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Pellets

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Maddykins

Maddykins

Junior Guinea Pig
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When I was first researching how much to feed guinea pigs, I kept finding sources that said to feed them unlimited pellets. However I think that my two boars may be overweight - they certainly look pretty chunky especially Nelson who looks particularly big. They also sometimes have calcium deposits on the fleece which I think is from their pellets having too much calcium (theyre on Science Selective at the moment). They also have a big attachment to their pellets. I'm trying to slowly cut down how much I give them instead of just giving them more each time the bowl is running low but they wheek so much begging for pellets and I give in! Will they be upset if I dont give them pellets when they ask? I'm sorry if that sounds stupid I just feel really bad if I ignore their begging :/

How many pellets do you feed your pigs and is there an average boar weight? I know it really depends on their bodies though because even though Nelson is much bigger than Martin he is clearly taller and bigger built anyway so its not just fat!

I dont give them many sugary treats only one every few days maybe, and fruit even less, so I think the pellets are the main culprit. They seem to want to eat pellets all the time instead of eating hay when there are no pellets left (they do eat hay lots but they clearly favour pellets).
 
PS. My apostraphe button on my laptop doesnt work anymore so thats why I keep missing them out!
 
I had this same thought.... so I give them a handful a day. Unlimited hay and 1 cup of veggies each a day. Once every 2 weeks they get a handful of ready grass between them....this will be phased out when my homegrown grass (The completle legal kind) is ready off the kitchen window sill :) I think 150g is a handful. Maybe wrong. My boys are 7 months and Poe is a chunky boy, Edgar being the smaller of the two. They wheek alot for pellets but I never give in, just add more hay to their lofts.
 
Science Selective have 0.8% calcium which is not the highest of the commercial pellets but it is from Calcium Carbonate which has been thought to contribute to stones. Mine have a low calcium pellet and I have drastically cut them down over the last few months so they have about 5 or 6 each a day but the pellets I feed are 3 times the size of a standard pellet. My boars weigh 1182g, 1134g and 947g (he has health issues). My sows are heavier though with the biggest being 1356g.
 
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helen105281 said:
Science Selective have 0.8% calcium which is not the highest of the commercial pellets but it is from Calcium Carbonate which has been thought to contribute to stones. Mine have a low calcium pellet and I have drastically cut them down over the last few months so they have about 5 or 6 each a day but the pellets I feed are 3 times the size of a standard pellet. My boards weigh 1182g, 1134g and 947g (he has health issues). My sows are heavier though with the biggest being 1356g.
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With Burgess mint and Blackcurrant & Oregano Helen, would you say a handful a day is enough?
 
It is feasible but you have to be prepared for a drop in weight which does even out over time. I feed the ones recommended to me as least likely to contribute to bladder problems which are the Bunny Guinea Pig Basic from Zooplus and occasionally the Vitakraft Emotion Prebiotic also from Zooplus. They have much more natural ingredients.
 
helen105281 said:
It is feasible but you have to be prepared for a drop in weight which does even out over time. I feed the ones recommended to me as least likely to contribute to bladder problems which are the Bunny Guinea Pig Basic from Zooplus and occasionally the Vitakraft Emotion Prebiotic also from Zooplus. They have much more natural ingredients.
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Right. These on on my next shop for them. I will do anything to make them as less prone to these issues as I can. Thanks :)
 
I don't feed my piggies any pellets. After one of my boars got stones and then the other started to show similar symptoms I cut them out all together.

I'm now going to try them on the same Pellets Helen mentioned above but only once a day when they arrive in the mail.
 
GloriousGuineaGirl said:
Thanks. I would prefer them to be without pellets at all to be honest but I do not think this is feesable?
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I only feed pellets as a treat in the winter and not at all in the summer. My piggies are fed hay, veg and either fresh grass or graze-on ( similar to readi grass) daily. As Helen says, if you stop the pellets there maybe a drop in weight, which is usually because piggies fed on a lot of pellets tend to carry a little excess weight. :)
 
I am using JR Farm pellets from Zooplus at the moment because I bought a huge bag..I'd love to get rid of pellets completely but the pigs go mad at 8pm waiting on them :( They are only given around 7 each since the pellets are huge.
 
Mine are currently on the mix of muesli and pellets - I bought some other pellets which the piggies did not like. So I bought some Science Selective and let them choose between the other pellets and new ones- they went straight for the Science ones (probably because they tasted like dandelions)
I have noticed my piggies are now getting a lot more chunkier since the change and eating a lot more dry food then they use to...
 
Someone said to feed unlimited pellets until nine months old is this right ?
 
I was told that daily readi grass is fattening for them but if they are not on pellets this would not do any harm? I am going to get the grainless ones from zooplus ones and see how I go. Edgar needs a bit of chunk but Poe is getting big and I do not want to do him more harm than good.
 
Readigrass can affect pigs with existing bladder issues but I am not sure of the exact reason why. Mine lost weight initially on the Zooplus pellets but it was because I was feeding less.
 
Maddykins said:
When I was first researching how much to feed guinea pigs, I kept finding sources that said to feed them unlimited pellets. However I think that my two boars may be overweight - they certainly look pretty chunky especially Nelson who looks particularly big. They also sometimes have calcium deposits on the fleece which I think is from their pellets having too much calcium (theyre on Science Selective at the moment). They also have a big attachment to their pellets. I'm trying to slowly cut down how much I give them instead of just giving them more each time the bowl is running low but they wheek so much begging for pellets and I give in! Will they be upset if I dont give them pellets when they ask? I'm sorry if that sounds stupid I just feel really bad if I ignore their begging :/

How many pellets do you feed your pigs and is there an average boar weight? I know it really depends on their bodies though because even though Nelson is much bigger than Martin he is clearly taller and bigger built anyway so its not just fat!

