Feeding questions - Guinea lover 1982

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Deleted member 147427

Hi

I have to young sow guinea pigs. My local pet store recommended giving them about 30 to 50g of pellets per pig twice a day is this to much
 
Yes, that is too much.
I have 3 piggies who get 2 - 3 tablespoons per day between them.
The diet should be at least 80% hay.
 
That’s the amount that is recommended on the bag from the pets shop
 
Guinea lover 1982 said:
That’s the amount that is recommended on the bag from the pets shop
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post a picture? maybe you're miss reading it. converting grams to table spoons (which isn't gonna be very exact) it seem like the bag is telling you to give them 2-4 tablespoons.(30g = 2.34710553075393 and 50g =3.9118425512565502 tablespoons) this is twice what a guinea pig needs.

Remember the company hires an expert to design the food. its then handed off to marketing to design packaging and advertisements. they're the ones interested in selling as much of the product as possible. If a nutritionist makes a food supplement for people with digestive problems. marketing makes the word supplement as small as legally possible and puts commercials on saying "BETTER THEN A FULL COURSE MEAL!*"










*may cause death in healthy individuals do not replace meals with supplement X. study only compare food digestion with compromised systems only. side effect may cause blindness, paralysis, heart attacks and death with long term replacements of actual meals. consult your doctor before using to see if supplement x is right for you..
 
Guinea lover 1982 said:
That’s the amount that is recommended on the bag from the pets shop
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Don’t go by what’s recommended on the bag as that is way too much. Their diet is made up of mainly hay - 80%. Veg makes up 15% and pellets the remaining 5%.

Pellets are the least essential but they provide the vitamins and nutrients that may be missing from their diet. They are also the largest contributor (along with unfiltered water) to calcium in their diet. Even more than high-calcium veg! They are also the chocolate of the piggy world. Hopefully that helps you understand why they are so limited.

@superka She likely isn’t misreading it. That sounds about standard for recommendations on packaging. 30g could be between 4-6 tablespoons, depending on the pellets.
 
Siikibam said:
Don’t go by what’s recommended on the bag as that is way too much. Their diet is made up of mainly hay - 80%. Veg makes up 15% and pellets the remaining 5%.

Pellets are the least essential but they provide the vitamins and nutrients that may be missing from their diet. They are also the largest contributor (along with unfiltered water) to calcium in their diet. Even more than high-calcium veg! They are also the chocolate of the piggy world. Hopefully that helps you understand why they are so limited.

@superka She likely isn’t misreading it. That sounds about standard for recommendations on packaging. 30g could be between 4-6 tablespoons, depending on the pellets.
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Should u feed your guinea pigs pellets twice daily
 
As it's only a tablespoon per piggy per day you can sprinkle them around their cage for them to forage, or give a spoonful in the morning and the other in the evening.
My boys get theirs in the morning as breakfast and they would cause a riot if they didn't get them then I think🤔😂
 
I've moved this to the correct section of the forum. 👍
 
Guinea lover 1982 said:
Should u feed your guinea pigs pellets twice daily
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You go by the amount - one tablespoon per pig per day
If you want to give them pellets twice a day, then that’s absolutely fine but only give them half each time (ie one tablespoon in the morning, one tablespoon at night)

I only give mine pellets once a day (in reality I don’t give them daily, they only get pellets a few times a week)
 
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Hi

Is it normal for a guinea pig when moving around the cage to rumble strut a lot and nip the other guinea pig
 
Okay thanks piggies and buns. What types of cabbage are best to feed Guineas
 
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Okay I tend to give mine a mix of baby leaf salad peppers kale corriander and parsley sometimes baby plum tomatoes . I just want to introduce them to new veg
 
Keep kale and parsley for a treat they are high in calcium and can lead to bladder stones. My RB Piggy Pretty Patsy passed a HUGE bladder stone that must have been in her bladder for a very long time! I adopted her 2 months before this monster of a stone put in an appearance. It took a week for her to pass it and must have been very painful for her. I took her to the vets as soon as I noticed some swelling of her bits but they couldn't find anything wrong apart from a horrendous UTI. They are usually excellent with guinea pigs.

