Not eating hay

[Del44]

I’m so worried...my brothers were brought home 1.5 wks ago when they were 8wks old. Before they came home I watched videos, I read, I watched more videos, I read more to make sure I had everything spot on for their new home. Unfortunately I have not been able to get them to eat hay! I have changed the brand 3x now and I even got hay from a friends horse, as the boys were been fed horse hay (they came from a lady who had a farm) but still they won’t eat it.
The boys will eat their veg, no problem and some nuggets, so after reading on here, I took all that away yesterday. I got up to see them this morning and still, they haven’t eaten the hay. I’m am so worried, I just don’t know what else to try ...please advise me. Thank you.

 

[Piggies&buns]

You can’t tell how much hay they are eating by watching them. The only way to know they are eating enough hay is by weighing your piggies weekly (you switch to weighing daily while there are health concerns). If you’ve had them 1.5 weeks then have you been able to do a weight check yet? If not, then please do so.
If they are indeed not eating anything and are losing weight, then they need to be syringe fed and taken to a vet.
As they are new piggies, then it is likely they are eating when you aren’t watching. Its best to cover the cage of new piggies and let them settle in.

Do you just put their hay in piles on the floor or in a hay rack? If it is a rack, then I would suggest you stop using it and ensure there are piles of hay every where in the cage, that way they have easy access to play eat and just have fun with hay plus with them being boars, then you need multiple feeding areas in the cage anyway.
What are they bedded on? If they are bedded on hay then you aren’t going to see hay disappearing. Even if they are bedded on something else and you put in a large pile of hay, they are unlikely to eat every bit of it. They will forage through, find the nice bits that they want to eat and leave the rest. You will then need to throw away any wet hay and top it up with more fresh hay a few times a day.

 

[Del44]

Thank you for your reply.
I have them in a 4x2 C&C cage with the fleece liner. Their cage has a blanket on top of the loft section, play bits, tunnels etc. I did have a hay bag but I have removed that and the hay is now on the floor.
I will folllow your advice about weighing and multiple eating areas. I’m just so concerned about them. Do you think I should change their hay type again?

 

[Piggies&buns]

If you want to change their hay, then that is your choice - as long as you are feeding a good, sweet smelling, dust extracted hay. You do need to find one they like but if they are eating what they already have then there won’t be a need to.
Are you finding lots of poops in the cage? If so, then they are eating.
Hay is 80% of their food intake. Veg is just one cup per pig per day and is 15% of their daily intake and pellets are the least healthy part and they should have just one tablespoon (please do use A tablespoon measure to portion their pellets) per day and that is just 5% of their daily food intake. Ensure you are not overfeeding veg and pellets (too many pellets in particular is not good for them) as they are really just a snack For them.

As a side note, a 4x2 cage is possibly not going to be big enough for two boars - you will have to play it by ear. A 5x2 is the recommended size for a boar pair as they are territorial and need more space. I originally had mine in a 4x2 equivalent size and it wasn’t big enough when they were in their hormonal teens - their cage size was expanded within weeks of being with me when the teens hit with full force, they just needed so much more space. They need a large space on a single level (lofts do not count towards the cage size). Do keep an eye on them when they hit their teens as lack of space can cause problems. If you do need to increase their cage size, then you must be very careful as changing cage size constitutes a change in territory which will set off dominance. Ensure all your hides have two exits so no piggy can get cornered in one by the other. This is also another reason why lofts can sometimes be problematic with boars (not always by any means), but if the dominant claims the ramp as their own territory they can stop the other from using it. Ensure there are two hay piles and in fact two of every item.

Have you checked they are both definitely boars? Getting piggies from anywhere other than a rescue centre can mean mistakes happen

The guides below will help with further information. Do give them a read

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Cage Size Guide

Weight - Monitoring and Management
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets