feeding

[alyssaxxxm]

okay so i made a feeding plan and posted it in a facebook group for guinea pigs
so i’ve tried to alternate stuff as much as i can for the guinea pig meal plans incase i overfeed daily, i also give fresh hay and grass daily
does this look okay?
“mixed lettuce bag” contains a few types of lettuce all safe for the guinea pigs including red lettuce
if not is there any alternatives you suggest to switch around using what’s there
i also have kiwi but they don’t seem to like it
also is there anything they can eat most days excluding pepper
saturday- pepper, celery, mixed lettuce bag thing
sunday - carrot, pepper, kale
monday - pepper, romaine lettuce
tuesday- celery, pepper, grape each
wednesday- pepper, mixed lettuce bag, thistle
thursday- pepper, kale, romaine lettuce
friday- pepper, celery

thanks

then was told to change it so i made this (picture)

is there anything i should change? this is just the veg i have in right now if there’s any i can feed often i can buy it, however something fed once a week i probably won’t buy because we don’t eat much veg other than what is there

unless out of date veg is fine for piggies ? not sure

also we sometimes give clover as i also have a tortoise can this be fed often ?

 

[My Piggies]

Hi

Variety is a nice idea in theory, but guinea pigs don't seem to really care. I would maybe cut down on the grass (just a little bit each day on top of the veggies they already get). Pepper, romaine lettuce, cucumber, celery and coriander are good staples and can be fed every day (you can rotate the colours of peppers for variety). Mine get this every day. I swap between cucumber and celery for variety as well (cucumber 4 times a week, celery 3 times a week).
Fruit (including tomato) should be limited to no more than once a week and in small quantities. Mine rarely get fruit - maybe once every couples of months or so. Kale is high in calcium and should also be limited to once a week at most.
There is a great feeding guide on the forum (sorry I can't link it because I'm on my phone).
Hope this helps

 

[alyssaxxxm]

Hi

Variety is a nice idea in theory, but guinea pigs don't seem to really care. I would maybe cut down on the grass (just a little bit each day on top of the veggies they already get). Pepper, romaine lettuce, cucumber, celery and coriander are good staples and can be fed every day (you can rotate the colours of peppers for variety). Mine get this every day. I swap between cucumber and celery for variety as well (cucumber 4 times a week, celery 3 times a week).
Fruit (including tomato) should be limited to no more than once a week and in small quantities. Mine rarely get fruit - maybe once every couples of months or so. Kale is high in calcium and should also be limited to once a week at most.
There is a great feeding guide on the forum (sorry I can't link it because I'm on my phone).
Hope this helps

i have ocd so like to stick to a schedule, i wasn’t feeding grass everyday then someone told me too, it’s so confusing to know what they can often have, the picture is what they made me change it to but i didnt think it was varied enough
i don’t feed cucumber as it’s high in water and can make them bloat
same with them being often fed lettuce
is celery okay?
i was also feeding romaine lettuce daily and was told this was wrong
thanks for your response

 

[My Piggies]

i have ocd so like to stick to a schedule, i wasn’t feeding grass everyday then someone told me too, it’s so confusing to know what they can often have, the picture is what they made me change it to but i didnt think it was varied enough
i don’t feed cucumber as it’s high in water and can make them bloat
same with them being often fed lettuce
is celery okay?
i was also feeding romaine lettuce daily and was told this was wrong
thanks for your response

Cucumber and romaine are not too high in water. Both can be fed daily. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation out there. Many guinea pigs get most of their water from veggies like cucumber and lettuce.
I also like to stick to a schedule.

Mine is as follows:
Monday: Romaine lettuce, green capsicum, celery, coriander.
Tuesday: Romaine lettuce, red capsicum, cucumber, coriander.
Wednesday: Romaine lettuce, yellow capsicum, celery, coriander.
Thursday: Romaine lettuce, green capsicum, cucumber, coriander.
Friday: Romaine lettuce, green capsicum, cucumber, coriander.
Saturday: Romaine lettuce, red capsicum, celery, coriander.
Sunday: Romaine lettuce, yellow capsicum, cucumber, coriander.

This is what I stick to most of the time, but if I happen to have other veggies I need to use up (such as a safe lettuce mix), then they'll get a little bit of that. You, of course, are free to make your own schedule - you are more than welcome to use mine as a guide. I personally made mine fairly similar to the staple diet in the feeding guide here on the forum, which was written by experts and contains lots of useful information on how often to feed particular veggies and in what amounts

 

[alyssaxxxm]

Cucumber and romaine are not too high in water. Both can be fed daily. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation out there. Many guinea pigs get most of their water from veggies like cucumber and lettuce.
I also like to stick to a schedule.

