Veggies amount

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Zhi Heng

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Hi guys just wondering how much hay in terms of weight does your piggies eat? Cuz my 2 adult piggies eat abt 750g at most in 3 weeks. I've been reading alot articles online, n I learn that they shld eat veggies of at least 10% of their weight. So I feed ard 200g for both piggy so ard 100g per piggy. But most articles also say that a piggy diet shld comprise of at least 70 percent hay, which in terms of weight they clearly did not achieve. Please do advice, thanks! Its my concern for a long time but I can't find specific amount of hay a piggy is suppose to eat other than needing to give them unlimited hay which I alr do.

I feed variety of veggies, n abt one heaped tablespoon of pellets per piggy. Reducing their veggies does not induce them to eat more too. Usually at least 5types.

Usually their daily veggies diet include:
1) bell peppers, 2) romaine lettuce/ Endives, 3) carrot/tomato 4) something moderate to high in calcium. E.g spinach/ sweet potato leaves herbs. 5) some other random veggies.

I know that gp shld not eat too much calcium rich veggies n most articles recommend feeding high calcium veggies like Spinach to at most once a week. I'm wondering does it mean that I can only feed high calcium veggies as a whole once a week, or can i just switch to another high calcium veggies the next day which they say feed once a week too. (which I am doing now as shown by their veggies diet above).

Last issue is my guinea pig eat very little hay during the day as compared to the night despite me not giving them veggies in the day. I avoid feeding veggies more than once a day to prevent them frm starving themselves to wait for veggies, hoping they will eat more hay. Not sure if this is a cause of concern cause it is weird that despite after eating veggies at night which shld keep them full alr, they eat alot more hay than during the day.
 
Their diet should be around 85% hay. The only way you know if they are eating enough hay is to weigh your Guinea pigs every week.

Don’t give carrot daily, it is too high in sugar. Don’t feed tomato daily as it is too acidic. With high calcium veg, it is best to give it a couple of times (or once if you prefer) a week as a whole. Don’t give high calcium veg every day (even if it is a different veg).

With mine, my feeding schedule is as follows. This is per pig:

Morning is half a cup of veg.
Evening is half a cup of veg and one tablespoon of pellets
Hay gets topped up around four times a day for the both of them, with a larger bundle being given at night.

The veg I feed daily is bell pepper, cucumber, coriander and a small amount of lettuce. In addition to the daily veg, I rotate in other veg: Two/three times a week they get spring greens, green beans, bean sprouts another herb other than coriander, a small amount of celery. once a week they will get either spinach or kale. They also get some baby sweet corn, asparagus, rocket sometimes. They will have some carrot once a month. They never get fruit.

As I say though, the veg they get in a day amounts to one cup measure in total.
 
Hi, I alternate tomato n carrots. I feed 1/6 tomato n 1 baby carrot per gp. All the '/' signs means I alternate.

The reason why I think they eat not enuf hay is cuz online always say they shld eat at least 70 percent hay, which I dunno is in terms of mass or literal size, but both of which it definitely doesn't hit 70 percent of their diet.
Their weight is very healthy n slowly going up every week as they r still growing (16mths n 22mths old) both r slightly above 900g now.

But how much is one cup, I weigh veggies daily cuz I feel one cup is very subjective as diff veggies have diff densities.
 
They dun finish their hay for my case, so I only top up twice a day... I use a hay ball to store the hay. My vet says they r both very healthy in terms of weight, size (can feel the bones but don't protrude) and their teeth is fine. Just I'm confuse with the 70 percent hay of their diet is hay meaning. Cuz if i feed 100g per piggy veggies daily, doesn't it mean they shld be eating ard 700 to 800g hay daily, isn't that alittle insane haha
 
N sorry just wondering but won't feeding herbs twice weekly is too much cuz I understand that they r generally much higher in calcium than veggies? N I tot bean sprout tend to cause bloating n shld be kept to the minimum? Sweet corn too I tot its very high in sugar.
 
