Oh Dear I'm Really Confused Now.

[Dextersmummy]

I had a guinea pig several years ago and he lived till almost 9. bless him he was so adorable. years have passed and ive become a proud mummy to two boars four months old rex guineas i named Boj and Splodj. I am reading lots of stuff ive found online and its making me feel confused so I hope you can help.

I have always fed carrots daily and have started to with these but I read thats not good for their liver? is this correct?

I dont like the look of the museli they came with and want to change to pellets, can i just give a mix of both forever or does it have to be one or the other?

how often are they suppose to be having veg? and how much? how do you know the size of a stated "Cup"? I'm in the uk.

Do you have to use sawdust? is there anything else (woodchips I use not dust) i add newspaper then i add the chips and straw. is this still a correct thing? (sorry that wasnt a food question!)
thanks for reading hope you can help x

 

[Mother Hubbard]

Hi there,
Don't feed carrots everyday, you need to feed a mixed range of veg/ salad daily, check this thread out http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...-ratios-explained-diet-advice-included.30297/
Some feed once or twice a day, depends on preference and budget.

In terms of pellets, if they are used to muesli I would start adding pellets into their food, ween them off the muesli. Took my first girls a year and 2 go's. Goes without saying use best quality that you can afford.

I read 50grams a piggy for food, but I just do it by sight now. Yours are still young, I just knew based on there reaction. Dry Food is just once a day so they don't over eat on pellets as 80% of diet is hay anyway.

Definately not sawdust, some use wood shavings and then hay, definitely not straw. There are a Range of bedding material now available, vet bed to fleece use, or my favourite auboise. It's equine bedding but works out cheaper. I always use a base of newspapers but have Lino on the bottom of the hutch to prevent leakage and hutch longevity.
Hope that helps, still groggy from waking up.

 

[Stewybus]

If you want something that's similar to wood shavings but without the negatives you could try either a hemp based bedding such as Auboise or an oil seed rape straw based bedding such as Raviera, Bliss Basic or Nedz Bedz. These all come in large bales so you would need somewhere to store it. They're available in farm stores & the Auboise costs about £12 & is marginally better but the other 3 cost about £7 to £9 so compared to shavings in bulk are very similar but compared to small supermarket or pet store shavings they are much cheaper.

 

[piggyfan]

This thread will teach you about all the beddings
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/bedding-for-guinea-pigs-overview.114219/

I love vetbed myself.

 

[madguinealady]

i use fleece and put finacard in their litter trays.The finacard get s delivered and is 15 quid for 17 kilos but it doesnt need changed as often as shavings and doesnt smell.Really dry as well. Meadow hay is best for bedding as timothy hay can be a bit sharp.Asda do 2 kilo of nuggets for 2 quid. Enjoy your babies

 

[Wiebke]

The recommended food ratios are as following. Things have a changed and are changing a lot as we learn more:
- hay: unlimited, should make up to 80% of the daily food intake for good general and especially gut and the crucial back teeth health
- veg, about 50g/1 cupful per piggy per day in as many servings as you like; should make about 10-15% of the daily food intake
- pellets: 40g-unlimited while your piggy is going through the first fast growing phase until the weekly growth rate is slowing down at about 4-6 months of age. From then on in gradually reduced to the half to handful that a mature guinea pig needs from about 12-15 months old (ca. 10-20g).
Here is a list of reasons why muesli is no longer recommended: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/pellets-or-muesli-dry-mix.112655/
You can try a slow switch or simply serve only pellets. It may take a bit of time with the second option, during which you can up the veg amount a little bit. some piggies are not very keen on switching and won't take to a gradual switch. The longest one of my new piggies has held out was about 3 weeks after a gradual intro failed.
- fresh water daily, no additives (you can control the intake; most piggies drink actually less and it promotes the growth of algae)

Veg:
Carrots are very high in vitamin A, which is not soluble in water and can therefore not be excreted. Too much over a long time can contribute towards a developing liver failure. Generally, the trick is a wider range of veg in moderation.

Veg I feed daily: cucumber, chunks of celery, a small slice of pepper; 1 sprig of coriander/cilantro is also possible
Veg I feed 2-3 times a week: most veg and fresh herbs listed.
Fruit and tomato: Feed fruit or tomato no more than twice a week; too much too often can cause painful sores on the lips and in the mouth. (cheilitis)
Very occasional treats: high calcium veg like spinach, kale, all Asian cabbages like pak/bok choi. Readigrass also falls in this category; it should only be an occasional treat in small quantities.

After some fiddling around, you will end up with a rotational mix that is a workable compromise between your piggies' preferences, practicality and your purse.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/edible-and-forbidden-veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/

I hope that this helps you?