New guinea pigs not eating much

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Zofia

Zofia

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Hello.

I've only recently acquired 2 guinea pigs from a rescue. Unfortunately they're not eating much.

They get a handful of piggie nuggets a day plus a bowl of readigrass and some hay and some veg. They're only eating the readigrass, some hay and a couple of mouthfuls of the nuggets plus a bite of the veg before they abandon it.

How can I encourage them to eat more veg?

They came from a home where they weren't given any veg and they were living off pellets and privet (!!) grrrr

They weren't eating much veg at the rescue either although it was offered every day.

The only thing they'll eat is herbs, but I can't give them herbs every day can I?

Any help greatly appreciated.
 
It will take them time to settle. Poor things obviously don't know what veg is really. Just keep offering they will get the hang of it and settle soon. :)
 
Have you tried them on a bit of lettuce - mine go wild for it. My young piggies also love broccoli now although last week when I gave it them they weren't too keen but now they snatch it out of my hand as soon as I open the cage. My eldest guinea pig Nemo loves parsley too.
 
Go easy on things like broccoli and parsley on tummies that aren't used to it. Both of these should be limited, anyway.

Romaine lettuce (just a small amount then you can increase gradually) and coriander are great to tempt new piggies.
 
Nemo said:
Have you tried them on a bit of lettuce - mine go wild for it. My young piggies also love broccoli now although last week when I gave it them they weren't too keen but now they snatch it out of my hand as soon as I open the cage. My eldest guinea pig Nemo loves parsley too.
Click to expand...

I've given them broccoli a few times but they just munch a bit of stalk and then leave it. I'm going to keep trying them on it though. I think maybe they don't recognise that it's food!
 
daftscotslass said:
Go easy on things like broccoli and parsley on tummies that aren't used to it. Both of these should be limited, anyway.

Romaine lettuce (just a small amount then you can increase gradually) and coriander are great to tempt new piggies.
Click to expand...

They will eat coriander. It's about the only thing they've actually eaten properly. Also I managed to get them to eat a bit of cabbage. My rabbits have a very varied diet so obviously I'll be concerned if my piggies aren't the same.
 
non eating veg piggies

give your piggies time to settle in and get use to veggies, what ever veg you add do it slowly as to not upset their tummy.
perhaps try a little cucumber especially at cuddle time they might like a bit of veg. you could also try a teeny bit of sweet fruit like watermelon or apple just to get them use to eating something besides dry food.
have you tried oxbow pellets? which are made for piggies! there is also in the Uk a museli for piggies too.
just keep trying and good luck:)p:)p:)p keep us posted:rose:rose:rose
 
hi i adopted 2 piggies from the rehoming section at pets at home on monday and they dident eat much either not even grass also ran around there cage when i wanted to catch them but slowly they are getting easier to catch and are eating a bit more your piggies probably just need time to get used to there new home i find that mine eat when everyone has gone to bed
 
They will come round in time. In the meantime, just offer small amounts of verious veggies. Try some red/yellow/green pepper, cucumber, chicory, fennel etc as well as the ordinary stuff. I give mine a fair amount of herbs such as basil, dill, a little parsley (high in calcium so not too much) and mint :)
 
In my experience piggies that have been denied veg or any fresh foods take a long time to make the adjustment. Just be patient with them, they'll get used to it. No doubt they'll be eating you out of house and home when they realise how yummy it all is.

As has already been said though I would proceed with caution as tummies aren't used to it. Just offer one or two things every few days, if they haven't eaten it just remove it. Perhaps try things like clover or plantain - just in small quantities though. I do wonder sometimes whether it is the texture as well as the smell that puts them off for a while ? Make sure it is in tiny pieces perhaps too. If they have eaten coriander then thats a good start, maybe harder things such as broccolli they just aren't ready for.

It does seem as though they are avoiding the harder foods - teeth/mouths ok I assume?

I've had two boys here for about 6 weeks and they are just now getting used to the fresh stuff - they really didn't know what to do with it at first. It's not their fault they just needed a helping hand, once one did it the other followed. Now they can't get enough!

In the meantime I would definately supplement them with Vit C every day for a couple of weeks. At times of stress such as a new home there is a huge demand made on their Vit C supplies and a little extra won't do them any harm.

Good luck
 
Forgot to add - are you weighing them? A weekly weigh might put your mind at rest that they are getting enough for their current needs - their weight should remain fairly constant.

x
 
Thanks. Babe is only 8 weeks old so hopefully she will come round to veg quite quickly. She seems to have grown in the week I've had her.

This weekend I managed to get them to eat some more coriander and some spring green. The spring green went down really well. They're also eating grapes as I'm trying to bribe them into being my friend!

I tried the broccoli again but they'll only eat the stalk. They had some fresh grass yesterday which they loved - I took them outside for a bit as well and they seemed to enjoy it although they were frightened at first.
 
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