I think you are overthinking it.
I wouldn’t think many of us weigh out what hay they get. I just put a large handful into each hayrack and once it’s gone, it gets refilled. The hay amount probably equates to twice their physical body size (not weight), it’s hard to say though because I just fill it up once it is getting low. I get through 2.2kg of Timothy hay perhaps every two weeks or so.
A cup of veg is a specific measure like a tablespoon is. I Just fill up a jug to the cup mark of veg per pig and split it into two different meals (morning and evening). Different densities doesn’t matter because another day it may be different so it all balances out.
No herbs twice weekly is not too much. A small amount of coriander they can have every day.
Yes I understand you alternate carrots and tomato, but it is too much for them to have carrots several times a week. One piece of carrot once a week is enough. One piece of tomato once a week is enough as too much acidic food can cause mouths sores.
Babycorn is higher in sugar but i only give it to them once every two weeks or so. It’s not a regular thing.
Bean sprouts are a great source of vitamin c for them but again, in my feeding ratio they are only given perhaps twice a week so it’s not too much.

If the vet is happy with their weight then that should be fine. Interesting though that you say your 22 month old is still growing....they usually reach their adult weight around 12-14 months of age. You would expect their weight gain to stabilise/slow around that age. Are they both female?
 
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You cant ever offer too much hay, what isnt eaten will be played with or slept on! We get through about 7.5kg of meadow hay and 4kg of timothy hay every month for 6 piggies.
And they love beansprouts and eat them 2 or 3 times a week. And red pepper almost every day. A cucumber slice each every day. A small slice of carrot each twice a week. Spinach maybe twice a week, also coriander or watercress and rocket salad. Sometimes broccolli, maybe twice a month.
Generally by now they eat whatever we are eating!
 
Another thought, if really you don’t think they are eating enough hay, then look at how you provide their hay and type you give them. Some piggies won’t use any kind of hay rack and prefer just a big pile on the floor.
My two much prefer a big pile of hay on the floor. They like to run through it, play in it and eat it all at the same time. It has only been in recent weeks that they have started to regularly use their hay racks, but they tend to go for the big pile first and then once it is squashed down the go for their racks and empty those. My two are bedded on hay so have meadow hay as bedding and then Timothy hay in their racks. They both like both types of hay but one of them definitely prefers the Timothy.
 
My Finn and Lara get endless supply of hay. I get hay delivered to my house by mail, and I also pick them up from pet store when on sale. They get some Oxbow pellets.
I give mine veggies 3 times a day, lettuce mostly mixed with other veggies for variety sake, so celery, cilantro, parsley, basil, kale, cucumber, carrot, spinach, dandelion. They also get some fruits like apple, blueberry, watermelon.

I make sure all their vitamins requirements are met through their daily veggies. A couple of days ago, I picked up fresh cilantro from the market for my Finn nd Lara. This is my Finn's favorite as he has been eating it since he was a baby, this and parsley and basil.
IMG_4358.webp
 
I just pile hay into 3 heaps around the cage where it gets eaten, moved around, played with, slept on.
If all the herbs mine think Dill the best ever and a small pack will last 3 piggies about 10 seconds
 
Hi noted! I guess i worry too much agn><I will reduce the amount of carrots and tomato fed from now on! their diet is very confusing tbh... i have been researching tons of articles online for many months but they all have some variation in recommended amount of veggies. Some say it's okay to feed carrots n tomato frequently while others say feed occasionally. Veggies like spinach n kale (high calcium veggies) too have alot contradiction between articles... some say fed once a month while others say it shld be the BULK of their veggies diet. cucumber too...cucumber many say can feed daily but then others say shldnt feed it often cuz it's has no nutrional value n shld only be a treat. n btw just wondering how do you guys check if your gp have mouth sores from acidic veggies?

