Gillian D
New Born Pup
What typical greens and how much should you give guinea pigs, to stop bloating. Will reducing their green intake reduce the bloating?
Best greens for guinea pigs.
- Thread starter Gillian D
- Start date
Engel
Adult Guinea Pig
Hi. Greens like Kale, spinach, cabbages and broccoli id limit to twice a week with the exception of spring greens which can be fed daily. An inch wide strip the length of your thumb is a good starting point if you're worried about bloating. Greens and veggies in general are an important part of their diet and I wouldn't remove a food from that as it can provide a piggy with various vitamins and minerals. Our aim as piggy parents is to give them a balanced and varied diet.
Here's our guide on veggies which you may find useful: Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading
Here's our guide on veggies which you may find useful: Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading
Bloat can be a very serious and potentially fatal issue so please see a vet if your piggy has bloat to get the treatment s/he needs.
If your piggy is suffering with bloat then you should completely remove all veg from the diet until the bloat has settled. You must also step in with home support of daily weight checks and syringe feeding.
Removing veg alone won’t necessarily stop the bloat as bloat can be a secondary health issue meaning the primarily health issue must be dealt with.
Certain veggies such as brassicas are known to lead to bloat so those should always be kept limited for every piggy.
If your piggy is suffering with bloat then you should completely remove all veg from the diet until the bloat has settled. You must also step in with home support of daily weight checks and syringe feeding.
Removing veg alone won’t necessarily stop the bloat as bloat can be a secondary health issue meaning the primarily health issue must be dealt with.
Certain veggies such as brassicas are known to lead to bloat so those should always be kept limited for every piggy.
Gillian D
New Born Pup
Thank you for the advice. It's much appreciated.
Gillian D
New Born Pup
Thank you. my little girl has seen the vet on 2 occasions and he doesn't seem to concerned. I did read on the internet that you could use 'Infacol' but I am very wary about giving his this and I am trying to reduce the bloating via her diet. My other little girl eats the same things and she is fine.Bloat can be a very serious and potentially fatal issue so please see a vet if your piggy has bloat to get the treatment s/he needs.
If your piggy is suffering with bloat then you should completely remove all veg from the diet until the bloat has settled. You must also step in with home support of daily weight checks and syringe feeding.
Removing veg alone won’t necessarily stop the bloat as bloat can be a secondary health issue meaning the primarily health issue must be dealt with.
Certain veggies such as brassicas are known to lead to bloat so those should always be kept limited for every piggy.
Roselina
Forum Donator 2024/25
I’m sorry to hear about your piggy - it’s very worrying isn’t it
The guide that Piggies&buns included will give you lots of info
Good luck and I’m sending you both a big hug
The guide that Piggies&buns included will give you lots of info
Good luck and I’m sending you both a big hug
Infacol is not recommended as it is simethicone based. Simethicone gathers gas into a big bubble which is fine for human babies but not for piggies - it can make bloating more painful.
Baby gas products such as gripe water can be given but it Will not cut through acute bloat in any event.
Bloating is concerning but it depends on the cause - whether it’s a primary issue or a secondary issue Ie something pushing on the gut causing it to not work properly. That needs a vet to diagnose.
A dysbiosis - ie an overgrowth of the wrong kind of gut bacteria - Is often caused by feeding too much veg or certain kinds veggies or too sugary of a diet. Along with reviewing the diet, it can also be helped by giving a probiotic and/or poop soup from a healthy companion which helps directly repopulate the gut with good bacteria. The four safe daily veggies are lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper and coriander. Feeding them will not reduce existing bloating though.
You will not reduce existing bloating by giving veg - if anything it could make it worse - all veg needs to be completely removed until the bloating settles. weight checks need to be daily, syringe feeding needs to be done if there is weight loss. Pain and gut stimulant meds are often needed.
If the bloating is caused by the diet then you need to remove everything except hay and then once bloating has settled, you can slowly reintroduce veg one item at a time until you find the trigger. Some veg is known to make bloating worse but equally your piggy may be sensitive to something you are feeding which typically isn’t a trigger food.
If you would like to tell us the background -
- How old your piggy is (older piggies can sometimes struggle with digestive issues just due to the body not working as efficiently as it used to
- how long this has been going on
- the symptoms ie is there also soft mushy poops
- What meds have been prescribed
- Whether the weight checks are stable
- And importantly, the daily diet and quantities (making sure you are not over feeding veg is important)