Dealing with an always hungry guinea pig!

[chuck]

Hi there!
My 5 years old guinea girl has started to squeak continuously even over night so I'm forced to get up and feed her 2-3 times. The real problem is she doesn't like hay and always asks for veggies which I can not give her too much because …you know. so I have to leave a pile of hay in her cage, close the door and ignore her squeaks. But it's not working.
Also I'm desperate to choose safe veggies to feed her in daily bases. Each web suggests a different safe amount of veggies per day. Which one should i trust? PLEASE HELP!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

The safe daily veggies are cucumber, bell pepper, lettuce and coriander/cilantro.
The amount of veg is just one cup per day.

You do just have the be strong and ignore demands for food. Hay is the most important part of the diet so she needs that available to her at all times.

Does she have a friend living with her?
I’m just wondering if she is a single pig and her demands are for attention and interaction, and not necessarily for food.
This is why having a friend is important as they are not wired to be by themselves and need interaction at times which aren’t conducive with human sleep patterns.

Does she have lots of mental stimulation and enrichment in her cage?

I have attached various guides below

Thread 'Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets'

Jul 14, 2014

1 The recommended ratio of food groups
2 Hay and fresh grass
3 Vegetables, fresh herbs and fruit with an illustrated balanced sample diet
4 Special dietary needs
- Urinary tract infections, bladder stones and sterile IC (non-bacterial interstitial cystitis)
- Diabetes and long term digestive problems
- Impaction in boars
- Pregnancy and nursing dietary tweaks (only visible to registered members who have accepted our no intentional breeding policy)...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 6
• Forum: Diet

• 

Thread 'Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs'

Mar 11, 2019

1 Company and interaction
- Company of their own kind is the best enrichment
- Human interaction
2 Excercise
- Daily run time and exercise
- Race and obstacle courses
- Outdoors time and how to bring it indoors
3 Sensory enrichment
- Things for the nose and the palate
- Working to get their daily food
- Romping and burrowing in soft...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Housing, Enrichment, Travel and Climate

• 
• 

 

[fluffysal]

Welcome to the forum, the above advice will be echoed by everyone here.

 

[Truffolo]

Welcome to the forum! It might work to try different types and brands of hay. Some hay is a bit old or dusty, which piggies can be sensitive to.

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum

 

[Wiebke]

Hi and welcome

Guinea pigs are great at pester power and how to manipulate humans; especially when they are kept as a single and are starved for attention, good or bad; basically any attention.

You may also find this link here thought provoking.

Thread 'Who is the Boss - Your Guinea Pig or You?'

Feb 24, 2019

1 Dominance and hierarchy: Who's the boss?
2 Attention seeking: How piggies train you!


This text is part of an article I have written for Guinea Pig Magazine issue 47 (November 2018). It is the propriety of GPM and is being shared on here with the magazine's permission. Guinea Pig Mag

1 Dominance and hierarchy: Who’s the boss?
Guinea pig society is based on inclusion into a group that is strictly hierarchical. Inviting new piggies into your human led group by fondling the ears...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Handling and Making Friends

• 
• 

 

[Merab]

A guinea pig is an appetite with fur.
Hungry is their default status.

All the advice given above is excellent.
Welcome to the forum

 

[chuck]

A guinea pig is an appetite with fur.
Hungry is their default status.

All the advice given above is excellent.
Welcome to the forum

all correct.
Thank you

 

[chuck]

Hi and welcome

Guinea pigs are great at pester power and how to manipulate humans; especially when they are kept as a single and are starved for attention, good or bad; basically any attention.

You may also find this link here thought provoking.

Thread 'Who is the Boss - Your Guinea Pig or You?'

Feb 24, 2019

1 Dominance and hierarchy: Who's the boss?
2 Attention seeking: How piggies train you!


This text is part of an article I have written for Guinea Pig Magazine issue 47 (November 2018). It is the propriety of GPM and is being shared on here with the magazine's permission. Guinea Pig Mag

1 Dominance and hierarchy: Who’s the boss?
Guinea pig society is based on inclusion into a group that is strictly hierarchical. Inviting new piggies into your human led group by fondling the ears...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Handling and Making Friends

• 
• 

Thank you so much!

 

[chuck]

Hello and welcome to the forum

Thank you my friend!⚘️

 

[chuck]

Welcome to the forum! It might work to try different types and brands of hay. Some hay is a bit old or dusty, which piggies can be sensitive to.

You're right. But I aleardy tried so many brands and I gave up while ago
..yet I'm going to try anything new...thank you my friend.

 

[chuck]

Welcome to the forum

The safe daily veggies are cucumber, bell pepper, lettuce and coriander/cilantro.
The amount of veg is just one cup per day.

You do just have the be strong and ignore demands for food. Hay is the most important part of the diet so she needs that available to her at all times.

Does she have a friend living with her?
I’m just wondering if she is a single pig and her demands are for attention and interaction, and not necessarily for food.
This is why having a friend is important as they are not wired to be by themselves and need interaction at times which aren’t conducive with human sleep patterns.

Does she have lots of mental stimulation and enrichment in her cage?

I have attached various guides below

Thread 'Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets'

Jul 14, 2014

1 The recommended ratio of food groups
2 Hay and fresh grass
3 Vegetables, fresh herbs and fruit with an illustrated balanced sample diet
4 Special dietary needs
- Urinary tract infections, bladder stones and sterile IC (non-bacterial interstitial cystitis)
- Diabetes and long term digestive problems
- Impaction in boars
- Pregnancy and nursing dietary tweaks (only visible to registered members who have accepted our no intentional breeding policy)...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 6
• Forum: Diet

• 

Thread 'Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs'

Mar 11, 2019

1 Company and interaction
- Company of their own kind is the best enrichment
- Human interaction
2 Excercise
- Daily run time and exercise
- Race and obstacle courses
- Outdoors time and how to bring it indoors
3 Sensory enrichment
- Things for the nose and the palate
- Working to get their daily food
- Romping and burrowing in soft...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 3
• Forum: Housing, Enrichment, Travel and Climate

• 
• 

Thank you for your helpful advices. Currently she is my only piggie. She had a sister but sadly she left us about a year ago. Back then she seemed not to like a company or a friend. She bullied her sister and sometimes chew her hairs.
So i did not bring another piggie around since then. You are right. I should interact with her myself , more often.maybe all of those squeaks are not just for food.