How Much Carrot?

[Pippy & Daisy]

I'm a bit confused about how much carrots I should be feeding my piggies... I'd always heard that carrot is good to feed every day so that's what I've been doing, but is that not the case? I feed them a good range of veggies and some fruit, but as things like broccoli shouldn't be fed every day, I feel a bit confused as to what I can give them every day, especially as there are so many different guides out there. Usually they get lettuce, endive, cucumber (I give it sparingly), carrots, and capsicum every day and then mix in things like broccoli, corn husks, grapes, etc maybe once or twice a week. Between the two of them they go through one carrot about every third day - is this too much? If it is too much, is there anything I can do other than cutting down on carrots? I'm worried I might be hurting them by giving them too much!

If it helps, their diet is unlimited meadow hay (it's really hard to come across timothy hay here but I was told meadow is a good alternative), a bowl of Oxbow Cavy Cuisine pellets every day (that's between the two of them, the bowl is probably about equal to one cup or a bit less so I suppose they'd be getting about half a cup each) and they get about one and a half cups of veggies each per day with the foods I listed above. Does this sound okay? Thanks in advance x

 

[Wiebke]

I would feed carrot 2-3 times a week, like most veg on our list. Carrots are high in vitamin A, which is not water soluble and can build up in the liver. We also recommend to not feed lettuce on a daily basis.
I feed a slice of cucumber, a chunk of celery, a slice of sweet pepper/capsicum daily. You can also give a sprig of fresh cilantro/coriander. All other veg and fresh herbs go on the menu 2-3 times a week rotation. Tomato or fruit are twice a week. High calcium veg like kale, Asian cabbages and spinach are only very occasional treats.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/

I would recommend to very gradually start reducing the amount of pellets once your piggies' first great growth spurt is slowing down at about 4-6 months old. Weigh your piggies weekly throughout their lives to catch any health problems early on. Adult piggies from 12-15 months old only need about a half to one handful per piggy per day (ca. 10-20g). That will ensure that they get the extra calcium and protein as long as they are still growing, but not when the pellets will only serve to make them fatter.