@Piggies n buns, may i know the 2.2 kg of hay is eaten by how many gp in 2 weeks? mine usually eat ard 500g only in 2weeks... so is >4 times less than urs. Also, yup i'm trying to find a hay rack but currently i'm having difficulty finding the right one. I got this Vicky Hay rack (as attached below) but apparently it is suppose to be attached outside the fence for the cage for some reason, tho i dunno how the gp are going to eat it, n cuz it cant balance if i leave it standing in the cage, I have continued using my hay ball holder (attached below). Also, both my GP r male, for the past 10mths chubby have been steadily increasing from 600g to 900g, while midnight increase from 800g to 950g...
 

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on a side note, have any of you come across such piggies behaviors? for the past 10mths, chubby is super submissive n afraid of midnight. he would always start making this whining sound every time midnight wakes up/ decide to eat/ approach anywhere near him(even if not towards him). n often would zoom away in fear (sometimes banging into toys in the cage) especially if midnight stares at him. While they have NEVER drawn blood, nor have midnight ever stopped chubby from eating etc, this behavior have never changed. I'm just wondering if this is normal, cuz i cant find any gp that afraid of their buddy even if their buddy doesn't attack him. (sometimes midnight would nip chubby butt if chubby is blocking him n didnt move away which often end up some of chubby hair been pluck off, which seems quite scary. midnight will then teeth chatter while chubby would make the whiny sound agn. I understand that you shld only separate gp if they draw blood, or one stop the supply of food n water of another. btw they have 2 of everything, house, water bottle, bowls etc n their cage is 1.5 m x 0.9m.
 
Zhi Heng said:
Hi noted! I guess i worry too much agn><I will reduce the amount of carrots and tomato fed from now on! their diet is very confusing tbh... i have been researching tons of articles online for many months but they all have some variation in recommended amount of veggies. Some say it's okay to feed carrots n tomato frequently while others say feed occasionally. Veggies like spinach n kale (high calcium veggies) too have alot contradiction between articles... some say fed once a month while others say it shld be the BULK of their veggies diet. cucumber too...cucumber many say can feed daily but then others say shldnt feed it often cuz it's has no nutrional value n shld only be a treat. n btw just wondering how do you guys check if your gp have mouth sores from acidic veggies?

@Piggies n buns, may i know the 2.2 kg of hay is eaten by how many gp in 2 weeks? mine usually eat ard 500g only in 2weeks... so is >4 times less than urs. Also, yup i'm trying to find a hay rack but currently i'm having difficulty finding the right one. I got this Vicky Hay rack (as attached below) but apparently it is suppose to be attached outside the fence for the cage for some reason, tho i dunno how the gp are going to eat it, n cuz it cant balance if i leave it standing in the cage, I have continued using my hay ball holder (attached below). Also, both my GP r male, for the past 10mths chubby have been steadily increasing from 600g to 900g, while midnight increase from 800g to 950g...
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You can see mouth sores usually.
Cucumber doesn’t have much nutrition value, if is mostly water, but it is still ok to feed to them.

I have two guinea pigs.
If those hay balls are the same as I am thinking, then it is advised to not use them, there have been reported cases of piggies being injured by them . Also, if they are the same ones as I’m thinking, then they are small. If it is swinging then it probably makes it very hard for them to get the hay out. Could you try just putting a pile of hay on the floor of their cage and seeing if that encourages them to eat more?
They are just petite boys then! My two pigs are Male, one is 9 months old and the other is 10 months old and both weigh around 1.1kg. As long as they are gaining , then it sounds fine.
 
Zhi Heng said:
on a side note, have any of you come across such piggies behaviors? for the past 10mths, chubby is super submissive n afraid of midnight. he would always start making this whining sound every time midnight wakes up/ decide to eat/ approach anywhere near him(even if not towards him). n often would zoom away in fear (sometimes banging into objects in the house) especially if midnight stares at him. While they have NEVER drawn blood, nor have midnight ever stopped chubby from eating etc, this behavior have never changed. I'm just wondering if this is normal, cuz i cant find any gp that afraid of their buddy even if their buddy doesn't attack him. (sometimes midnight would nip chubby butt if chubby is blocking him n didnt move away which often end up some of chubby hair been pluck off, which seems quite scary. midnight will then teeth chatter while chubby would make the whiny sound agn. I understand that you shld only separate gp if they draw blood, or one stop the supply of food n after of another. btw they have 2 of everything, house, water bottle, bowls etc
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As long as they aren’t fighting and he isn’t being stopped from eating then don’t worry too much about it. Chubby may just be a very submissive type of piggy.
 
