Over Feeding!

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DrSuess

We fee out 2 girls every morning, they are now about 9 weeks old and eating fine.

However I'm a little worried that we are over feeding them as they do not eat all that is given.

Food is...

Hay
Normal Dry mix and pellets
And frest Veg or a bit of fruit. (A carrot, brocollie, Cucumber)

My concern is I do not wish to over feed them and make them ill.

Its hard to say portions, but I would say a handful of Hay and dry mix. One small carrot or about 3 cm of cucumber.

Has anyone any other suggestions of correct portions, sorry to sound dense but I would hate to hurt them through either under or over feeding!
 
As long as your guinea have opportunity to move around and burn all those calories, you won't overfeed them.

Your portions sound about right. Make sure you give them another portion of hay (should be unlimited!) in the evenings, and some more veg as well.

Guinea pigs are grazers, so they only eat until they feel full, stop and come back to their food later when they are hungry again.
 
my piggies eat sooo much! lol.. I think my older boys have a weight issue, but they were like that when i got them from the rescue..
the younger boys, are always eating but are really active, so i dont worry..
Mine have unlimited hay, and fresh fruit and veg twice a day.. I did wonder if i was over feeding them too, but when i looked it up, it said the same as Vicky just said (great advice btw as always!) that they graze.. all my older boys ever seem to do is eat and sleep and have the occassional wander lol..
Hope you are enjoying your girls dr seuss! (sorry i dont know your name) i worried non stop for the first few weeks, this forum is a god send! in fact i still worry! lol. guess thats probs just me though :))
Tori x
 
i agree unlimited hay i have never heard of a piggy getting chubby from to much of it,also i would up the vege amounts and variety,i give my piggies up to ten different sorts of veges per day and they are very thankful for so much variety,with more to choos from you may even see alot more popcorning:)
 
Thanks for all the advice, unlimited hay it is, I stacked the manger up so they can nibble at their will.

I give them different veg and fruit every day. I will try the different veg, perhaps a small pertion of chopped veg mix sounds like a good idea. I would like to give them some Dandylions but have been advised they need to be a bit older. (not sure if this is right)
Their house is biggenough for a good run around, plus they tend to come in and have a play on the floor with the kids.

Oh BTW my neme is Patrick But call me Patch!... sorry i forgot to mention that!
 
hi patch,I'm Bonnie and my piggies are Boris,Basil,Smokey & Bandit,sounds good what you are doing i personally keep fruit as a treat or give it to them sometimes in small portions but try not to everyday the order of how much they should have is Hay,Pellets,Veges,Fruit:) I'm not sure about the dandelions i haven't given mine many yet,darn people spray them to much hererolleyes x
 
PLEASEHELPSAVEboris said:
hi patch,I'm Bonnie and my piggies are Boris,Basil,Smokey & Bandit,sounds good what you are doing i personally keep fruit as a treat or give it to them sometimes in small portions but try not to everyday the order of how much they should have is Hay,Pellets,Veges,Fruit:) I'm not sure about the dandelions i haven't given mine many yet,darn people spray them to much hererolleyes x
Click to expand...

There is a bit in our village that I use to curse, now its likely to be a freeding frenzie for the girls!
 
thought this link which is one of the ones i use may be of some use.. I'm constantly checking things up! lol..
http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/fruitandveg.html
well, hi patch! I'm tori, :)) my piggies are.. Stevie and Comanche, the older boys, and Neo and Ash my babies..
I also give mine fresh grass everyday, and look like a loony cutting grass from the fields and streets where i live! the things we do for or piggies! x:red
 
Hi Tori, Great link, thanks for that very useful.

My Daughter and I are going to put together a weekly menu for us to follow! Should be a bit of fun.
 
Hi Patch, I'm Jools and my piggies are Elvis, Priscilla, Dior, Duke, Versace, Cookie, Muffin, Rolo, Treacle and Truffles!
My lot get unlimited hay and pellets and get veg twice daily. The get a huge mixture of different veggies in each meal and I give fruit twice a week. I also give cherry tomatoes (chopped up and seeds removed) once a week :)
 
You will have to up the amount of food when your piggies get bigger - they will eat more!

For a really well balanced diet, it is REALLY worth to work your way through the sticky thread by CCC4 at the head of this section about calcium:phosphorus ratios. It has also good advice about what amounts to feed!

You might like to give pellets in the morning and veg in the evenings, hay and grass throughout the day at lib.

But most important of all: enjoy your piggies, especially in their first year when they are full of mischief and fun!

Guinea pigs become full adults by around one year old and finish growing after another last growth spurt at 15 months. Unless you speak to them a lot, they will quieten down and become less active when they reach adulthood. By then, their final weight will be stable and they seem to keep it however much they munch...
 
Thanks for that Vicky, its good Advice, we have only had them just over a week and they are squeeking and weeking more and more. They have no issues with being handled and happily charge around the house!
 
Hi Patch! I'm Laura. :)

A wider variety of veg would do them good too, but introduce new ones slowly. Better to get them enjoying lots of different tastes while they are young, older pigs can be pretty stubborn about trying something new!

The dry feed is the only part of the diet to limit once they hit 6-8 months, but before that they will eat whatever they need to grow. Don't worry if any is left over as they are still little piggies and they'll be eating however much they can fit in! Lots of hay is the most important, as has been said, followed by veggies. Dry feed carries little importance in the grand scheme of things.
 
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