Parsley doesn't eat dandelions!

Status
Not open for further replies.

soozn

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 12, 2008
Messages
246
Reaction score
0
Points
195
Location
Aylesbury, Bucks
I've had my new piggy Parsley (12 weeks old) for a week now and he's happily settled with my older pig Clover. Parsley loves dry food (Burgess Excel) and meadow hay but will only have a few nibbles of carrot and turns his nose up at greenery including dandelions, cucumber and corn. He's drinking from the water bottle and seems to be processing everything normally! He seems a happy lively little chap.

I've had piggies for 16 years and have never had one that doesn't seem to like fresh food! I rescued him fron the RSPCA and they gave him fresh food though I don't know if he ate it.

Any suggestions?
 
Persevere... Hopefully, he'll click one day and wants to have what Clover has!

You could have them both on your lap and feed Clover greens with Parsley watching, so he learns that greens are edible. He simply may not have got the idea!
 
Last edited:
Persevere... Hopefully, he'll click one day and wants to have what Clover has!

You could have them both on your lap and feed Clover greens with Parsley watching, so he learns that greens are edible. He simply may not have got the idea!
Thanks for the suggestion. I put greens in their cage for them and give as treats when they're enjoying floor time but despite me making sure Clover doesn't pig the lot Parsley isn't interested in his share. He will eat a bit of grass though so all is not lost! Maybe he'll cotton on soon.
 
I have four piggies and they all have different likes and dislikes. They do all like dandelion leaves though which is great as they are so good for piggies. Persevere with the dandelion and maybe dont mix it with other veggies so the piggies cant select what they prefer.
 
Taffy had yet to learn what vegetables were for when she was rescued.

I found that she and Tegan have come on in leaps and bounds simply by watching my other piggies - from teaching them to sit still on my lap and not panic, swallow after a motuhful from a syringe to introducing new foods...
 
He'll maybe learn in time that it is ok to eat them - once he's watched Clover eatting them all the time.

Love your piggies' names.
 
As everyone else has said, sometimes piggies just don't get what veggies are for. I've got a rescue boy Billy, and before I got him it is quite likely that he had never seen veggies before in his life - wouldn't eat a thing apart from grass! Several months later he has finally got the idea, although he is still very choosy about the whole thing.

Maybe try chopping veggies up so he gets the wiff of the yummy, and offer him a wide variety to see what he ends up liking and working from there. No doubt he will learn off Clover though.
 
Thanks everyone, very encouraging. I shall persevere of course. In months to come when he learns to squeak at the fridge door I shall wonder what I was worried about!
 
You care; and everypig has to make his own journey. Becoming a pet is a learning curve, not just for your piggies, but also for you! Every piggy is different and gives you a different set of problems to solve. Thankfully, it never stops!
 
I suspect a definite case of Fussy-pig-itis here, keep on spoiling the little man and eventually he'll want a nibble and realise how good it tastes :)p
 
He's getting the hang of it...when he and Clover were running round the lounge yesterday they both stopped off for refuelling on sweetcorn leaves!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top