Upping pellet ration for winter?

BlueBird

BlueBird

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Dec 27, 2016
Messages
335
Reaction score
400
Points
380
Location
Nottingham, UK
With the cold weather my piggies seem hungier than usual (yeah I know! If that's possible right). They are so hungry that they squeak at us randomly and unprompted. They have unlimited hay, a standard sized large food bowl of veg on rotation twice a day and a small ramekin of pellets which is slightly heaped. This is between 3 adult pigs. Apart from feeding them more root veg (which will nearly always be carrots due to availability here) the only other sensible thing I can think of doing is upping their pellets. My instinct is that pellets would be better as carrots are full of sugar. What do you guys think? Or course any adjustment to the pellets would be temporary to account for the weather
 
They’re only supposed to have a tablespoon of pellets a day so I wouldn’t really up them. I think they can get ‘chubby’ on too many pellets. Are you sure they’re not doing it for attention? Our boys (one in particular) sometimes follow us around (in their cage) if they want attention or more hay.

Check out the feeding guide but someone more knowledgable will be along later I’m sure.
 
I agree with siikibam. The only need one tablespoon of pellets per day per pig. They are like junk food for them so I wouldn’t increase them. Once my piggies have eaten everything in their food bowl, then the bowl gets removed so they don’t go looking in it and when are hungry they go straight to their hay.
More hay, or a variety of hay, if you think they are hungry. But I agree it could be they want attention!
 
l only feed my herds pellets twice aweek in summer, and then as the weather gets colder they get pellets every day in winter, with as much hay as they want. these are outside piggies.
 
I've been feeding my piggies a very small (like maybe a teaspoonful per piggy) sprinkle of porridge oats once a week since the weather got cold, which is probably completely unnecessary but I just have an old fashioned yorkshire feeling that porridge is a cold weather food! Nobody has got fat and my smallest piggy has regained some weight she lost with some bloaty episodes... they are all eating twice as much hay though, I put loads extra in to keep them warm but then it all gets eaten!
 
I wouldn’t up their pellet intake, they can eat hay if their appetite has increased. Forage is good as is a small amount of porridge oats once or twice a week
 
Thanks guys. I really don't think it is attention. Yestersay my pigs whp leavr the others to squeak for her (or at least is too quiet to hear over the others was squeaking the house down. So I do think it is hunger but they do get unlimited hay so don't know what really to do. Thinking about it I wonder whether might be a bit of. "We're nice and snuggly warm in our cosies. Mum can we get some dinner in bed please?" Maybe I'm going to have to be more creative with the gyay placement
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top