Hi piggies&buns, i place the hay metal ball on the floor actl attached to the fence. oh noted, i was just worried if its too stressful for chubby haha cuz i always see him dashing away from midnight haha... he fear midnight way more than me, like sometimes he run away from midnight to me during floor time haha.
btw do you think its okay to feed cucumber daily cuz i use to feed one slice per piggy but stopped ever since many ppl told me that it shldnt be fed as it has no nutritional value.
 
Ok. I personally would stop using the ball altogether until you can find a better hay rack then just give them a pile of hay, they may find it easier to eat it and you may find their hay consumption increases.

My two get a thin slice of cucumber most days.
 
The vet told me I might have to separate them cuz midnight have been losing some fur on his leg for sometime, n my vet say it's either a very very mild infection as his skin is perfectly normal, just loss of fur (which I am trying the antiseptic solution she gave me for past 2 weeks) or that he is stress too perhaps cuz he dislike chubby n excessive groom himself. I hope it's just a mild infection:(
Anw this is their cage set up.
I always feel my gp very weird cuz they seem very anti social (like chubby seemed happier right after his Fren died even tho they get along well compared to him n midnight LOL) n they hate exercising too. Super super lazy, even with food they usually just walk slowly ard the floor time n stopped once there's no more veggies left. (I hide veggies in the tunnels n their toys etc)
 

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Oh I used to put it as a pile too, it's just my gp refuse to eat any hay that touches the floor... Which is why I didn't leave a big pile there. N haha hay is very ex in my country so I try to avoid wastage😅
 
Zhi Heng said:
Oh I used to put it as a pile too, it's just my gp refuse to eat any hay that touches the floor... Which is why I didn't leave a big pile there. N haha hay is very ex in my country so I try to avoid wastage😅
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2.5kg of hay can cost above 60 dollars from pet stores:/
 
Opp
Zhi Heng said:
The vet told me I might have to separate them cuz midnight have been losing some fur on his leg for sometime, n my vet say it's either a very very mild infection as his skin is perfectly normal, just loss of fur (which I am trying the antiseptic solution she gave me for past 2 weeks) or that he is stress too perhaps cuz he dislike chubby n excessive groom himself. I hope it's just a mild infection:(
Anw this is their cage set up.
I always feel my gp very weird cuz they seem very anti social (like chubby seemed happier right after his Fren died even tho they get along well compared to him n midnight LOL) n they hate exercising too. Super super lazy, even with food they usually just walk slowly ard the floor time n stopped once there's no more veggies left. (I hide veggies in the tunnels n their toys etc)
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Ooops sorry I uploaded wrong photo ignore the first one
 
It looks to be a nice cage for them.
I would just be concerned that that really isn’t a lot of hay available to them. As I says my two eat twice their body size most days. With two Male piggies, if is always best to have several hay feeding stations.
Without knowing what country you are from, I am afraid we don’t have anything to compare hay costs to!
 
Hi I'm from Singapore. I find the vicky hay rack design so weird... Why is it attached outside the cage...
 
I have been wanting to get the kind of hay rack that can be placed inside the cage, where u can top up at the top b4 it runs out. But it's really hard to find it here in my country.
 
But I'm wondering how does the piggy eat the hay if its attached outside... Getting a hay rack is a problem here in my country cuz I can't find any that can attach inside or place inside the cage on any of my countries online shopping website... :/
 
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.
 
Zhi Heng said:
2.5kg of hay can cost above 60 dollars from pet stores:/
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I give endless supply of hay to prevent veterinary visits for when their teeth grow out of control. I hear from members here all the time that they have to constantly chew on something, usually hay, to keep from their teeth growing out of control. I found out their teeth grow endlessly.
 
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