Piggies Don't Like Veggies?

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PiggySmitten

PiggySmitten

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I can't quite understand this. We have 2 groups of piggies currently. All are girls. The group of 3 all came from different places/parents and the group of 2 are sisters but unrelated to the other 3.

Not a single one of them will eat courgette or kale or chard or any leafy green. I read piggies like bay leaves (small amount) but none of them would touch those either! Only 2 of them will eat celery. It's disappointing as we eat a lot if courgettes particularly!

They all love carrots but I don't want to give those too often and they all love broccoli but it's not the cheapest veg!

Fussy piggies!

To top it off, the sisters don't seem particularly keen on hay any more (have checked weights and all is well there). They like to use it as a toilet instead. The cage they are in I can't use a hayrack but I am moving them soon so hopefully I can then at least be sure it stays dry!
 
I've had 26 pigs over the years and I am yet to find one who will eat courgette, it is not palletable for piggys! I would give up with the courgette

As for other veg if they are not used to veg it takes time...

When I got my first pig George from P@H around 6 years ago, he had never eaten any veg. I started by giving him one piece of veg each day and removing it after a couple of hours if not eaten. I kept giving the things they wouldn't eat over and over and eventually they would eat them.

In my experience the winners to try first would be cucumber, fine beans, herbs such as coriander or parsley.

If you keep giving them over and over eventually they will eat them. Peppers are very good for them but they can take a while! if you can get one pig onside with a veg the others should follow as they do like to copy each other.
 
Mine don't like courgette either ! One thing that I have noticed is that they sort through the dish to find their favourite bits and all the piggies have different tastes. One pair loves pepper but the other won't touch it, another eats beansprouts but the others don't like them, so it is trial and error really. I guess they are like us ... fussy :P
 
I have 4 pigs and each one of them has a veggie that they will not eat. 2 go crazy for pepper but the other two will not touch it.

Have you tried them with cucumber and tomato? Mine absolutely love it!
 
Hi, have you tried hay stuffed in a old sock or cardboard tube to make it fun to forage, as for courgette mine will eat almost everything from the safe piggy food list it I have downloaded but they will not eat courgette, mine love cos lettuce it's like giving sweets to a child they will take everything else out of their veg bowl to get to it :) I'm being cruel to be kind and not giving it to them everyday after advice from the vet. Like Briony suggested keep trying the veggies and if you can get one of your piggies on board the others should come round too, my Oreo is the first to the veg bowl and I noticed when I first got them that the other two would take the veg from him and not from the bowl as if it say...well he's tried it now it's safe for us to eat :)
All the best with this and moving them maybe they will start eating more once you have moved them, keep us posted.
Kell :)
 
I thought hay stuffed in a kitchen roll tube looked great fun @My3cuteBoys but I've tried it with each group and they both totally ignore it! Come to think of it, they did love hay in a paper bag though so I'll try and find another paper bag if I can.

@Briony_S @kerry the sisters are not to keen on cucumber but will occasionally go for it. The other 3 do like cucumber but can they have that often? I'm concerned it isn't particularly helpful for teeth as it is a soft veg?

@Briony_S @helen105281 I hadn't considered teeth issues. Any guidance on what to look for would be great. And how on earth to get them to let me look at their teeth?!
 
You would need a vet to check teeth as it is the back ones that start the issue and cant be seen without special equipment. however sometimes you can notice that front teeth have worn a bit wonky as a result of back teeth issues. You should be able to see front easily by gentley parting top lip in middle where it splits. If they are even slightly not straight at bottom it could mean problems at back, although back teeth issues dont always show up on front teeth.
 
Thanks.
Briony_S said:
You would need a vet to check teeth as it is the back ones that start the issue and cant be seen without special equipment. however sometimes you can notice that front teeth have worn a bit wonky as a result of back teeth issues. You should be able to see front easily by gentley parting top lip in middle where it splits. If they are even slightly not straight at bottom it could mean problems at back, although back teeth issues dont always show up on front teeth.
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They are quite young - the lady we took them from was the one who had nursed them back to health from ill treatment. She estimates they were about 10 weeks when we took them and we've had these two around 4 weeks. So hopefully if it is teeth we'd catch it early. Hoping to move them today so will be able to better watch hay consumption in their new home.
 
If they are only 4 months hopefully its not teeth but if they have been mistreated they may not have have hay previously which could cause issues. maybe try a different hay to see if a tastier one could tempt them?
 
@PiggySmitten I'm not sure about their teeth but they shouldnt have too much cucumber because its quite high in water and will give them an upset stomach. Have you tried kale leaves? Mine go absolutely crazy for them
 
Sorry, saw the tag earlier but only just been able to get on and post. I think it would be a good idea to try a variety of hays first. Do they only have one type at the moment? mine go mad for Alfalfa King Timothy hay and Oxbow Orchard grass. Dental issues are a possibility but it would be strange for all 3 to have them.
 
A four months old it is VERY unlikely to be teeth, but just taste buds - not every piggy likes the veg you you have mentioned, courgettes especially!

I feed a slice of pepper (any colour) and a slice of cucumber and a chunk of celery daily; you can also consider a sprig of fresh coriander/cilantro. All the other veg are ideally given 2-3 times a week in rotation; this includes the other fresh herbs like parsley, dill, mint, fennel, basil. Fruit (including tomato) should not be any more than twice weekly on the menu. Kale, spinach and Asian cabbages are very high in calcium and should only be a very occasional treat.
Guinea pigs have very individual tastes, especially when they are younger or single. In the long term, you have to work out a balance between what your piggies like, your purse and practicality.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/

When you introduce new foods, do so only one variety at a time and don't expect to hit it off immediately. Leave new veg lying for a few hours, so the piggies can get used to the smell and texture. Just offer things a day or two later again.
 
Didn't see that they were 4 months, so agree it is very unlikely a dental issue.
 
Thanks all of you. Pepper has also unfortunately not been liked when I've tried it before but your comments have made me resolve to try and be a bit less just giving them what we have in the fridge and a bit more organised so that I can plan a repeat introduction over a week or longer.

I've tried a different hay (burgess with dandelion and marigold because that's what the available alternative was) when I brought them in tonight and I've spotted Crumble eating it so just Biscuit to watch out for.

I couldn't do the planned cage move today as the intros for other group to their new member (3 became 4 today) required more supervision than I had quite planned for so I couldn't do the thorough clean out of their new quarters!
 
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