Picky Piggie

[Laurel Hallman]

My guinea pig Oliver is very picky. All he eats is carrots and hes very picky about the pellets he'll eat. And now hes getting to where he doesn't really eat carrots anymore. What can I do to get him to eat more foods?

 

[Laurel Hallman]

Oops. Accidentally posted in the wrong category. haha

 

[Briony_S]

Just keep giving variety of veg and then take it away a while later if he doesnt eat it then try agsin next day and so on. Eventually he should eat varied veg. Best things to start with are herbs and lettuce as they are most pigs favs.

 

[MerryPip]

My Struan pretty much only eats pellets, hay, basil and carrot and nothing I do seems to change that. As long as the pellet food you are feeding is a complete food and he has access to hay 24/7 then he should be ok. You can give him extra vitamin C if you are worried about his nutrition. Please don't put it in his water as it will discourage most piggies from drinking but Oxbow do vitamin C tablets for piggies which you can crush up and syringe to him with water or like my boys they just eat them as they are like sweeties Don't use human ones as the dose requirements are quite different unless advised to by a vet.

I find herbs are a favourite with most pigs as they are strong smelling. My boys mostly all enjoy parsley, mint and particularly basil.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome!

How old is your Oliver and is he a single piggy? How long have you had him? Single piggies are much more likely to become picky than those with companions, as the "I want what you have" reflex doesn't kick in and they are often bored. If there is no health reason, you may perhaps consider looking for a little same gender companion for him at a local rescue or shelter to perk him up?
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-companionship.37654/

Please make sure that he has got unlimited hay, which should make up to 80% of their daily food intake. A mix of fresh veg should make 10-15% (about 1cupful/ca. 50g or 2 oz; including one high vitamin C veg or fresh herb like a slice of pepper of any colour, a floret or chunk of stem of broccoli or a sprig of fresh cilantro/coriander, parsley, dill, mint or basil) and pellets should make another 5-10%. When you introduce new veg, do so only one veg at a time and start with the green ones. you may be very patient and persistent to get Oliver to accept more veg. You could also also try a different brand of pellets.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/

Please weigh Oliver daily for the time being to make sure that he hasn't got a health problem like overgrown premolars, which may account for his loss of appetite. Make sure that he is still drinking well. If he is losing weight, see a preferably piggy savvy vet!
http://www.guinealynx.info/anorexia.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/malocclusion.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html

 

[Reese_Oreo_4_ever]

My piggies enjoy eating kale and romaine (types of lettuces) Have you tried bell peppers? Reese and Oreo love them SO much! I'm not sure if you already know this but just in case...never feed piggies Iceberg Lettuce! It can be really harmful to them!