Viper2500
New Born Pup
The pallets are oxbow. I put them in a bowl they just look at it and sniff it then run always. They won’t eat treat too they do the same thing.
Guinea pig won’t eat it pallets.
- Thread starter Viper2500
- Start date
They need hay, hay and more hay. Pellets are the least healthy and least important part of the diet. As long as they eat hay and each week their weight has gone up, then don’t worry about the pellets.
If I remember rightly you only got them recently - were they fed oxbow pellets up until now?
what treats were you giving them?
If I remember rightly you only got them recently - were they fed oxbow pellets up until now?
what treats were you giving them?
Siikibam
Forum Donator 2022/23
That's fine. Pellets (and treats) aren't the most important part of their diet. Are they on the same type of pellet that they were eating before? If not you could buy a small bag of what they ate before and slowly change them over. Remember they're new and won't necessarily take things from your hand yet. And they may not have eaten it before so don't know it's 'safe'.
mikaldp
New Born Pup
Hi! I'm a new guinea pig owner so I'm not an expert. But mine won't eat any pellets either. I've bought a few different brands' mixed dry food with pellets and hay and stuff, she'll eat the other things but she will not touch the pellets. I'm a little worried because obviously they're fortified with vitamin C. But she loves her hay and a variety of fresh veggies, especially her leafy greens.
Sophia_Oreo108
Junior Guinea Pig
The most important part of a guinea pigs diet is hay so dont worry too much about her not eating pellets as long as she is eating hay. In regard to the vitamin c, carrots and leafy greens are quite high in vitamin c so she will still get some from there. Just make sure to weigh her regular to check she isn't losing weight and make sure she is eating hay and veggies!
Siikibam
Forum Donator 2022/23
Coriander and bell pepper are good sources of vitamin c. And so is grass and hay. Hay is the biggest part of their diet and you can give them fresh (dog pee and Fox per free) grass.
If giving them grass you have to introduce it slowly so their stomachs can get used to it. Pellets are more of a snack and they only get a tablespoon a day as well. So in the grand scheme of things it’s not much, only 5%.
does she have a friend she lives with? They’re very social and need companionship of their own kind.
Carrots may contain vitamin c but are high in sugar. As with all fruits and tomatoes, they shouldn’t be fed too often. Please note that @Sopia_Oreo108
@mikaldp have a read of the guides in the link(s) below. In particular the feeding guide.
New Owners' Most Helpful How-To Guides and Information
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities
Carrots are actually on the low vitamin C grading but they do contain a lot of vitamin A which is said to be bad for piggies, plus they are high in sugar so carrots should not be given any more than one small amount once per week.
@mikaldp - vitamin c will come from hay, grass and veg items like bell pepper and coriander. The guide below details safe veg and where it falls in terms of vitamin c levels. Don’t be concerned about not eating pellets though - some members don’t feed their piggies pellets at all, mine only get half the recommended amount etc. They are not a main part of the diet so are not concerning if they don’t eat them.
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading
JourneyGabrielle'sPiggies
New Born Pup
What I did for them to eat their pellets is definetly put a few carrots in their pelle bowl, they will most likely accidently eat a pellet and think "I like food and pellet is food, so I eat pellets." Lol.
Rivervixen
Forum Donator 2023/24
carrots shouldn’t be fed to piggies regularly, it’s like chocolate for us
JourneyGabrielle'sPiggies
New Born Pup
no carrots are fine like 4 times a week don;t worry there is lots of benefits that out way the cons as long as you don't feed other sweet veggies/fruits at the same time.carrots shouldn’t be fed to piggies regularly, it’s like chocolate for us
that’s entirely incorrect. Carrots should not feature highly in their diet, they can be given one tiny amount once per week only. They are far too high in sugar to feature regularly in their diet. They are also high in vitamin a which isn’t good for them in large quantitles.
Encouraging a piggy to eat something like pellets by which can be relatively unhealthy for them by encouraging them to eat something else relatively unhealthy like carrots isn’t a good idea.
JourneyGabrielle'sPiggies
New Born Pup
Much research says other wise, but to be safe I will read upon it more and think about what you said. But remember some carrots have more sugar than others.
all root vegetables contain a lot of sugars, plus the vitamin A issue with carrots. We don’t ever recommend feeding them more than once per week in very small quantities on this forum. The guides below explain
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading
Sophia_Oreo108
Junior Guinea Pig
I have always thought that you could only feed piggies carrot once a week. When I researched it it told me that you can feed them carrots 4 times a week although I'm still not sure if I believe it!?
JourneyGabrielle'sPiggies
New Born Pup
I have had no bad issues with it, just don't feed too much at a time.
There is a lot of misinformation on the internet and on this forum we strive to keep things as accurate as possible.
4 times a week is far far too much. Too much vitamin A can potentially cause liver problems.
Its not sufficient to say I’ve always done it and never had any problems.
The choice is entirely yours, but we will never recommend fruit (due to sugars and acidity), including tomatoes, carrots (and root veg in general) be fed more than in very tiny proportions and no more than once per week. One small round cut off of a carrot once per week is enough
Siikibam
Forum Donator 2022/23
@JourneyGabrielle'sPiggies It’s good if you haven’t had issues with it but here the forum doesn’t recommend more than a small piece a week. What you decide to do is always up to you but the forum has its guidelines.
