now. They always scoff vegies. When I put out the vegies they immediately start to eat and don't stop until the dishes are empty. I've had to spread their vegies over 3 feedings so they don't overload.

No matter how much hay or dry mix is left, if I replace it or add to it they immediately run over and start on it. But after the initial feeding frenzy they spend the rest of the day grazing.