Not eating veg and fruit

[Jasper]

Hello I have welcomed 2 beautiful little males into my home. One is 6 weeks and the other 10 weeks old. They are happy and eating hay and nuggets but they are not eating any vegetables or fruit and I’ve tried everything. Can anyone give me advice on how to get them to eat veggies and fruit please?

 

[Siikibam]

Fruit isn't as important so if they don't eat it then that's fine. Do you know what veg they were eating before they came to you? And what veg have you tried them on?

I would suggest you put in 2 slices of bell pepper and cucumber, a lettuce leaf divided into some pieces and a few sprigs of coriander. Just put it in and leave it. If they don't eat it just take it out and put some in the next day. Depending whether they were fed veg previously, it may be they don't 'know' what is/isn't safe to eat. It may be a matter of persistence until they find it is okay to eat it.

They're also very new so give them time to settle in. Cover their cage with a blanket and just clean (poo pick) and feed. Keep pellets to maximum 2 tablespoons (adult guinea pigs). As they're so young I'm assuming (correct me if I'm wrong) that they came from a breeder, pet shop or private home. We always suggest that piggies from those places are booked in with a vet for a week after they move in. And please also double check that they're both boars.

Another thing with boars is that they need more space than sows. The minimum is 150x60cm but we recommend 180x60cm. It's best if they're in the correct sized cage before they reach their teens - 4-14 months of age.

New Owners' Most Helpful How-To Guides and Information
Illustrated Sexing Guide
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[Jasper]

Hi Siikibam thank you for your reply. One boar was from a private home and the older one from a pet shop which was apparently was given greens of which I have tried every type of and none of it is touched. Maybe I have cut the veg up too big so I will cut it up smaller and scatter it around the cage and see what happens. I’ve had my 2 piggies for nearly 3 weeks and they seem to be bonding though there are times when they chase each other around the cage doing popcorns so that would indicate to me that they are playing-would you agree? A lot of times the older one would make low rumbling noises but there is never any nashing of teeth.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hi Siikibam thank you for your reply. One boar was from a private home and the older one from a pet shop which was apparently was given greens of which I have tried every type of and none of it is touched. Maybe I have cut the veg up too big so I will cut it up smaller and scatter it around the cage and see what happens. I’ve had my 2 piggies for nearly 3 weeks and they seem to be bonding though there are times when they chase each other around the cage doing popcorns so that would indicate to me that they are playing-would you agree? A lot of times the older one would make low rumbling noises but there is never any nashing of teeth.

in terms of their relationship, chasing and rumbling are both mild dominance behaviours, nothing to worry about
.

 

[Sophia_Oreo108]

Hello I have welcomed 2 beautiful little males into my home. One is 6 weeks and the other 10 weeks old. They are happy and eating hay and nuggets but they are not eating any vegetables or fruit and I’ve tried everything. Can anyone give me advice on how to get them to eat veggies and fruit please?

Hi,
As you may already know, the most important part of a piggies diest is hay so as long as they are eating that then they should be fine for now. If you are really concerned and they are eating their pellets then you can dice up some veg (e.g celery or bell pepper) really fine (you practically need to mince it!). Once you have done this then you can put it over the pellets (not too much though) and the piggies won't be able to avoid it so will hopefully end up realising that the veg is nice.

Please be aware that when introducing new food, you need to do it overtime. I would say that you shouldn't try to introduce more than one new food every 2 or 3 days. This means that you will notice if the new food doesn't agree with them or if their digestive system is overwhelmed. If they reject a food once then try it again a couple of days later and see if they like it.

Since they are so young, they won't need to eat lots anyway, as long as they are eating hay and drinking water then you dont need to worry too much.

I'd love to see some piggie pics of your boys when they are settled!
Hope this helps and sorry for the long post!