Had to cut down on veg

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wales1000

wales1000

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With the credit thing going on, I have had to cut down on spending. This is what I give to my piggys on a daily basis:In the morning they get:celery (one whole one between 14)one slice of cucumber eachone slice of carrots eacheither a piece of broccoli or slice of pepper each cabbage alternative days instead of broccoliand in the night they just get:small slice of romaine lettuce eachone slice of cucumberof course they get plenty of fresh hay and fresh dried food everyday.Is this ok to feed daily? I know broccoli shouldn't be fed everyday, so they have it every other day.Some people I know have said they just give a few peelings, but I used to spoil my piggies rotten and have spent a fortune on them since I got them, new houses, toys, vet beds etc, but now my bills have right gone up I have had to make cut backs on the piggies food, as I don’t want to end up giving them away (that is a deffo no no anyway!)Thanks for reading and sorry its a bit long!Natashaxx
 
I have cut down on veg for my pigs a bit too, to be honest, they were probably having too much calcium rich stuff anyway.I still give veg twice a day.

I try to economise by getting the curly lettuce now instead of cos or romaine which is a ridiculous price and I give less greens etc which is better for them. I get the mixed "basic" peppers, a bag of carrots is 50p and I get huge bunches of herbs, chicory and fennel from an ethnic small supermarket which is a 10 min drive but worth it as so much better value than the big supermarkets :)
 
I've had to cut down on veg too. Mainly because Connie is now on a low calcium diet and they are fussy eaters. They are mainly having melon and cucumber and small pieces of pepper until Connie is back to normal x
 
Hi Guys,

Yes same here, don't get me wrong we are still managing but the menus I had and worked from I tend to not follow them as strictly now and instead of 10 veg a day I'm giving 5/6 in two portions.

I shop at tescos as our aldi is quite far away so its not beneficial but I go through the veg and work out the cheapest I can get and thats been working for us.

I do give unlimited hay and excel and they are still doing well. As Fi said the calcium intake was probably high and that is with mine too. I was probably over feeding! I have some little runts Pearl, Amber and Eccles are small but even they are gaining so I'm not overly concerned I'm not giving them enough! :)

Louise
x
 
Thank you all for your replies – I was starting to panic and was thinking maybe I was being a bit tight with the old veg, but I am glad I am not the only one cutting back on the veg!I have noticed the veg shop by me has gone up quite a bit, so I tend just to go Tescos or Aldi, though when I went the other day, they didn’t have any veg apart from Honeydew Melon, though they aren’t cheap anymore, nearly £2 in most shops by me!All my piggies are quite big and my partner has said I was feeding them too much veg, hence why they are quite big gps (all around 2-3.3 lbs) compared to a lot of others out there. None of them have lost any weight since I have cut back and their coats are still lovely and shinny, so it can’t be hurting them that I have cut back. I know someone who just feds theirs peelings and they have had no problems at all with the gps. There are probably a lot of people out there who don’t come on to these forums and just fed the gps the basic dry food, hay and peelings.
 
I'm always on the look out for bargains! Absolutely nothing this week in tescos except for carrots! I can get peppers still cheap so I make sure I give them that. You are right Natasha there are people who still feed peelings and probably more that feed lettuce and carrots as the diet. As long as they get some veg and the regular foods. I've rabbits too and they are both tubby monsters and I dont' gie them as much veg as I do the pigs. :)
 
Yes I agree. I bet there are people who give their pigs hardly any veg. At the minute Connie can only eat melon and cucumber as she is on a very low calcium diet and she doesn't like much else that isn't high in calcium so I feel tight as Eliza is eating the same things as Connie as I don't want her ending up the same way. Don't beat yourself up over cutting back :)
 
I would rather cut back then have to say "right I can't afford these gps anymore and they will have to all go" that would never happen anyway.
 
Not sure about the stalk but the seeds I remove as they are hot, may pose a choking hazard and give a sore mouth. I just do it as I would if I was eating them myself. :)
 
i am having to do the same but my pigs are so fussy, if i cut back they wont be eating anything!

they do have i think a high calcium diet as their wee is getting really chalky - i dont know how though - i have also switched to bottled water to cut down on the calium as we are really hard water in west kent.

Mine dont like anything else bar lettuce, dill, corriandor, carrots, greens, pointed cabbage only!, brocolli, raddish leaves, corn on the cob ( but out of season so no go) and celery. oh Max likes Cantelope Melon though.

Tehy hate cucumber, pepper of any sort, you name it. I dont see how i can cut their veg down! would be impossible!
 