Mine is as follows:
Monday: Romaine lettuce, green capsicum, celery, coriander.
Tuesday: Romaine lettuce, red capsicum, cucumber, coriander.
Wednesday: Romaine lettuce, yellow capsicum, celery, coriander.
Thursday: Romaine lettuce, green capsicum, cucumber, coriander.
Friday: Romaine lettuce, green capsicum, cucumber, coriander.
Saturday: Romaine lettuce, red capsicum, celery, coriander.
Sunday: Romaine lettuce, yellow capsicum, cucumber, coriander.

This is what I stick to most of the time, but if I happen to have other veggies I need to use up (such as a safe lettuce mix), then they'll get a little bit of that. You, of course, are free to make your own schedule - you are more than welcome to use mine as a guide. I personally made mine fairly similar to the staple diet in the feeding guide here on the forum, which was written by experts and contains lots of useful information on how often to feed particular veggies and in what amounts

that’s why i was confused! as i heard it was fine to feed them it daily, and they had been getting it daily, they seem to like it much more than anything else
they also love grapes so they get that as a treat once a week
thanks for your schedule i appreciate it!
is 1 cup a day per piggy recommended as that’s what i aim to feed

 

[Piggies&buns]

80% of what they need to eat in a day needs to be hay.
Around one cup of a variety of veg
One tablespoon of pellets per pig per day only.
Filtered drinking water

Any high sugar item such as carrots and fruit should only be fed once a week.
High calcium items such as kale should be fed once a week.

Grass is fine to be fed daily, it’s their natural diet, provided their tummies are used to it as lots of fresh grass (particularly during spring) on unprepared tummies can cause soft poops. During late spring through to early autumn mine are on grass daily for potentially up to 14 hours a day (heat dependent), and in that case, I slightly reduce the veg I give them.

Daily, my boys get:
lettuce (either little gem or from a bagged salad). It’s mostly water and little nutrition, so one leaf is enough.
cucumber (good water content)
Bell pepper (whatever colour I have in)
Coriander and other herbs (but not parsley due to high calcium). These form the bulk of their veg
A green bean a few times a week and any other items I may have in the fridge which I may or may not throw in.

I tend to feed a little more a cup of veg per day, I’m not strict on it and I don’t worry if they get a bit more - a wet diet isn’t necessarily a bad thing (helps keep the bladder flushed through) but suddenly introducing lots of new or wet veg or overdoing veg too much might cause a digestive upset (soft poops). You also to watch is that they are always eating plenty of hay (their weight checks are the guide there - my piggies may get a bit more veg than the one cup, but hay is still the main part of their intake)

I might give them a small chunk of carrot every three months. I tend to only give a small slice of apple or some blueberries only in the summer.

Mine don’t get pellets every day (particularly in summer, they only get them about three times a week), but I give them some dried forage pretty much every day instead.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[alyssaxxxm]

80% of what they need to eat in a day needs to be hay.
Around one cup of a variety of veg
One tablespoon of pellets per pig per day only.
Filtered drinking water

Any high sugar item such as carrots and fruit should only be fed once a week.
High calcium items such as kale should be fed once a week.

Grass is fine to be fed daily, it’s their natural diet, provided their tummies are used to it as lots of fresh grass (particularly during spring) on unprepared tummies can cause soft poops. During late spring through to early autumn mine are on grass daily for potentially up to 14 hours a day (heat dependent), and in that case, I slightly reduce the veg I give them.

Daily, my boys get:
lettuce (either little gem or from a bagged salad). It’s mostly water and little nutrition, so one leaf is enough.
cucumber (good water content)
Bell pepper (whatever colour I have in)
Coriander and other herbs (but not parsley due to high calcium). These form the bulk of their veg
A green bean a few times a week and any other items I may have in the fridge which I may or may not throw in.

I tend to feed a little more a cup of veg per day, I’m not strict on it and I don’t worry if they get a bit more - a wet diet isn’t necessarily a bad thing (helps keep the bladder flushed through) but suddenly introducing lots of new or wet veg or overdoing veg too much might cause a digestive upset (soft poops). You also to watch is that they are always eating plenty of hay (their weight checks are the guide there - my piggies may get a bit more veg than the one cup, but hay is still the main part of their intake)

I might give them a small chunk of carrot every three months. I tend to only give a small slice of apple or some blueberries only in the summer.

