Feeding Schedule

[florna]

Hi,

I've had my pigs 3 weeks now and still trying to figure out the best way to feed them a mixture of hay, veg and pellets. I have chronic pain & fatigue, so there's a lot of inconsistency in my days (especially sleep pattern) but I work 1pm-6pm every week day. I've been experimenting with different feeding schedules but need to settle for their sake. So this is my proposed plan (let me know if this sounds OK):

Morning: Fresh Hay
Lunchtime, just before work: Veg (celery, spinach, pepper)
Evening: Pep up hay with Readigrass - they seem to forget about it / get bored of it so my vet suggested this.
Pellets here and there throughout the day. I like to hand-feed these as it feels bonding and when I put pellets in a bowl, they aren't interested, but they LOVE eating them as treats one at a time.

How does this sound? Could I do half their daily veg amount at lunchtime and the rest in the evening? We tend to have some quiet snuggle time in the evening and I like to give them their favourite veg whilst I pet them, especially after the stress of being picked up.

 

[Piggies&buns]

You do what works for you and your piggies! As long as they have hay constantly, then that is the most important bit.

My schedule is

morning - hay and half their veg
(throughout the day.- if I’m home, I’ll pop out and top their hay up. If I’m not home, then they will be given lots of hay in the morning to last them)
evening - hay, the other half of their veg. they also have dried forage or pellets (I don’t give pellets every day) in the evening

 

[Merab]

My basic schedule is pellets, hay and fresh water in the morning, plus a lettuce leaf.
If I’m around at lunchtime they get some herbs, then in the afternoon they get the rest of their veggies.
Before I go to bed they get a top up of hay and some days they get pea flakes.
Forage is scattered occasionally too.

As my work schedule is erratic the timings are never exact.

As @Piggies&buns said, so long as they have plenty of hay, do what works for you.

So sorry that you suffer with your health. Will hold you in my thoughts

 

[Swissgreys]

I think your schedule sounds fine, and it is perfectly ok to be flexible and change things around too, if it better fits in with the type of day you are having.

But I would advise having a look at our diet guides to achieve a good balance over time.
For example you mention feeding Spanish daily which is not recommended long term due to the high calcium content.
I would also rethink daily redigrass, and perhaps look into a few different hay types (meadow, orchard, etc) if you are trying to increase their interest in hay.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets