Veggies amount

[Zhi Heng]

Yeah hi guys
Hahaha dont get me wrong, I do provide unlimited hay is just I feel its not feasible if I leave hay on the floor cuz they often don't eat once it's touched the floor, n it creates alot mess, n waste alot hay.
It's just my even tho u guys seem the hay ball rack seem very small right, but somehow my gp never even finish that amt in 12hrs, they usually finish ard 3/4 at night after veggies time, but in the morning when I refill to full agn, they barely even eat 1/4.

 

[Zhi Heng]

Hib

Normally they get attached to wire cages, so the piggies can pull it through.
Could you perhaps try putting the hay inside an upturned box - cardboard box or plastic container.

That is fairly expensive hay then, but I pay 23 pounds sterling for their 2.2kg bag of Timothy hay which gets eaten in around two weeks, plus another 6 pounds sterling for their large bale of meadow hay which is used for bedding and that takes longer to use at around six weeks.

Hi I tried this too but my gp have a tendency to always flip the container over even if I place so stones inside it to add weight... N usually once its flipped, they won't eat hay that touched the floor

 

[Piggies&buns]

what we are saying is that even the amount of hay that your piggies do eat does not look to be anywhere near enough for two piggies to eat - they should be eating far more. A ball that small should be being refilled multiple times a day. My two hayracks hold at least twice the amount of hay that that ball does and I need to refill my hayracks several times in a day.

 

[Zhi Heng]

Yeah I know but then what shld I do if my gp won't eat that much hay even tho I have tried those other methods. They almost don't eat any hay at all during the day, it remains totally full at the end of the day, while they eat abt 3/4 of that ball at night after veggies.

 

[Zhi Heng]

Cuz I have tried reducing their pellets n veggies b4 too, it doesn't induce them to eat more. Isit possible my gp r just very small eaters? Cuz their weight has been steadily but slowly increasing too n not losing weight:/

 

[Piggies&buns]

They are obviously eating enough overall if weight is going up but their hay consumption would ideally be higher. piggies come in all shapes and sizes and it must be that yours are just smaller as they do seem to be on the smaller side for males of their age. As long as they aren’t losing weight though then that is a good thing.
I personally would persist in putting in more hay in more piles or containers. Let them tip it over, let them play in it, poop in it etc as often they’ll nibble at far more than you think.
As I’ve said my guinea pigs eat a lot of hay but my rabbit does not eat much hay voluntarily so I have to be very inventive about ways to get him interested in eating hay - big piles, hay stuffed in toilet roll tubes, big paper bags stuffed with hay and herbs that he then gets right inside and plays in and nibbles at etc

 

[Zhi Heng]

Noted, thanks for your advice. Will reduce their veggies consumption to 50g per piggy, instead of 100g too. N perhaps start feeding cucumber agn. But I heard frm many that they r mainly as treats cuz no nutrional value?

 

[Seven7]

In US dollar, the Kaytee Timothy Hay bags in the picture would be around $66 for regular price.
The two on the left is the big size at 96oz or 2.7kg. The two on the right are Wafer Cuts 1.7kg. I get automatic shipments coming in by mail, so I never really run out of hay. I get discounts for automatic shipments and I also purchase hay when I see a good deal at the pet store.

You can see the size in the picture just above, the 96oz (2.7kg) .

 

[Zhi Heng]

Hi all, I noticed that the guide states the they shld have one cup of veggies / 30 to 50g. Just wondering, but how is one cup 30 to 50g tho? ... Cuz I thought one cup is around 250cm^3 so if its just plain water it already is 250g:/ cuz currently i feed 75g per piggy which is way less than one cup already, so I'm not sure if I'm supposed to reduce it to 30g as per the guide.
Also isit common for guinea pigs to waste alot hay? I recently got a hay rack where hay is refilled at the top and the opening is at the bottom hoping to encourage them to eat old leftover hay from the bottom before they get to eat the new refill hay, but I notice that my guinea pigs doesn't seem to want to eat the old hay n always try to push all the old hay out of the hay rack and (which is quite easy cuz the hay rack opening is quite big) onto the floor in order to eat the new hay. As such, they waste abt 50 % of hay given:/ I really hate wasting so much hay>< (I'm someone who don't even waste a single grain of rice on my plate of food)

 

[Merab]

Measurement is a guideline- you are right, it is difficult to quantify a cup.
I actually use a pasta bowl and reckon that a bowl of assorted veggies a day for 3 piggies is about right.

With the hay - although it is 80% of their diet piggies still love to play in it, sleep on it and wee on it. Waste is part of piggy care. It is still important that they have access to fresh hay daily.
Old hay can go on the compost if you have one.

 

[Zhi Heng]

Hi so may I know shld I feed 30 to 50g or a cup then? Haha cuz I do measure the veggies I feed them daily.

 

[Zhi Heng]

Noted, thank you for your advice. My guinea pig doesn't sleep on the hay tho... I will throw away the old hay n refill with new hay from now on... I just tot that it would be good if they could reduce hay wastage cuz I'm really hate wasting stuffs especially food (like I don't waste a single grain of rice in any of my meals) and hay is very costly too:/ I feel its such a waste to waste like 50 percent of the hay everyday.

 

[Zhi Heng]

Especially cuz my gp eat very little hay, I guess I better just put alot new hay then:/
They eat only a handful of hay everyday. They have been likethat since I got them from previous owner.

 

[Seven7]

Hi so may I know shld I feed 30 to 50g or a cup then? Haha cuz I do measure the veggies I feed them daily.

My Finn and Lara get veggies 3 times a day. I have some pictures of their three meals they get in one day, so breakfast, lunch and dinner. As you can see there are two piles of the same veggies, one for Finn and one for Lara.

Below are just some pictures of their breakfast, lunch and dinner, and everyday is different to give variety and to ensure they get all the vitamins they need.

Breakfast: romaine lettuce and parsley.


Lunch: Kale, carrot, and grape.


Dinner: Cucumber, grass, and dandelion leaves.

 

[Seven7]

Especially cuz my gp eat very little hay, I guess I better just put alot new hay then:/
They eat only a handful of hay everyday. They have been likethat since I got them from previous owner.

I have a picture of Lara in her hay tray, which is completely filled with hay and replenish several times throughout the day. She lives separately from Finn but close by, so this is her personal hay tray. Lara plays in her hay tray, rests in her hay tray, sleeps and pees and poos on her hay tray. I throw away soiled hay that is not edible and replenish with fresh hay throughout the day.

 

[Zhi Heng]

@Seven7
Hi, love the variety of veggies u feed n frequency Tho I'm pretty sure it's more than 50g of veggies tho... Prolly over 100g. I'm confused cuz I received alot different opinions on recommended veggies amount. Most popular youtubers like 'little adventures' recommend veggies of at least 10 percent of weight (they feed ard 150g) while many on this forum advise me to feed 50g or less:/ I was advised feeding carrots on alternate days is too often but u r feeding everyday... I dunno who to listen :/

 

[Zhi Heng]

O

I have a picture of Lara in her hay tray, which is completely filled with hay and replenish several times throughout the day. She lives separately from Finn but close by, so this is her personal hay tray. Lara plays in her hay tray, rests in her hay tray, sleeps and pees and poos on her hay tray. I throw away soiled hay that is not edible and replenish with fresh hay throughout the day.

View attachment 104041

Hi such a unique color! Is she pink? Cuz I have not seen this color of fur b4 n she isn't skinny pig too. Just wondering how much does hay cost u a mth, haha cuz I can't stop feeling heart pain on the amount of money paid on them haha... I dm if they eat alot but wasting seems alittle wrong I think it's just the way I'm brought up haha I always avoid wasting stuffs especially food even if they aren't tasty or fresh anymore

 

[Seven7]

@Seven7
Hi, love the variety of veggies you feed n frequency Tho I'm pretty sure it's more than 50g of veggies tho... Prolly over 100g. I'm confused cuz I received alot different opinions on recommended veggies amount. Most popular youtubers like 'little adventures' recommend veggies of at least 10 percent of weight (they feed ard 150g) while many on this forum advise me to feed 50g or less:/ I was advised feeding carrots on alternate days is too often but you r feeding everyday... I dunno who to listen :/

If you can show us some pictures of the veggies amount you are currently feeding your piggies, we can clear up your confusion over veggies.

The pictures I put above show medium to small size leaves of lettuce, kale, a baby carrot, one grape, small amount of grass and etc. So, even after their three meals of veggies a day, both my Finn and Lara will continue to eat hay. If Finn and Lara are being overfed with veggies, they wouldn't be eating hay but it isn't true, they are always eating hay. Mine spend a large amounts of time in their hay trays.

I also want to point out that when leaves of lettuce and kale are big in size, I do cut them in half and give one to Finn and one to Lara.
I always try to give them enough veggies so they are getting enough vitamins to stay healthy, happy and thrive.

 

[Seven7]

O

Hi such a unique color! Is she pink? Cuz I have not seen this color of fur b4 n she isn't skinny pig too. Just wondering how much does hay cost you a mth, haha cuz I can't stop feeling heart pain on the amount of money paid on them haha... I dm if they eat alot but wasting seems alittle wrong I think it's just the way I'm brought up haha I always avoid wasting stuffs especially food even if they aren't tasty or fresh anymore

Lara is more light beige than pink. Here she is resting in her cuddle pouch.

My Finn and Lara go through about $50 -$60 worth of hay per month because I also throw away a lot of left over hay. I feel that if hay is left over, they probably don't like to eat it so that gives me a reason to throw away hay. I never run out of hay because I get Kaytee Timothy Hay shipped to my house regularly, and I also visit both Petco, and PetSmart stores frequently to buy other things for my pets, and when I see hay on sale, I buy them.

 

[Zhi Heng]

This is what I feed them usually, which is alr more than the recommended 50g. One leave of Endives and carrot cut to abt one baby sized carrot which i alternate with tomato daily , some dark green veggies / herbs (I alternate them weekly) as well as a a slice of bell pepper. Usually I feed ard 4 to 5 types of veggies. I was told earlier in the forum that feeding tomato n baby carrot on alternate days each is too freauent so I reduced their frequency to once a week. I alternate the dark green every week cuz buy a new veggie only when it runs out. But I was told that feeding diff high calcium veggies as part of their diet like Spinach is still too much so since then I mostly buy Romaine lettuce and Endives as the leavy veggies. I avoid buying veggies that can only be fed occasionally becuz my family n I don't cook, so I only buy veggies specifically for my gp...

 

[Zhi Heng]

N ps also I feel that there's not enuf awareness on the money n time needed for gp... Haha cuz its known as a low maintenance pet tho I'm have found many reason that it's is more time costly and expensive than dogs

 

[Zhi Heng]

Oh yeah the picture attached is for 2 gp, that amt is already ard 150g, so 75g per piggy.

 

[Zhi Heng]

I feed them veggies once a day, ard that amt.