Sophia_Oreo108
Junior Guinea Pig
Thank you! That's exactly what I thought!
JourneyGabrielle'sPiggies
New Born Pup
I understand what the forum says, but how do you guys come to this conclusion when so much research says otherwise? This is not being rude, I really trying to understand how some people come up with extreme limits for foods when research says its okay. do what you want, but 1 carrot a week my gosh. I think we all want the best for our piggies, but I think sometimes people go to far in my opinion. Please don't think I am trying to be rude, this is a genuine question of mine that I have. I would like to come to the forum for info, but I also have to look at the vast majority or research online and if it says otherwise I might have to go with it. Again this is no disrespect to the forum or anyone, just thought maybe sometimes these limitations are way to strict that some ppl have. But please continue to do what you think is best for your guinea pigs!
Nobody thinks you’re being rude at all, it’s always good to have such discussions.
My own research and experience of 30 years of keeping small animals including discussions with my vet, ive only ever seen and been advised that it’s fine to give the occasional small piece of carrot or fruit but it should never be in high quantities as such high sugar content foods don’t form part of their diet and high sugar can cause gut imbalances along with other health issues such as unhealthy weight gain - which is exactly what we are saying here.
I genuinely find it interesting that you’ve seen multiple sources saying high sugar content items can be fed frequently - this has certainly not been my experience - everything I’ve seen (and literally just now - animal welfare charities etc) all say small amounts, only very occasionally but no more than once per week .
My own research and experience of 30 years of keeping small animals including discussions with my vet, ive only ever seen and been advised that it’s fine to give the occasional small piece of carrot or fruit but it should never be in high quantities as such high sugar content foods don’t form part of their diet and high sugar can cause gut imbalances along with other health issues such as unhealthy weight gain - which is exactly what we are saying here.
I genuinely find it interesting that you’ve seen multiple sources saying high sugar content items can be fed frequently - this has certainly not been my experience - everything I’ve seen (and literally just now - animal welfare charities etc) all say small amounts, only very occasionally but no more than once per week .
Siikibam
Forum Donator 2022/23
Where is the research that you found which says they can have carrot (or perhaps fruit) regularly? I’m just curious as well. To me it’s kind of logical. If carrots are the chocolate of the piggy world (and pellets junk food) then why would I want to feed them that so often? I also don’t think pellets and grass would feature in their original natural habitat. But as they’ve become domesticated I assume that adjustments have had to be made to their diet. Just thinking out loud 
As said, the information is out there, whether correct or (partly) not. Everyone is entitled to choose what they take on or not for their own piggies.
As said, the information is out there, whether correct or (partly) not. Everyone is entitled to choose what they take on or not for their own piggies.
JourneyGabrielle'sPiggies
New Born Pup
I agree with everything you said!
Wheeksers
Junior Guinea Pig
Firstly - Solid discussion! I appreciate that this was a discussion and not trying to belittle someone's genuine curiosity - another reason why I love this forum.
Secondly - There is so much misinformation out there that claims to be research. Just because you google "How much carrot can a guinea pig eat" does not mean that top result will be factual. I, too, have seen many sites claim that you can feed sugary veggies/fruits more often than you should.
Thirdly - One of the reasons why I stopped listening to other places on the internet and focus solely on this forum (especially for a starting place) is because the folks on this forum genuinely care deeply about guinea pigs. Although most of the collective is from the UK, this forum has folks from all around the world who are passionate about guinea pigs - see them as family, not a pet. There is a big difference between folks who see their animals as family vs pets. Folks come from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and situations that help mold and create a unique collective of best practices.
Lastly - I feed my herd of six carrots daily, however, it's only one MAYBE two baby carrots - that's split between three bowls and six pigs - and makes up maybe 3% of their daily veggies. If you are to feed carrots daily, as that is something you want to do, the point is to not feed a large amount and to keep it as a minimal addition to other, more important veggies. Plus, it's always good to rotate veggies to keep veggie time exciting and fun!
Secondly - There is so much misinformation out there that claims to be research. Just because you google "How much carrot can a guinea pig eat" does not mean that top result will be factual. I, too, have seen many sites claim that you can feed sugary veggies/fruits more often than you should.
Thirdly - One of the reasons why I stopped listening to other places on the internet and focus solely on this forum (especially for a starting place) is because the folks on this forum genuinely care deeply about guinea pigs. Although most of the collective is from the UK, this forum has folks from all around the world who are passionate about guinea pigs - see them as family, not a pet. There is a big difference between folks who see their animals as family vs pets. Folks come from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and situations that help mold and create a unique collective of best practices.
Lastly - I feed my herd of six carrots daily, however, it's only one MAYBE two baby carrots - that's split between three bowls and six pigs - and makes up maybe 3% of their daily veggies. If you are to feed carrots daily, as that is something you want to do, the point is to not feed a large amount and to keep it as a minimal addition to other, more important veggies. Plus, it's always good to rotate veggies to keep veggie time exciting and fun!
JourneyGabrielle'sPiggies
New Born Pup
I am so happy I was able to hear how you think, I was so scared people would take what I said to offence, but I am glad people in this forum are really good at having a civil conversation..