Patsy Stone.webp
 
I checked with the pet shop they said they can have kale parsley coriander etc daily as these are leafy greens
 
Guinea lover 1982 said:
I checked with the pet shop they said they can have kale parsley coriander etc daily as these are leafy greens
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No this isn’t correct.
They can have coriander daily.
They cannot have Kale or parsley daily as it is too high in calcium and can contribute to bladder stone formation. Kale, parsley, spinach should only be given once a week

Pellets and unfiltered water contribute most calcium to the diet so this is why they should be kept limited to one tablespoon per pig per day and also why it’s recommended to filter their drinking water.

Guinea lover 1982 said:
Can you give me some veggies you rotate with
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I rotate in items which are listed in the guides as being safe and things which I am buying for us as a family. There aren’t really specific items as I like to give them variety
 
Piggies&buns said:
No this isn’t correct.
They can have coriander daily.
They cannot have Kale or parsley daily as it is too high in calcium and can contribute to bladder stone formation. Kale, parsley, spinach should only be given once a week

Pellets and unfiltered water contribute most calcium to the diet so this is why they should be kept limited to one tablespoon per pig per day and also why it’s recommended to filter their drinking water.



I rotate in items which are listed in the guides as being safe and things which I am buying for us as a family. There aren’t really specific items as I like to give them variety
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Piggies&buns said:
No this isn’t correct.
They can have coriander daily.
They cannot have Kale or parsley daily as it is too high in calcium and can contribute to bladder stone formation. Kale, parsley, spinach should only be given once a week

Pellets and unfiltered water contribute most calcium to the diet so this is why they should be kept limited to one tablespoon per pig per day and also why it’s recommended to filter their drinking water.



I rotate in items which are listed in the guides as being safe and things which I am buying for us as a family. There aren’t really specific items as I like to give them variety
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I go by the Pdsa feeding guide and the things on there that it says are safe for them daily
 

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I couldn’t agree more with the brilliant advice our other members have given you. Advice based on years of experience and expertise. Guinea pigs are a vastly under-researched species; this unfortunately contributes to lack of correct information and education of many and many pet stores alike. Throw in a marketing and money campaign too, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. “Google” and “Wikipedia” really do not help the situation.


The feeding guides on this forum are excellent.
Please do follow the advice :)
 
Our stance on high calcium items is listed in our feeding guides. We sadly see bladder stone issues coming through the health section too regularly and it’s an expensive and painful experience for owners and piggies. One of the best ways to reduce the risk is to keep high calcium items including pellets limited and ensuring water is filtered.
 
Bradshaw Piggies said:
I couldn’t agree more with the brilliant advice our other members have given you. Advice based on years of experience and expertise. Guinea pigs are a vastly under-researched species; this unfortunately contributes to lack of correct information and education of many and many pet stores alike. Throw in a marketing and money campaign too, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. “Google” and “Wikipedia” really do not help the situation.


The feeding guides on this forum are excellent.
Please do follow the advice :)
Click to expand...
Piggies&buns said:
Our stance on high calcium items is listed in our feeding guides. We sadly see bladder stone issues coming through the health section too regularly and it’s an expensive and painful experience for owners and piggies. One of the best ways to reduce the risk is to keep high calcium items including pellets limited and ensuring water is filtered.
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Also I google search the things that are safe for them
 
Guinea lover 1982 said:
Also I google search the things that are safe for them
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You are of course free to get your information where you deem fit but there is a lot of misinformation on google. We see it all the time sadly - incorrect feeding, housing, bonding information etc and people come here when they are trying to fix issues

Our guides have been put together based on decades of personal experience and are kept up to date by our knowledgeable team
 
Piggies&buns said:
You are of course free to get your information where you deem fit but there is a lot of misinformation on google. We see it all the time sadly - incorrect feeding, housing, bonding information etc and people come here when they are trying to fix issues

Our guides have been put together based on decades of personal experience and are kept up to date by our knowledgeable team
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I don’t give them a massive amount of kale a day just a handful between the two of them
 
I struggle to get my guinea pigs out there cage to handle them and to clean it . Any suggestions on how I can make this easier
 
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Piggies&buns said:
It would still be too much to give it to them every day

There are several guides in the new owners section on piggy whispering - these can help

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

In terms of getting them out to their cage, herding them into a carrier first is best. Piggies don’t like being picked up by hand directly from the cage . To them, being picked up equals being eaten.


How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely
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