Mine don’t get pellets every day (particularly in summer, they only get them about three times a week), but I give them some dried forage pretty much every day instead.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

i have dry forage and i wasn’t sure whether it was best for them but i only got them around 2 weeks ago so still getting used to them as i had one when i was little but he used to eat iceberg lettuce daily and i now know that’s not good for them, but with the dry forage i wasn’t feeding often as i didn’t know how good it was, was just what i had from the previous owner, they popcorn every time they see it and get really excited eating it so fast they cough
they always get fresh hay throughout the day
i don’t particularly measure in a cup it’s usually about how much can fit in my hands 2x a day
i always give bell pepper daily but i can tell they’re a bit bored with it, they’ll eat it if nothing is there but they leave quite a lot, they love kale and celery leaves, and anything leafy really.
mine get pellets daily but i fill 2 small bowls, should they get it less?
thanks for your reply

 

[alyssaxxxm]

80% of what they need to eat in a day needs to be hay.
Around one cup of a variety of veg
One tablespoon of pellets per pig per day only.
Filtered drinking water

Any high sugar item such as carrots and fruit should only be fed once a week.
High calcium items such as kale should be fed once a week.

Grass is fine to be fed daily, it’s their natural diet, provided their tummies are used to it as lots of fresh grass (particularly during spring) on unprepared tummies can cause soft poops. During late spring through to early autumn mine are on grass daily for potentially up to 14 hours a day (heat dependent), and in that case, I slightly reduce the veg I give them.

Daily, my boys get:
lettuce (either little gem or from a bagged salad). It’s mostly water and little nutrition, so one leaf is enough.
cucumber (good water content)
Bell pepper (whatever colour I have in)
Coriander and other herbs (but not parsley due to high calcium). These form the bulk of their veg
A green bean a few times a week and any other items I may have in the fridge which I may or may not throw in.

I tend to feed a little more a cup of veg per day, I’m not strict on it and I don’t worry if they get a bit more - a wet diet isn’t necessarily a bad thing (helps keep the bladder flushed through) but suddenly introducing lots of new or wet veg or overdoing veg too much might cause a digestive upset (soft poops). You also to watch is that they are always eating plenty of hay (their weight checks are the guide there - my piggies may get a bit more veg than the one cup, but hay is still the main part of their intake)

I might give them a small chunk of carrot every three months. I tend to only give a small slice of apple or some blueberries only in the summer.

Mine don’t get pellets every day (particularly in summer, they only get them about three times a week), but I give them some dried forage pretty much every day instead.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

also weirdly their previous owner just doesn’t reply to me when i ask her questions, and she sold them to me very overpriced, i wasn’t aware of that at the time, so i’m not sure whether they used to get fed grass so they get around a handful a day, is this okay or should i decrease since i’m not sure how much they’ve had before.
they’re also sneezing and coughing quite a bit so i suspect that’s why she’s started to ignore me as i think she sold them to me because they were ill as she didn’t seem to care too much about them
they’re getting taken to the vets asap though, but their only symptom of uri is coughing and sneezing, they’ve just recently been switched to fleece over sawdust so i’m wondering if that’s maybe why the coughing and sneezing has started

 

[Piggies&buns]

Pellets are strictly one tablespoon per pig per day only. If you are filling two bowls, then they are likely having too much. Pellets contain a lot of calcium and usually unhealthy fillers such as grains which aren’t great in the piggy diet . Too much calcium can lead to the formation of bladder stones - which is why pellets need to be limited, water filtered and veg such as kale only fed once a week. The Uk is mostly hard water so we also say to filter their drinking water. Too low calcium isn’t good either so the diet guide of one tablespoon per pig per day, filtering water and keeping high calcium veg limited is a broad way to ensure they get some, but not too much.
Pellets serve their purpose in making sure they get a good mix of nutrients, but they aren’t the healthiest or the most important thing in their diet. . It’s better to underfeed pellets and get them to eat more hay than overfeed pellets. If piggies fill up on too many pellets, as well as the calcium intake risk, they can also cause them to not eat enough hay which can lead to dental problems.
Mine get less than the one tablespoon of pellets - they literally get about six pellets per pig only, and then it’s only three times a week. Their few pellets are scattered in amongst a pile of hay (I don’t use bowls), they search for them and any which they don’t find are thrown away.

It depends what the dried forage is - some is fine daily, some not. I have a wide variety of forage items in single bags so can mix and match what they can and cannot have often.

A handful of grass a day is absolutely fine. If it was causing them problems, then they would have soft poops and you would know there is something wrong.
If you are going to put them in a run on grass in late spring/summer, then it’s important to build their time up slowly so they don’t suddenly eat lots more than their tummies are used to.
This guide explains lawn time - Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time

Please do read green link - Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets. It explains everything clearly

With regarding to the coughing and sneezing, as I have mentioned on your other threads, you will need to have them checked by a vet

EDIT - I agree with @My Piggies. Being put on fleece is not likely to be the cause of sudden coughing and sneezing.

 

[My Piggies]

Hay should be unlimited - they should never run out.
Grass is fine to be fed daily (as long as they are used to having it often, otherwise introduce it slowly).
As for the pellets, keep it limited to one tablespoon per pig per day. Two small bowls is too much.
Fleece wouldn't be the cause of coughing and sneezing. More than likely, it was the sawdust. Hopefully you can get them seen by a vet ASAP.

