What guiveg?

[Gingergnome]

Hi,

My girls are settling well into their new home but I'm wanting to be sure we give them the right things. At the moment they're having hay guinea pig pellets from Pets At Home ... that's what they were being fed when we they were bought. I've given them some carrot and broccoli which they tucked into straight away.

Anything else? How often can I give them fresh veg?

 

[sport_billy]

Have a read of this - http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?42-Vegetables-Shopping-List

It helped us no end when we started with piggies

Aim for 1 cup of mixed veg split into breakfast and tea. Unlimited hay at all times and a small bowl of pellets morning and night.

Diet should be 80-85% good quality hay, 10-15% veg, 5% pellets

We feed typically
Morning: Cucumber, Celery, Red/green/yellow pepper (deseeded)
Tea: Cucumber, Lettuce or Parsley or Cabbage of some sort,
and add carrot, broccoli, spinach occasionally

piggies enjoy variation and some piggies like some veg but not others our old girls used to love coriander which is good for them as it is low in calcium but our current lot one touch it... So lots of experimentation to find out what they like

Another great thread to look at is this one, ignore the ratio thing for now but look halfway down the post to feeding frequencies http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...sphorus-Ratios-Explained-Diet-Advice-included

Hope that helps

 

[Wiebke]

Ideally you give:
- unlimited hay (up to 80%) of the daily food intake; refresh the hay once or twice daily.
- 1 cupful/ca. 50g of mixed veg per piggy per day in as many servings as you like. Please include one high vitamin C veg or herb, like a slice of pepper of any colour, a floret or chunk of broccoli stem, a sprig of fresh coriander/cilantro, parsley, dill, mint or basil. Please vary between these! Sport Billy has given you the list. Try as many veg as possible, so your girls don't become too picky. Fruit and tomato should be only fed twice a week in moderation (organic banana skin and strawberry greens and leaves can also be fed) - too much can cause sores around the mouth and lips; carrots, raw beetroot, fennel, broccoli, any cabbages (pointed/sweetheart, spring greens, savoy, green), lettuce (Romaine, little gem or a mix; no iceberg, please - no nutritional value), French beans and mange tout or sweetcorn not more than 2-3 times a week (but you can vary between these veg). Cucumber and chopped celery stalks can be fed daily in moderation. Kale and Asian cabbages, spinach, rocket should be only very occasional treats. You will need to work out your own routine between what your piggies will actually eat (tastes can be very different), your purse and practicality.
- pellets (you can also try the Burgess ones; from my own experiences over the years, is advisable not to fixate the taste too much on just one brand in case it is not in stock. Just mix any new brands into their usual ones to start and serve a varying mix ). There are more brands available over the internet or in other pet shops.
Young piggies can have unlimited pellets until their weekly growth rate is slowing down at a few months old - the actual time can vary between individual piggies and is also influenced by your feeding regime. Please rather give several smaller portions instead of just topping up a bowl. Youngsters can pee into the pellet bowl! Once the growth rate is slowing down, you very gradually reduce the amount to the handful or half that fully mature adults need from about 12-15 months of age. Please weigh your piggies weekly; it is an important monitor to pick up health problems early on.
http://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html

I hope that that helps you?