I am cutting down too. Like some of you say I am sure I give too much.... they don't always manage to eat it. Also, they are all on special diets: Riff has no fruit and low calcium, Rocky is the only person to eat carrot, Nigel and Lily won't touch cucumber. Only the yobs hoover up everything. Including the carpet.
 
hi

me too, i get free cauliflower leaves and savoy cabbage leaves and sometimes apples and carrots from my fruit and veg man i go to. i use this first then add the things i cant get cheap like cucumber, kale and spinach and its making the veg i buy last a little longer. he really is a gem got two free bags of mixed salad this morning

karen
 
Don't worry. Everyone's doing the same thing lately. Just buy what you can - whatever's in season is usually cheaper. Sprouts have been the food of choice over Christmas because they're so cheap! -c
Seeds - no, they're a choking hazard. I don't give the green stalk either!
 
I know too much cabbage is not good but I have found when I do give it that I don't need to give a lot as it is filling. Savoy Cabbages ar 50p this week in Tesco. I also get about 4 cauliflowers a week as the leave are great!

Yepp Sprouts have been fab but not all mine like them! But they know me by now that if they don't eat what they get there is nothing else! I'm a strict Mamma!

They won't eat parsnip, courgette and corn. Fussy things! :(|)
 
I live above a tesco express and they start to reduce there veggies between 6-8. So it is worth checking out your local ones as they have somereally cheap fruit and veg - big bag of carrots for 10p

I find that the supermarkets often have reduced veggies if you go late on.

This is how I've been cutting back without reducing there intake. It also means I can try them on new things - they have been on a try on the reduced veg diet at the moment
 
I cut mine lot back from two lots of veggies a day to one portion a day a while back. I do give a bigger portion though than when they had veg twice a day but they do not get as much as before. I do think I was giving them to much anyway as they always left some.
 
Thats what I did too Michelle. They seem satisfied with that as well as pellets and hay. I have some porkers in the herd so they could do with eating healthier much to their annoyance. :D

One thing I wouldn't do is not give pellets, I know they make up only 5% off the food they need but its important they have that as it is always there to keep their gut going.

I've got some really sweet smelling hay in at the moment, the pigs love it but my God it honks! :(|)
 
I think we have all noticed just how expensive veg and fruit seem to be at the moment. Well, all food really.

Usually that is just over the Christmas period but I have just got back from my local green grocer and prices are still high. He had ordinary lettuces at 79p ... the ones that used to be 35-45p. £1 for a bunch of unappealling carrots, small cauliflowers at 80p.

I came away with a large cauliflower at a £1, plus the loose outer leaves of other cauliflowers, carrots, curly kale and some raw beetroot.

I am sure you are looking after your piggies well so don't worry.
 
I spend about £5 a week on mine... The 3 of them get (between them) one celery stalk in the morning, one carrot, and a spring green leaf... Its repeated in the evening but i substitute the spring green with pepper, celeriac, spinach or cucumber...
I cant cut down on mine as they really are not dried food eaters... They get a parsley bell to nibble on if they get hungry and i often give them a handful of spinach in the afternoon to keep them from wasting away...:)):))
 
Hi, i was just thinking about this myself this morning as i seem to be spending more on my little 3's shopping than my own!

I'm introducing gradually, at the mo they love brocolli (didnt realise they shouldnt have this everyday, but i do now, but why? ) runner beans, red pepper, cabbage, carrots, sprouts and cucumber.

Could anyone actually let me know exactly how much veg is recomended for to keep a piggie healthy? Mine are only 7 & 9 weeks, so still growing, so although i need to buy and give the minimum (due to cost) i still want to make sure they are kept healthy.

They also have hay and nuggets topped up all day long. I also add vitamin drops to their water.

thanks
 
My old guinea pig used to get apple carrot and brocolli once a day (but it was quite a lot as the rabbit ate it aswell) and dried food in the evening and lived to a grand age of 6years so i tend to the side of "dont worry too much" about what you are feeding and when...
You tend to know when you are giving too much of one thing so just change it or up something else ;)

You shouldnt need to add vit to their water unless they need it and judging by your list they dont need it... Mine get what your do twice a day and they get anything else from their pellets...
 
great, thanks for that......how do i know if they need the vit in their water? are there signs to look out for?
 
As far as i know adding vit to water is only if the piggy is recooperating from an illness or not having enough veg...

Someone more experienced than me may correct me but i dont put vit in my water... The pigs are fat and healthy!

As long as they get good veg you shouldnt need it... I had my old pig from a baby and she didnt have extra vit either...:)

I would keep weighing your pigs and if they are not at the weight they should, up the veg and hay... Their coat should be glossy and dont worry if they lose hair just as long as its not coming out in patches...:)

It can be difficult gaging how much to feed piggies as they are constantly on the look out for food but i go by attitude and eyes... If their eyes are clear and open and they are running around as normal and acting normal then you have healthy pigs...:))
 
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