Spike won’t eat the pellets.. also fussy with veg

Hannah_xx

Hannah_xx

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Hello!
Spike has lost quite a bit of weight in the past couple of weeks that I’ve had him. I’d expect a bit of weight loss since his had to deal with a new home and de-sexing surgery. However not much seems to bother him, he’s very easy going about life!

His previous owners gave me the left over food he was on. It’s a terrible, terrible muesli mix full of seeds and other crappy looking stuff. I’ve mixed some of that with half of the Origins pellets to try and slowly get him off the muesli. However he won’t touch the pellets at all! And now I hardly see him even eat the muesli. I’ve finding it difficult to source other pellets brands, there is very limited options in Australian pet shops! There is the Oxbow pellets but when I read the ingredients it seemed full of molasses and calcium?! And it’s super expensive, double the price of origins and a smaller bag!
Yesterday I bought a temporary cheaper pellet which again he doesn’t seem to touch and I’m not to sure on the ingredients of it anyway.
He loves munching on hay so of course he always has plenty of that. He’s quite fussy with vegetables, doesn’t like peppers. Loves mixed salad leaves, a small bit of cucumber, celery and some herbs and that’s about it! He gets very excited when preparing his dinner so obviously LOVES the food he does like.

Any suggestions?
I’m thinking of ordering burgess pellets online?
 
He needs the calcium, especially if he’s not eating pepper. Have you tried all the colours? It’s probably a case of perseverance. What other veg does he eat?

I’d keep trying with the pellets a bit longer, and also with the pepper. If he really refuses to eat the pellets then maybe you could try burgess.

Is he a lone piggy? If so, is there any chance of you getting him a friend? Sometimes they eat better when they see their cage mates eating.

Good luck! They can be picky like children 🙄
 
Harringtons or science selective grain free seem to be a huge hit with many pigs. You can order samples online i think.

Have your tried a little bit of spinach, coriander, kale, parsley, dill? These are also loved by many pigs. Just not too much of either at a time
 
Do you get dandelions in Australia, My two love these more than any veg, maybe natural forage is the way to go. I think Spike will copy his new lady friends once he’s with them, I would not worry about pellets too much, as long as he is eating plenty of hay to keep his teeth ground down, I’ve tried all makes with Bill and Ted and they always leave them, either pellet only or pellet muesli mix, they do get plenty of fresh grass and hay though.
Have you tried him with celery, dill, kale, rosemary and parsley?
 
When Caramel joined my herd, I had trouble with her fussiness at first, too. She wouldn't eat any veggie besides lettuce and was only mildly interested in her pellets. I just kept giving her pellets every day, offering them by hand, or in a bowl and leaving them there, hoping she would eat them. I kept giving her new veggies one by one. She fought me hard on Bell pepper, so I cut them into different shapes. I also fed them to the other pigs in front of her. I bought different colours of bell pepper. She could eat what I offered her, or make do with hay for the entire day. For me it was a case of perseverance, and I told myself if I didn't see any improvements in her eating habits in a week, I'd panic and go to a vet. Thankfully, it all turned out okay. Fussy eaters are such a challenge.
 
Just persevere. Some of mine can be fussy but after a few times they realise its all good!
 
It may well be he's never seen these things before. And since guinea pigs can't vomit, you don't eat anything you can't trust isn't poisonous, right?
Can he see the others eating? If he could, he could maybe learn that the food is safe to eat that way.
 
Hi there,
When my girl were young they won't eat most vegetables ,i wasn't sure if the breeder tried then on any vegetables a part from lettuce. i just kept trying and now they eat most vegetables. Also mine were on Burgess pellets they loved them,Then i changed them to science selective grain free ,it took a few days for them to get use to it but now they love it. I also have heard Sherwood pellets are very good . I am waiting for them to start selling them in the uk. Keep trying ,good luck.
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
Harringtons or science selective grain free seem to be a huge hit with many pigs. You can order samples online i think.

Have your tried a little bit of spinach, coriander, kale, parsley, dill? These are also loved by many pigs. Just not too much of either at a time
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Corriander isn't high in calcium. Parsley is tho
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
True, well spotted. That shouldnt have got in that list👍
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It really should though. Don't write off high calcium foods just because they're high calcium...they still need some in their diet.

I apologise if that comes off as rude, it's not meant to. Sometimes we just need to get them eating _anything_, parsley may not be great but it's a good start from nothing. Good call on including it in the first place, I think.

Edit: And as you pointed out first, just not too much of any of them at once!
 
Lorcan said:
It really should though. Don't write off high calcium foods just because they're high calcium...they still need some in their diet.

I apologise if that comes off as rude, it's not meant to. Sometimes we just need to get them eating _anything_, parsley may not be great but it's a good start from nothing. Good call on including it in the first place, I think.

Edit: And as you pointed out first, just not too much of any of them at once!
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That is true also. Maybe my post was ok lol.
 
Skullblits said:
You scared me lol I had to Google it and double check. I feed them it everyday lol
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I do aswell. I wouldnt worry about it. Ive fed an old boar of mine when i didnt knoe any better, huge amounts of calcium, and no stones in the 7 years he lived. But dont follow that. It depends on the pig.
 
I’m so sorry I just realised I never replied to this thread! Haven’t been online much lately as been quite busy with the horses and starting a new job!

Thank you for all your replies,
Spike still hates pepper, all colours. Even though I still put it in his salad every night haha, it’s always still there in the morning.
He loves salad leaves, celery, cabbage, cucumber, most herbs such as mint, parsley, coriander and basil. The odd brocollini stalk .. and I think he ate his baby corn last night.. he doesn’t eat runner/green beans

He is eating the pellets a tiny bit more now. Still loves his hay and grass. He has put on a nice bit of weight so I’m not too worried anymore as I think he is getting a good selection of veg and variety :love:
 
glad he's gaining his appetite more, did u try softening up the pellets with a few drops of water? I did that for my baby piggies so it might help for yours to get introduced to it, I usually just put a few drops of water in the bowl and shake it gently to get the pellets a little bit wet (they dissolve and get mushy quickly, but maybe you piggie might actually like the mushy texture so u can experiment with a couple of pellets)
 
AlphaUrd13 said:
glad he's gaining his appetite more, did u try softening up the pellets with a few drops of water? I did that for my baby piggies so it might help for yours to get introduced to it, I usually just put a few drops of water in the bowl and shake it gently to get the pellets a little bit wet (they dissolve and get mushy quickly, but maybe you piggie might actually like the mushy texture so u can experiment with a couple of pellets)
Click to expand...
Oh yes I forgot to mention that I started doing this!
He really likes it! :D
 
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