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What to Expect from Vet

Piggies&buns said:
If she has sludge then look at the diet for calcium issues.

keep pellets strictly limited to one tablespoon per day; filter drinking water; don’t feed high calcium veg (kale, parsley, spinach) more than one small amount once per week. Keep the diet quite wet (so leafy greens) to try to keep the bladder flushed through
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Yes I found out last week that I was feeding too many herbs (parsley basil and corriander) so I've been trying to cut down but it might be too late because of the sludge. I am planning to get more Cucumber in the next shop to help flush them Out a bit and I give them bell peppers daily, lettuce most days Celery often enough and then the herbs. Carrots or fruit once a week usually and occasionally Kale or Spinach if I had some leftover from cooking. I thought the herbs were high in vit c so I was giving them often and just never thought of the calcium :( I was told that broccoli Cauliflower and cabbage are also really good sources and don't often cause bloat as long as they are eating plenty of hay for the fibre so I was considering getting some more of those veggies to replace the herbs
 
Butterfluf said:
Yes I found out last week that I was feeding too many herbs (parsley basil and corriander) so I've been trying to cut down but it might be too late because of the sludge. I am planning to get more Cucumber in the next shop to help flush them Out a bit and I give them bell peppers daily, lettuce most days Celery often enough and then the herbs. Carrots or fruit once a week usually and occasionally Kale or Spinach if I had some leftover from cooking. I thought the herbs were high in vit c so I was giving them often and just never thought of the calcium :( I was told that broccoli Cauliflower and cabbage are also really good sources and don't often cause bloat as long as they are eating plenty of hay for the fibre so I was considering getting some more of those veggies to replace the herbs
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coriander is fine to be given daily but you need only give a couple of sprigs per piggy.
kale, spinach and parsley are high in calcium

but, even the lowest calcium pellets and unfiltered drinking water contain more calcium than the highest calcium veg (kale) so keeping pellets limited and filtered water goes a long way to helping.
 
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Piggies&buns said:
coriander is fine to be given daily but you need only give a couple of sprigs per piggy.
kale, spinach and parsley are high in calcium

but, even the lowest calcium pellets and unfiltered drinking water contain more calcium than the highest calcium veg (kale) so keeping pellets limited and filtered water goes a long way to helping.
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I didn't realise that at all! I give them "WAGG Twitch Guinea pig nuggets" in a red bag. Whenever the bowl is empty I just refilled it for them i will reduce the amout. I have a filter jug for the tap water, should I give them their water through that from now on?
 
Butterfluf said:
I didn't realise that at all! I give them "WAGG Twitch Guinea pig nuggets" in a red bag. Whenever the bowl is empty I just refilled it for them i will reduce the amout. I have a filter jug for the tap water, should I give them their water through that from now on?
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Their bowl should never be kept full. Pellets are the least healthy part of the diet and should only make up 5% of their daily food intake. Hay being the only food that should be constantly available to them and making up 80% of the daily food intake. Veg just 50 grams per day (15%).
Mine get 30 minutes to eat their one tablespoon (I actually give them slightly less than a tablespoon each, it amounts to just 6g each of about 12-15 pellets per piggy) and then I remove any pellets they haven’t eaten and they don’t get any more until the next morning.

Yes, water from a filter jug is best to reduce the calcium intake

you might want to check for low calcium pellets (as I say even they contain a lot of calcium though) and/or see where yours come within the comparison chart. If your piggy is going to have bladder problems, then it’s best to look to change the diet. Have you been noticing your piggy having white and/or gritty pees? The calcium issue is a complicated one and any diet changes take some time to have an effect on the body.

Nugget Comparison Chart
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
Piggies&buns said:
Their bowl should never be kept full. Pellets are the least healthy part of the diet and should only make up 5% of their daily food intake. Hay being the only food that should be constantly available to them and making up 80% of the daily food intake. Veg just 50 grams per day (15%).
Mine get 30 minutes to eat their one tablespoon (I actually give them slightly less than a tablespoon each, it amounts to just 6g each of about 12-15 pellets per piggy) and then I remove any pellets they haven’t eaten and they don’t get any more until the next morning.

Yes, water from a filter jug is best to reduce the calcium intake
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I didn't realise at all thanks so much they'll be angry at me now for taking away their pellets 😂 and I will start filling with the jug thank you 😊
 
Butterfluf said:
I didn't realise at all thanks so much they'll be angry at me now for taking away their pellets 😂 and I will start filling with the jug thank you 😊
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ive just edited my post to give you a bit more information and to include the nugget comparison chart and the diet. They may help you
 
Piggies&buns said:
Don’t feel bad, you know now so can make adjustments.
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Thank you for your advice I will keep reading through the posts. There's not a lot of variety in veg in my supermarkets unfortunately I am going to have to broaden my search 😂
 
Butterfluf said:
Thank you for your advice I will keep reading through the posts. There's not a lot of variety in veg in my supermarkets unfortunately I am going to have to broaden my search 😂
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as long as they get absolutely loads of hay, then that’s the main thing.
daily veg wise mine get a couple of sprigs of coriander, lettuce, cucumber and bell pepper. if I happen to have anything else in my fridge, Then I may add something else, but otherwise it’s those four main basics
 
Piggies&buns said:
as long as they get absolutely loads of hay, then that’s the main thing.
daily veg wise mine get a couple of sprigs of coriander, lettuce, cucumber and bell pepper. if I happen to have anything else in my fridge, Then I may add something else, but otherwise it’s those four main basics
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Thank you that's helpful! They love the hay I try keep it in their litter pan area but no they love to just move it around All over the cage 😂
 
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