I dont give them many sugary treats only one every few days maybe, and fruit even less, so I think the pellets are the main culprit. They seem to want to eat pellets all the time instead of eating hay when there are no pellets left (they do eat hay lots but they clearly favour pellets).
Click to expand...
I'm starting to introduce pellets to my guinea pigs as they are more healthy for them, but you can actually get guinea pig pellets, for overweight guinea pigs. You should try them hope this helped :)
 
GloriousGuineaGirl said:
I was told that daily readi grass is fattening for them but if they are not on pellets this would not do any harm? I am going to get the grainless ones from zooplus ones and see how I go. Edgar needs a bit of chunk but Poe is getting big and I do not want to do him more harm than good.
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For most piggies the most fattening part of their diets are the guinea pig pellets and those fed unlimited amounts are probably consuming too many calories already, so if readi grass is fed daily in addition to them then yes it will be fattening. I feed readi grass instead of pellets and find this keeps my piggies trim.
As Helen says there is thought to be some connection between readi grass and bladder issues and there is also a body of thought that grain and grain based pellets ( which most are) can also be a factor in the development of bladder stones due to the type of calcium they contain and how it is processed by the body. So it is probably best not to feed both.
I try to feed my piggies a diet that is as natural as possible and mimicks as far as possible the diet they would be getting in the wild. Also from my experience the times when my pigs have experienced bladder issues has coincided with when I have been feeding more pellets.
Also concentrates (pellets) are fed to cattle, etc to maximise milk production and fatten animals up quickly for slaughter. Horses that are ridden and required to work are also fed concentrates in addition to hay and grass but as our piggies are pets and get to laze around a lot there is often not really much need for them to be part of their diet. :)
 
Thanks for all your feedback. I am going to have to get a tougher skin and just ignore their wheeking for pellets and cut the amount they are eating down. I hate the thought that they get upset with me if I dont give them pellets when they ask/they feel they are being ignored haha. :( I'm too soft!
 
Pound Shilling & Pig said:
For most piggies the most fattening part of their diets are the guinea pig pellets and those fed unlimited amounts are probably consuming too many calories already, so if readi grass is fed daily in addition to them then yes it will be fattening. I feed readi grass instead of pellets and find this keeps my piggies trim.
As Helen says there is thought to be some connection between readi grass and bladder issues and there is also a body of thought that grain and grain based pellets ( which most are) can also be a factor in the development of bladder stones due to the type of calcium they contain and how it is processed by the body. So it is probably best not to feed both.
I try to feed my piggies a diet that is as natural as possible and mimicks as far as possible the diet they would be getting in the wild. Also from my experience the times when my pigs have experienced bladder issues has coincided with when I have been feeding more pellets.
Also concentrates (pellets) are fed to cattle, etc to maximise milk production and fatten animals up quickly for slaughter. Horses that are ridden and required to work are also fed concentrates in addition to hay and grass but as our piggies are pets and get to laze around a lot there is often not really much need for them to be part of their diet. :)
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This is very informative thank you. I think I want to also go down this route if it is def better for them. I will do anything it takes to give my boys the best life possible. :)
 
I think I would rather feed them diff varieties of hay and graze on with veggies and cut out pellets altogether after the turn 12 months. The way Poe is growing he will be overweight I feel if he keeps eating pellets... Edgar always has half a handful left he doesn't seem to bothered anyway and he eats way more hay which is good. Currently feeding Timothy, meadow and Ings and it goes down well.
 
Definitely don't feel unlimited pellets! I don't know where you got that information but it's wrong.

Feed 1/8 cup per pig per day.If your guinea pigs are older than 6 months do not feed alfalfa/lucerne based pellets (check the ingredients list) as this may be causing the calcium deposits. These can lead to bladder stones in older guinea pigs.
 
Hi I have two guinea pigs and have only recently put them onto pellets I still leave the old food out incase they are will because of sudden food change. I leave a normal sized guinea pig food bowl halfway full of pellets between two that does them about two days they nibble on them, and them have veg as treats ! The average boat weight is around 900-1200 grams! Hope this helped :)
Taylor said:
I'm starting to introduce pellets to my guinea pigs as they are more healthy for them, but you can actually get guinea pig pellets, for overweight guinea pigs. You should try them hope this helped :)[/QUOTH
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Thanks for all your help! Currently gradually reducing the amount of pellets they get. The first few days they were really not happy, wheeking constantly for more pellets haha but they're getting more used to it now and wheeking less for them. I have also noticed less calcium deposits already which is good.
 
If you read the description on the science selective bag you would have seen that there daily guide line of 50g per pig once a day ( you can chose the timings of these feedings eg. 25g in the morning 25g in the evening ? ) there for begging wont be necessary as they wont get board. It sounds like they might be a little bit board do they have floor time are you busy at certain times of the day so don't have time for attention (it might be that there obsession with food is to do with board them or that they are squealing at you for a hug rather that food look at it like a baby what dose it need it cant tell you whats wrong ?!
Hope i have been a help i have had food issues with my pig marzipan i know shes not board because the others would have issues to i think shes greedy (it could be whats wrong with your boys to ! ) :) all the best Astrid
 
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