What veggies do you give on a typical day? Calcium concerns

Lymaine

Lymaine

Junior Guinea Pig
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My Freddie passed a stone and is on antibiotics for a week. Ive always tried to keep an eye on their daily veggies but even more so now... he has a big sweet tooth, trying to keep it balanced.
Usually they get a cup each of lettuce (curly, round, romaine, red gem or little gem), some herbs (usually mint, coriander, basil or parsley) and then I add in two or three extras alternating between 1 or 2 sunstream tomatoes, carrot, cucumber, parsnip, peppers, 4 green beans (between them) and sometimes some fruit such as a bit of apple, banana or blueberries. I am reading so many conflicting things about what is good daily things and what is not... any advice? I’ve looked at all the charts etc, I’d just like to know what your pigs get daily!
 
I just wanted to add that having been through a bladder sludge issue with one of my pigs recently, I think one of the greatest contributors to calcium build us is tap water (we live in a soft water area too).
I now use a Brita filter for all of the piggies water, and this has helped a lot.
 
We feed ours this roughly per pig

Morning:
Cucumber -1.5 cm x 2cm chunks (twice)
Celery - 1 stick between 3 chopped up small
1/6th of Red/Green/Yellow Bell Pepper (de-seeded)

Evening:
Cucumber 1.5 cm x 2cm chunks (twice)
Two Little Gem Lettuce leaves or 10 sprigs Coriander. Twice a week we will swap in cabbage or parsley

We also add in to the above diet carrot, sweet potato, celery leaves, green beans, brocoli and a few other things occasionally

Some folks on the forum are really clued up... so pick up advise where you can.
 
My boys get 2 slices of bell pepper daily, red and either green or yellow, cucmber, a form of leafy green so either spinach, spring greens or gem lettuce. Then in rotation (once or twice a week) we feed carrots, coriander , fennel, chicory and then a piece of fruit each a week, their favs are strawberry tops, watermelon and blueberries :) I tend to steer away from tomatoes and oranges as my boys have suffered with lips sores in the past :)
 
Mine get a couple of thin discs of carrot, some green bell pepper, and romaine heart lettuce every day. The also get either cucumber, mint, parsley, celery, apple, peach, orange, tomato or coriander twice a week, as a treat.
 
Ok thank you everyone. I think I may have been feeding a bit too much so I have lowered it. I was getting carried away with the lettuce mainly! Have cut it back to a cup full each. They are both in their healthy weight range anyway but I’m paranoid as I just want them to be in optimal health! I’m an over protective piggy mama :luv: they had less tonight as they’ve both been in the sunshine enjoying some grass 3533C966-3A6F-4D4E-8439-B110EB1A0245.webp
 
@Lymaine You're doing a great job! I personally believe calcium issues are sometimes genetic and so can be impossible to completely cure.

I found with my boy reducing his portion of pellets, giving him more water each day and trying to up his exercise helped.

My vet compared his bladder to a snow globe. If you can keep it full and in motion it won't settle and so the calcium will come out when he pees.

If they're not drinking much and/or not running around too much then the calcium deposits can settle and start to bond into a stone.
 
Jaycey said:
@Lymaine You're doing a great job! I personally believe calcium issues are sometimes genetic and so can be impossible to completely cure.

I found with my boy reducing his portion of pellets, giving him more water each day and trying to up his exercise helped.

My vet compared his bladder to a snow globe. If you can keep it full and in motion it won't settle and so the calcium will come out when he pees.

If they're not drinking much and/or not running around too much then the calcium deposits can settle and start to bond into a stone.
Click to expand...

Thank you for that and thank you for the info! That’s really helpful! :)
 
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