Struggling to keep up with their food

[Chunky_Pig]

My two guinea pigs keep pulling their hay onto the cage floor and then will not eat it. I'm not sure if it's just a bad batch of hay or what. I'm not sure how to fix that? When I clean their cage there will be a 3 inch thick pile of soiled hay on the ground. I'm pretty sure it's either a bad bag and my pigs being picky, or the youngest pig being naughty b/c she likes to climb into the hay bag...

On another note, my younger gp is eating so much (for obvious reasons, she's growing very fast, she's about 9 1/2 inches long and 5 months old) that I am struggling to keep up. I will fill their hay and pellets and next thing you know it's gone in less than five hours. Not even my remaining hairless piggy eats this much food in that amount of time. I'm not sure how to help this? I'm gone during the day and my parents don't help feed them, so it's all on me. Then when they eat all their food and I come home my parents will get onto me for "not caring for them b/c they were completely out of food!", even though I was at school and they were home and clearly were able to see there was no hay or pellets and yet did not choose to help out by feeding them? Like I know it's my responsibility, but just like when I care and feed the dog when they're not home, shouldn't they at least try to do the same for me? Idk, I just need help with these lil guys, I completely stocked their hay bag at like 2 pm today and it's now completely empty at 5:48 pm.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Having to throw hay away is normal, them pulling it from a bag or rack and needing to fill up several times a day is normal (although as per below, we don’t recommend the use of hay bags or racks).
Not every strand will be deemed acceptable to eat. They will want to play, cuddle up and, inevitably soil in the rest which then needs to be thrown away.

Hay bags and racks are actually not recommended. Instead it’s recommended that piggies have loose piles of hay on the floor or in large shallow trays so they can fully immerse themselves into it.
Piggies want to be able to forage, pick the best bits, play and get into big piles of it so they are going to pull it out of bags and racks to be able to do that. Bags/racks can also be too small to contain the amount of hay needed each day so by the time they’ve discarded what they don’t want to eat, you are left with multiple refills each day. The other issue with hay only being in a small and restricted area such as in a hay bag is that when they do pull it out, they have no choice but to stand on what they have pulled out (and thus peeing and pooping on it) as it’s the only place for them to be to still have access to the hay bag. Having larger hay areas means there is a larger area for them to move about in. They can then choose a corner for example to pee in and the rest of the hay area remains cleaner (not totally clean because they don’t always choose just one corner to pee in, but larger square footage of hay area means more hay remaining unsoiled and still available to eat)
You will need at least as many piles as you have piggies, and they need to be large piles.
They aren’t being picky or being naughty, it’s just how piggies are.
if you do have a bad batch of hay (stalky, dry, doesn’t smell good) then they aren’t going to eat it and thus you will discard more than expected - you would need to get a new batch of hay.
If they are gaining weight (or stable as adults) at each weekly check then they are eating enough.

I don’t work every day so I am able to check on my animals throughout the day but on the days I do work, I am also gone all day. Nobody else is here to feed or look after my animals (I’m married and both our kids are both older - one is an adult - but the animals are solely mine) when I’m not home. However their hay area take up such a large amount of their cage that that there is still plenty of fresh hay left for eating when I get home. I fill a a 2x1 c&c grid sized area of their cages with hay (and it’s filled deeply) but it is usually pulled around much wider than that by the time I get to them later in the day. Some of it is wet but that is then removed in the normal evening spot clean; the rest of the hay gets fluffed back up and left for them to continue to use - play in even if they decide they aren’t eating those bits . Their hay is filled morning and evening.

This thread below shows the way providing hay is most fun for the piggies
Show us your hay nests

As you mentioned pellets, do remember that they are just one tablespoon per pig per day

 

[Truffolo]

My piggies love to tunnel into big piles of hay and cuddle up in it, even hiding themselves in it completely, especially if it is a cold day, or walking around with hay on top of them. They find it very comforting. I buy any hay and as long as it's not rotten, they eat it and play in it. I buy them Burgess Timothy hay too for eating as that is a great delicacy, especially the seed heads. Green oat hay is greatly appreciated too. There isn't really a way of rationing hay or stopping them from nesting in it and playing in it. It's an important enrichment and source of comfort.

 

[Roselina]

I use kitten litter trays - they are shallow and allow piggies to to lie in, build a nest etc
It still gets thrown about
I change them daily and top up as ness usually at bedtime
They have pellets but I scatter them about for enrichment
Good luck I’m sure you can sort this

 

[Chunky_Pig]

Having to throw hay away is normal, them pulling it from a bag or rack and needing to fill up several times a day is normal (although as per below, we don’t recommend the use of hay bags or racks).
Not every strand will be deemed acceptable to eat. They will want to play, cuddle up and, inevitably soil in the rest which then needs to be thrown away.

