What to feed a pig who only eats veg?!

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Amanda1801

Amanda1801

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Hi,

Since her op, Cameo is only eating veg by herself. She's favouring leafy things, but she is eating "hard" foods like carrots and apples and stuff.

What would be the best foods to feed her fibre wise? She's not eating hay yet, and I'm not always able to syringe feed her throughout the day, although I am topping her up morning and evening with critical care as a minimum. Also, how can I get her back onto hay? She showed some interest in readigrass tonight, but only a sniff and a nibble!

Any ideas gratefully received!
 
I find mine LOVE a little timothy hay... even though its expensive. I dont know if thats what you have. Or maybe alfalfa as a treat?

Are corn husks high in fibre?

Sorry, I'm not that helpfull, just thought id chip in.
 
Have you tried cutting up her hay into smaller lengths.......... offer some to her so she gets the smell taste again :) and shred her carrots, break up little nibblets of corn, smaller pieces of fruit.
Maybe also try some other hays too? I use meadow hay and also the oxbow Western Timothy hay. Soften some pellets slightly and pop those on a little plate, see if she might be tempted.
Check out Laura's food thread
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=30297

Sending Cameo lots and lots of healing loves from us all XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
Glynis said:
Have you tried cutting up her hay into smaller lengths.......... offer some to her so she gets the smell taste again :) and shred her carrots, break up little nibblets of corn, smaller pieces of fruit.
Maybe also try some other hays too? I use meadow hay and also the oxbow Western Timothy hay. Soften some pellets slightly and pop those on a little plate, see if she might be tempted.
Check out Laura's food thread
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=30297

Sending Cameo lots and lots of healing loves from us all XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
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We have every kind of hay going here rolleyes

Oat hay, timothy hay, alfalfa hay, meadow hay, botanical hay, readigrass, I have another whole box of hay in the hall that I haven't even opened yet! She's munching on veg ok, but I might chop some hay and veg up fine and mix it together and try and "trick" her into eating it! I need to go down to the communal garden and pick some grass too!

I have been feeding her corn husks as they seem pretty fibrous to me, but I couldn't get any today! Going to have to go to the green grocer tomorrow. All she seems to want to eat is lettuce, celery leaves, spinach and cabbage! She is still on antibiotics though, so that could be part of the reason!
 
Yeah but the trouble is the little monkey's then get into a habit :{
ooooooooh don't let my girls here how many hays you have! drool
Beans aren't too bad either, they're a moist veg but a little harder than your lettuce etc.. erm pepper/capsicum is another one i can usually get a sick piggie to eat too.

HUGS XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 
Peggy was very fussy with hay for a while and I'm sure you've tried everything but this is what worked for us.

She would only eat hay if we held her up on her back legs, with her back pressed again our body and hand fed hay one piece at a time. Often we needed to poke it in her mouth a little way to get her chewing and then once she got started it would usually disappear. Sometimes she just spat it out though.

At times she would only eat the grass-seed heads of hay (we call them rat tails because when they're going in it looks like they've just eaten a rat with the tail hanging out!). They needed to be poked in with hay end first though - I don't know if they can only eat them in one direction but that's what we found. I think they are quite soft to eat.

Other times she would only eat the flat green bits and sometimes she was only interested in bits that I can only describe as hard brown twigs.

I don't know why she went from one kind to another but I can only assume it was her digestion and 'knowing' what she needed in her gut.

If left to her own devices on a towel she ignored hay.

I'm no expert but would have thought grass seems like a good in-between for hay and veg as its essentially very fresh hay!

Hope you find something that works. They are so frustrating when you know what's best for them but they just do their own thing x
 
Sorry not had chance to read everyones replies as i'm on my way out!

You said she likes her leafy veg? Have you tried rolling some hay up into some leafy veg? That way she's getting her veggies but she's also getting used to hay again too.

Just a thought! Will have a proper read up later :)
 
Thanks for all the replies - some good ideas!

I've tried hand feeding her one strand at a time and she spits it out rolleyes

I like the idea of rolling the hay in a leaf!

What I've tried tonight is chopping her veg up fine (she has baby corn, cucumber, tomato and apple) and I've mixed it with some chopped up readigrass, so some of it will go in, even if its only stuck to a bit of cucumber or something!

I've got tomorrow morning off, so I'll go down to the garden and pick some grass! See how that goes, last time she wasn't interested...

She seems put off by the pokiness of it, so I think ill soak some and see what happens....
 
HALLELUJAH!! :))

She's eating hay!

Oxbow orchard grass hay is a hit!

I don't think she likes the pokiness - this stuff is really soft and she went straight for it when it was offered! So pleased!
 
Amanda1801 said:
HALLELUJAH!! :))

She's eating hay!

Oxbow orchard grass hay is a hit!

I don't think she likes the pokiness - this stuff is really soft and she went straight for it when it was offered! So pleased!
Click to expand...

Brilliant news! So glad she's found something she likes :)
 
Well, shes eaten some hay, and lots of leafy veg, and some cucumber, and tomatoes, and baby corn and nibbled some readigrass (quite the feast!), she's had all her medicines, she's had cream put on her sore little feetsies, and then she saw fit to wee on me rolleyes

Good news is though, it was a normal colour!

She's been returned to her huspig, and she's settled herself down for the night in her pigloo - so I've packed her in with so much hay, her only option is to eat her way out! :))

So happy!
 
Amanda1801 said:
Well, shes eaten some hay, and lots of leafy veg, and some cucumber, and tomatoes, and baby corn and nibbled some readigrass (quite the feast!), she's had all her medicines, she's had cream put on her sore little feetsies, and then she saw fit to wee on me rolleyes

Good news is though, it was a normal colour!

She's been returned to her huspig, and she's settled herself down for the night in her pigloo - so I've packed her in with so much hay, her only option is to eat her way out! :))

So happy!
Click to expand...

Lol fantastic news! Glad she's nomming some hay now :)
 
Amanda1801 said:
Well, shes eaten some hay, and lots of leafy veg, and some cucumber, and tomatoes, and baby corn and nibbled some readigrass (quite the feast!), she's had all her medicines, she's had cream put on her sore little feetsies, and then she saw fit to wee on me rolleyes

Good news is though, it was a normal colour!

She's been returned to her huspig, and she's settled herself down for the night in her pigloo - so I've packed her in with so much hay, her only option is to eat her way out! :))

So happy!
Click to expand...

Brilliant news - so happy for you! It's very bizarre when we're actually pleased when they wee/poo on us! Peggy gets congratulated for pooing on my now - really going to regret teaching her that in the future :))
 
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