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Help!

  • Thread starter Thread starter MPHF
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MPHF

Hi,
I have agreed to look after a lady's Guinea for a few days after an emergency. I keep rabbits and don't know much about Piggies. (her rabbit has come to stay too) She has left no food or bowls or anything, just the animals. I can sort out the rabbit but not the Guinea Pig.
I'd like to get some information on what sort of thing to feed it... I only have rabbit and know it can't have that. Silly question but can they drink from a bowl? And what can I feed it without having any specific food?
Thanks for the help. :)
P.S she also said it could be pregnant... :{
 
Good on you for coming on here and asking for advice! The most important thing for a piggy is hay. Up to 80% of a piggys food intake should consist of hay.

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42
This thread has a list of what veggies to give the piggy, a cupful (50g) a day.

If the piggy is alone I wonder how it could be pregnant. Do you know if she just got it, or if she lost it's piggy man friend recently?

If she is pregnant she definitely need dry food too. I'm not familiar with UK brands, but you can always give whole grains, like wheat and oats.
 
We just felt it's important to find out all we can in the space of time we have to care for this piggie properly.
We think the lady has only just got the guinea pig. She is coming back in the morning with it's food. She said feed it the same food as the rabbit but is that ok?
At the moment in it's hutch it has basil, cabbage and dandelions. We also have oats avaliable so it will have those tomorrow. It also has a bowl of water because we didn't have a bottle for it. Will that be ok just until tomorrow?
Thank you for the help!
 
She should be fine with a bowl of water, you will just need to change it to keep it fresh (mine had a habit of flicking poop into their water before they had a bottle!) maybe a couple of times a day.

I don't think that there is a food that is suitable for both rabbits and piggies. There are some that are similar, for example Wagg do a Guinea Pig Crunch and a rabbit version (unsure of the name as I don't own rabbits so never paid too much attention). I always thought that if you kept both animals, you need to buy two different types of dry food.
 
Do you have any hay you could give it? If not, maybe cut som grass at least? Like with rabbits it's really important for their teeth and guts. Piggies can go without dry food and veggies for a day or two, but they need the fibers in the hay.

The veggies sound fine. A water bowl is fine too, just remember to change it often. Piggies are not as tidy as rabbits :). Rabbits don't have the same dietary needs as piggies, but I don't know how it differs except that piggies can't make their own vitamin C. That's why they need veggies!

Look around here on the forum. Especially the "sticky threads" with references.

Piggies are also group living animals and are best off with a friend... Has she lived with the rabbit? I'm wondering if she had a boar too, if she is pregnant?
 
Sounds similar to a rabbit. Their diet is also 80-90% hay so the piggie has got hay- we had plenty of that! The piggie did live with the rabbit but was seperated because she thought the piggie was pregnant. I think the lady who had the piggie fosters them for an animal charity so it could have came to her pregnant.
It seems very scared at the moment- burying itself under all the hay!
 
Unlike rabbits, guinea pigs cannot produce vitamin C in their bodies and need a constant supply; that is the main reason why they cannot eat the same pellets/muesli as rabbits. Please buy a guinea pig one.

If that girl is pregnant, she will need double as much vitamin C as normal; make sure that you include vitamin C rich veg like peppers of any colour, broccoli or parsley in her food.

A guinea pig pregnancy lasts ten weeks on average and the babies are born with their fur on and eyes open as guinea pigs are roaming animals that do not have sets or nests. Here is more info on pregnancy in case you are interested: http://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction.html

I must say that I am not struck by that lady; I would never give my animals in somebody's care wihtout their stuff! But you will probably have met similar attitudes towards rabbits as towards guinea pigs.
 
We totally agree with what you say about the woman.
If she doesn't bring the food round tomorrow we will buy some ourselves.
We are very clued up on rabbit care as we have 5 but realise that Piggies are different.....though just as cute.:))
 
Many members here have both piggies and rabbits; I am strictly a piggy person, though, as my piggies are allowed to roam the living room when I'm around. rolleyes

Piggies can also drink out of rabbit bottles, by the way.
They should have about 50g/1 cupful of mixed veg in one or more servings, in case you were wondering about the quantities.
 
I would say the rabbit food is probably okay for one day, as it is usually the same but minus the vit C, which she can get from veg. Athough really, it is risky to change their diet abruptly like this.
 
Hmm I'm a bit confused, surely as she has the pig at home it normally has a water bottle, food bowl etc so I can't really understand why she hasn't gave you these whilst she's away?

But I think it's very admirable of you to both take care of the pig for her and care enough to come looking for advice on how to take care of it properly. You've been given some good advice, we always make sure ours have hay and pellets and feed them fresh veg twice a day. There's certain things you can't feed them but there's a list of safe food on here, not sure of the link but hopefully someone will be able to point you in the right direction.
 
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