Hay bags and racks are actually not recommended. Instead it’s recommended that piggies have loose piles of hay on the floor or in large shallow trays so they can fully immerse themselves into it.
Piggies want to be able to forage, pick the best bits, play and get into big piles of it so they are going to pull it out of bags and racks to be able to do that. Bags/racks can also be too small to contain the amount of hay needed each day so by the time they’ve discarded what they don’t want to eat, you are left with multiple refills each day. The other issue with hay only being in a small and restricted area such as in a hay bag is that when they do pull it out, they have no choice but to stand on what they have pulled out (and thus peeing and pooping on it) as it’s the only place for them to be to still have access to the hay bag. Having larger hay areas means there is a larger area for them to move about in. They can then choose a corner for example to pee in and the rest of the hay area remains cleaner (not totally clean because they don’t always choose just one corner to pee in, but larger square footage of hay area means more hay remaining unsoiled and still available to eat)
You will need at least as many piles as you have piggies, and they need to be large piles.
They aren’t being picky or being naughty, it’s just how piggies are.
if you do have a bad batch of hay (stalky, dry, doesn’t smell good) then they aren’t going to eat it and thus you will discard more than expected - you would need to get a new batch of hay.
If they are gaining weight (or stable as adults) at each weekly check then they are eating enough.

I don’t work every day so I am able to check on my animals throughout the day but on the days I do work, I am also gone all day. Nobody else is here to feed or look after my animals (I’m married and both our kids are both older - one is an adult - but the animals are solely mine) when I’m not home. However their hay area take up such a large amount of their cage that that there is still plenty of fresh hay left for eating when I get home. I fill a a 2x1 c&c grid sized area of their cages with hay (and it’s filled deeply) but it is usually pulled around much wider than that by the time I get to them later in the day. Some of it is wet but that is then removed in the normal evening spot clean; the rest of the hay gets fluffed back up and left for them to continue to use - play in even if they decide they aren’t eating those bits . Their hay is filled morning and evening.

This thread below shows the way providing hay is most fun for the piggies
Show us your hay nests

As you mentioned pellets, do remember that they are just one tablespoon per pig per day

Thank you! I used to put hay piles around, but then I stopped and I'm not entirely sure why. I'll definately do a large pile later today when I clean the cage!

 

[Merab]

Mine love their hay piles and get quite creative making tunnels and arches with it as well as nests

 

[Chunky_Pig]

Having to throw hay away is normal, them pulling it from a bag or rack and needing to fill up several times a day is normal (although as per below, we don’t recommend the use of hay bags or racks).
Not every strand will be deemed acceptable to eat. They will want to play, cuddle up and, inevitably soil in the rest which then needs to be thrown away.

Hay bags and racks are actually not recommended. Instead it’s recommended that piggies have loose piles of hay on the floor or in large shallow trays so they can fully immerse themselves into it.
Piggies want to be able to forage, pick the best bits, play and get into big piles of it so they are going to pull it out of bags and racks to be able to do that. Bags/racks can also be too small to contain the amount of hay needed each day so by the time they’ve discarded what they don’t want to eat, you are left with multiple refills each day. The other issue with hay only being in a small and restricted area such as in a hay bag is that when they do pull it out, they have no choice but to stand on what they have pulled out (and thus peeing and pooping on it) as it’s the only place for them to be to still have access to the hay bag. Having larger hay areas means there is a larger area for them to move about in. They can then choose a corner for example to pee in and the rest of the hay area remains cleaner (not totally clean because they don’t always choose just one corner to pee in, but larger square footage of hay area means more hay remaining unsoiled and still available to eat)
You will need at least as many piles as you have piggies, and they need to be large piles.
They aren’t being picky or being naughty, it’s just how piggies are.
if you do have a bad batch of hay (stalky, dry, doesn’t smell good) then they aren’t going to eat it and thus you will discard more than expected - you would need to get a new batch of hay.
If they are gaining weight (or stable as adults) at each weekly check then they are eating enough.

I don’t work every day so I am able to check on my animals throughout the day but on the days I do work, I am also gone all day. Nobody else is here to feed or look after my animals (I’m married and both our kids are both older - one is an adult - but the animals are solely mine) when I’m not home. However their hay area take up such a large amount of their cage that that there is still plenty of fresh hay left for eating when I get home. I fill a a 2x1 c&c grid sized area of their cages with hay (and it’s filled deeply) but it is usually pulled around much wider than that by the time I get to them later in the day. Some of it is wet but that is then removed in the normal evening spot clean; the rest of the hay gets fluffed back up and left for them to continue to use - play in even if they decide they aren’t eating those bits . Their hay is filled morning and evening.

This thread below shows the way providing hay is most fun for the piggies
Show us your hay nests

As you mentioned pellets, do remember that they are just one tablespoon per pig per day

Quick update: I cleaned up their cage and put a pile of hay, and a tunnel of hay aswell

 

[Piggies&buns]

Quick update: I cleaned up their cage and put a pile of hay, and a tunnel of hay aswell

They will like that!
As there are two piggies in the cage then you do need two piles of hay in the cage at all times.
The larger the pile, the less often you will need to fill it up in a day (as I say, in my cage the hay pile takes up all of one end of the cage)

I would also add that it looks like there is far too many pellets in the bowl.
They should only have one tablespoon per pig per day - that could literally amount to about 10 pellets per pig per day. Once those few pellets are gone then they don’t get any more until the next day.
Use an actual tablespoon to measure out one per pig, that way you can be certain you aren’t overfeeding pellets.
Too many pellets can lead to too much calcium intake which can lead to bladder problems and stone formation. Too many pellets (and not enough hay) also contributes to unhealthy weight gain and dental issues.

It would be better for their foraging ability if you didn’t use a bowl for their pellets or veg. Scatter them around the cage and in the hay piles to encourage foraging and to keep their minds occupied. (Eating from a bowl doesn’t require any thinking for them)