HAFF Diet Question (How much fresh food?)

[Piggy_Trio]

Hi,
I am currently researching the HAFF/pellet-less diet. I know that it is not recommended by a lot of people, due to the need to closely monitor nutrients and the calcium/phosphorus ratio etc...so I don't need people to point that out to me today. What I am after is some insight into how quantity of fresh food is effected when your guniea-pigs are on this type of diet? For example, I have read in several places that 1 cup per pig per day for fresh vege is a good approximate amount to go for (when having pellets), so for those of you doing HAFF, how much do you find that this amount goes up by. I know that all guinea-pigs are different and that it is going to be more about getting the right mix of nutrients without that pellet backup...but I would really like a rough ballpark to help me work out what the diet might look like, and then I can run some nutrients calculations based on that. I also want to make sure that I am not giving way too much fresh food to compensate for the lack of pellets, where they maybe should be eating more hay. I am aware that a lot of people keep their guinea-pigs inside, but I live in a country that it is pretty standard for them to be outside and have access to grass in their run all the time. So I am also wondering how this type of grass access should effect the amount vege given (if at all)?
TIA!

 

[Siikibam]

My piggies aren’t pellet free, but going by the recommended ‘balanced diet’, pellets only make up about 5% and veg approx 10-15%. So I wouldn’t up the amount of veg if I were going pellet free.

However, what I do if the pigs have time on the grass is to cut back on their veg for that day.

 

[Eriathwen]

I'm not sure whether mine technically count as pellet free or not, they don't get commercial pellets, but as I dont have much/any lawn to speak of in order to give them fresh grass every day like I would like to, they have 100% grass pellets, soaked in water to replicate the higher water content that fresh grass would have. Other than that they get dried forage, their regular feed hay, alternative treat hays as well as a fescue, rye and meadow grass chop that I alternate.

Anyway I don't offer a larger quantity of vegetables to normal, just a wider variety. When I give fresh forage from outside (including grass) then I cut the amount of veg I give them.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m not pellet free either but I agree with the above. Hay needs to be the biggest part of their diet in any event. If they have access to grass, then there is no need to increase vegetables (nor would it be advised, lots of grass and excess veg would be a recipe for a tummy upset). Given pellets should only ever be given in tiny quantities, then going pellet free isn’t so much of a big deal in terms of nutrients. Pellets and veg are supplementary in any event so guinea pigs should be getting the majority of their nutrition from hay/grass.
In the summer, my boys are out on the lawn (once properly acclimated to fresh grass again after the winter), often from 8am-9pm. I cut their veg portion down during this time to just some slices of bell pepper, perhaps a little cucumber and some coriander to take account of their increased grass intake.

 

[VickiA]

Tagging @furryfriends (TEAS)

 

[Piggy_Trio]

Thanks everyone - that is really helpful insight!

I have been having a play around with the cal:phos calculator on guinea-pig lynx, and am learning so much reading that website and searching forums etc. It's opened up a whole new world lol!

Just for the record, we don't have high quality guinea-pig pellets available here, so I want to do HAFF well rather than feed them pellets with a whole pile of junk that they are not supposed to have.