Varying Veggies

Scooby& Shaggy

Scooby& Shaggy

Junior Guinea Pig
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United Kingdom, Leigh Lancashire
Hello all,

I've had my guinea pigs for around a month now. Two males bought from pet store, cage is nice and big but will be making a full wonderland space for them soon :)

Anyway, reason for thread, my boys scooby (American) and shaggy (teddy) eat constantly as to be expected, mainly hay, lettuce (not iceberg), kale and pellets, they day like parsley and corriander. Along with the odd chewable treat. I have tried them with all kinds of vegetables carrots, cucumber and recommended fruits but they don't take an interest. They enjoyed peppers the first time but never again when tried again. Does anyone have any advice on varying a stubborn spoilt piggies attitude

Also side note scooby seems this last week to be turning into a rambunctious young piggie, I'm not overly worried about his behaviour yet as I'm putting it down too all having different personalities etc.
They get floor time everyday along with lap time but scooby has gone off being petted. Is this normal to intially live cuddles and mauling to not really liking it anymore
Thanks
Joe
 
I find the best approach sometimes is to say that they get what they're given! Sometimes they don't really like peppers but I give them to them because they're good for them- they get hungry and end up eating them regardless of whether they're their favourite or not.
 
Piggy mum said:
I find the best approach sometimes is to say that they get what they're given! Sometimes they don't really like peppers but I give them to them because they're good for them- they get hungry and end up eating them regardless of whether they're their favourite or not.
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Hey thanks for the reply I think I may be over feeding them with foods they like. As they poo an intense amount leading to cage clean every two days.
How long are you good for leaving food out for as they spoil after a certain amount of time? I hand feed them slot in laptop as well
Joe
 
my two sows don't have a varying diet... they learnt at the rescue to eat correctly, that is bell peppers (important for vit C), no carrots and no fruits (too high sugars), some salad, chicory and fresh grass and HAY which must be their main food. I was able to teach them to eat only some cucumber, eating it and munching it in front of them... some celery, too. But nothing else. Anyway it does not matter because they eat grass which is complete in minerals and vitamins. I had a big problem long ago with another piggie who was stubborn and used to eat only pellets and carrots and in fact he fell ill. I think your piggies are eating the correct vegs, they usually go on eating what they learnt to eat in the first days of life... But it is not necessary for them to eat so many different vegs.
They are herbivores and the hay is their main food; the hay we buy is made of different grass...
 
Cage cleaning every two days may be a little too long to wait. I spot clean my two cages twice a day. My cleaning may be excessive, but I like to see nice clean cages. I change the fleeces and dump out the litter box once a week.
 
I feed my boys raddish, cucumber, lettuce, various herbs, dried and fresh forage, green beans, carrots, beets, tomatoes, and they get a treat of apple once a month. It took awhile to get them to like all this stuff, so just be patient.
 
mine get lettuce, dandelions, cabbage, tomatoes, carrot, carrot tops, cucumber, pepper, herbs, green beans and celery. Once a week they get strawberry tops or apples
 
I tried them with greenbeans they liked them the first time and like the peppers they weren't interested second time around. I have tried them with strawberries and they were not interested. I think maybe they will come round to the idea of trying other foods eventually.
I haven't tried celery yet will try that next.
Tried them with blueberries yesterday they were not interested.
 
Scooby& Shaggy said:
Hello all,

I've had my guinea pigs for around a month now. Two males bought from pet store, cage is nice and big but will be making a full wonderland space for them soon :)

Anyway, reason for thread, my boys scooby (American) and shaggy (teddy) eat constantly as to be expected, mainly hay, lettuce (not iceberg), kale and pellets, they day like parsley and corriander. Along with the odd chewable treat. I have tried them with all kinds of vegetables carrots, cucumber and recommended fruits but they don't take an interest. They enjoyed peppers the first time but never again when tried again. Does anyone have any advice on varying a stubborn spoilt piggies attitude

Also side note scooby seems this last week to be turning into a rambunctious young piggie, I'm not overly worried about his behaviour yet as I'm putting it down too all having different personalities etc.
They get floor time everyday along with lap time but scooby has gone off being petted. Is this normal to intially live cuddles and mauling to not really liking it anymore
Thanks
Joe
Click to expand...

Please do not feed kale on a daily basis unless you use low/no calcium pellets. it can take time to get your piggies to eat new foods because they learn from their elders what is safe to eat and what not. if they have had hardly any veg where they have come from, they lack this experience and the reassurance. Be patient and persist.

Please try with our recommended veg first and see whether you can get them on it, especially the green ones. You may find our very detailed diet guide helpful; it also has a balanced sample diet.

We have also got lots of tips for settling in, handling and piggy whispering with your guinea pigs, as well as understanding their behaviour in our new owners' "manual", as well as guides on how to learn what is normal and what not, so you can spot illness and problems early on.

You will find the mentioned information, including our diet guide, via this link here. We have made all guides as practical and detailed as possible so you should find them very helpful: New Owners' Online Starter " Booklet" For Really Helpful Advice
 
Pigs poo lots :) and honestly lots of poo is good. Never worry about lots of poo, worry if there is not lots of poo :)

It is quite normal for piggies to be quite receptive to petting at first.... you see they are scared at first so freeze on laps as a prey reflex... it is only when they start to trust you you find out if they are going to be lap piggies or not... also if they are young, young piggy would much often rather be off exploring :) Scooby is seeing you as not a threat so is feeling comfortable with telling you laptime is not to his liking at the moment, i'd expect him to chill a little more as he gets older.
 
Scooby& Shaggy said:
I tried them with greenbeans they liked them the first time and like the peppers they weren't interested second time around. I have tried them with strawberries and they were not interested. I think maybe they will come round to the idea of trying other foods eventually.
I haven't tried celery yet will try that next.
Tried them with blueberries yesterday they were not interested.
Click to expand...
I think sometimes veggies don't taste the same all the time- maybe you got a bad batch of beans that tasted different and they weren't into them, I suppose it's like when we eat things and they don't always taste the same if they're out of season or whatever
 
Piggy mum said:
I think sometimes veggies don't taste the same all the time- maybe you got a bad batch of beans that tasted different and they weren't into them, I suppose it's like when we eat things and they don't always taste the same if they're out of season or whatever
Click to expand...
After doing some more reading I determined I was over feeding them slightly so cut the food intake down (Veggies and pellets) and left a two slices of yellow bell pepper in their cage. They have been tentatively eating them now.
 
I use the salad bar at the grocery store to get a variety
Where I live it's more cost effective
 
Yeah I switch it up a bit with kale 2-3 times a week and then spinach the other 3 days and the other day I feed them fruit
 
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