New to piggies - Food/water advise please

[fudgeandchomp]

Hi, I've recently become the owner of two gorgeous boy piggies that are about 8/9 weeks old. First time owner so I'm learning about their care fast! I was advised by PAH to include a vitamin c supplement in their water. I've done this since I got them two weeks ago. It turns the water green. My concern is that I give them 200ml of water every morning and when I change the water each day, they've hardly touched it. I'd read somewhere that adding the supplement could change the taste of the water. Do you think I should carry on with this or stop and give them plain water? If I stop, how do I ensure that they get enough daily vitamin c into their bodies? I also feed them PAT nuggets, which they dont finish - I weigh out about 50g into the one bowl for the two of them. They also have vegetables twice daily and unlimited hay. They look fine and are very active.

So my questions are as they are just babies, are they eating the correct amount of food and water? Are my expectations based on adult guinea pigs?

Thanks for any help/advise

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Additives in water are not a good idea - you can't control the intake and the water goes off extremely quickly and piggies won't drink much. The same goes for mineral wheels - piggies with a good balanced diet will ignore them.

Please offer fresh water daily. Make sure that you feed 50g/1 cup of mixed veg per piggy per day in as many servings as you like. Include one high vitamin C veg like a slice of pepper of any colour, a sprig of fresh coriander, parsley, dill mint or basil or a bit of broccoli (any part) in your daily diet (please rotate). There is also vitamin C in your pellets; rather give little but more than once daily as youngsters can pee into bowls. The mainstay should be unlimited hay; that should make up to 80% of the daily food intake. It is vital to keep the guts going well and the crucial back teeth evenly ground down.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?17-Food

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[fudgeandchomp]

Many thanks. I'll just give them plain water going forward and see if that makes them drink anymore.
I'm working my way through most of the stickies too.
Thanks again