 

[alyssaxxxm]

Hay should be unlimited - they should never run out.
Grass is fine to be fed daily (as long as they are used to having it often, otherwise introduce it slowly).
As for the pellets, keep it limited to one tablespoon per pig per day. Two small bowls is too much.
Fleece wouldn't be the cause of coughing and sneezing. More than likely, it was the sawdust. Hopefully you can get them seen by a vet ASAP.

i’ll start feeding them only a teaspoon, and introduce grass slowly, they have 2 full litter boxes of hay which i refill throughout the day, all day

 

[Piggies&buns]

i’ll start feeding them only a teaspoon, and introduce grass slowly, they have 2 full litter boxes of hay which i refill throughout the day, all day

If they are already used to having some grass, then you are already introducing it slowly.

You can give them each one tablespoon of pellets. Please do see my reply above which links in all the grass and feeding guides

 

[alyssaxxxm]

Pellets are strictly one tablespoon per pig per day only. If you are filling two bowls, then they are likely having too much. Pellets contain a lot of calcium and usually unhealthy fillers such as grains which aren’t great in the piggy diet . Too much calcium can lead to the formation of bladder stones - which is why pellets need to be limited, water filtered and veg such as kale only fed once a week. The Uk is mostly hard water so we also say to filter their drinking water. Too low calcium isn’t good either so the diet guide of one tablespoon per pig per day, filtering water and keeping high calcium veg limited is a broad way to ensure they get some, but not too much.
Pellets serve their purpose in making sure they get a good mix of nutrients, but they aren’t the healthiest or the most important thing in their diet. . It’s better to underfeed pellets and get them to eat more hay than overfeed pellets. If piggies fill up on too many pellets, as well as the calcium intake risk, they can also cause them to not eat enough hay which can lead to dental problems.
Mine get less than the one tablespoon of pellets - they literally get about six pellets per pig only, and then it’s only three times a week. Their few pellets are scattered in amongst a pile of hay (I don’t use bowls), they search for them and any which they don’t find are thrown away.

It depends what the dried forage is - some is fine daily, some not. I have a wide variety of forage items in single bags so can mix and match what they can and cannot have often.

A handful of grass a day is absolutely fine. If it was causing them problems, then they would have soft poops and you would know there is something wrong.
If you are going to put them in a run on grass in late spring/summer, then it’s important to build their time up slowly so they don’t suddenly eat lots more than their tummies are used to.
This guide explains lawn time - Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time

Please do read green link - Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets. It explains everything clearly

With regarding to the coughing and sneezing, as I have mentioned on your other threads, you will need to have them checked by a vet

EDIT - I agree with @My Piggies. Being put on fleece is not likely to be the cause of sudden coughing and sneezing.

i will start to feed them less pellets, i thought they needed a bowl each daily
the forage has pea flakes in and that’s the only thing i really know of what’s in it, there are some longer pieces that look and feel a bit like hay and some popcorn looking things
i’m getting them to the vets asap, i have been ringing some up but it’s hard to get an appointment and one even said i shouldn’t be wasting their time bringing them in for something as little as coughing and sneezing so he obviously wasn’t very experienced
they will be going on a run in the summer so i will increase the grass weekly and give them a bit more
i’ll read the link now thanks

 

[alyssaxxxm]

If they are already used to having some grass, then you are already introducing it slowly.

You can give them each one tablespoon of pellets. Please do see my reply above which links in all the grass and feeding guides

i mean as i didn’t know if the previous owners fed grass i won’t give them anymore than a handful and increase as i go on
i was replying to you as you posted this i was reading what you had put but it’s making me wait a minute before replying sometimes

 

[Piggies&buns]

i will start to feed them less pellets, i thought they needed a bowl each daily
the forage has pea flakes in and that’s the only thing i really know of what’s in it, there are some longer pieces that look and feel a bit like hay and some popcorn looking things
i’m getting them to the vets asap, i have been ringing some up but it’s hard to get an appointment and one even said i shouldn’t be wasting their time bringing them in for something as little as coughing and sneezing so he obviously wasn’t very experienced
they will be going on a run in the summer so i will increase the grass weekly and give them a bit more
i’ll read the link now thanks

That doesn’t sound like a healthy forage. I would not feed it all if it contains popcorn type things (Potentially maize which is a grain which piggies shouldnt really have). Pea flakes should be kept as an occasional treat as they are high fat. It’s always best to go by the motto, if in doubt then leave it out

Safe forages include things like dried leaves and flowers. If you check out the website Piggie Parcels, Piggie Parcels – Natural Forage Foods
It is a company run by a forum member who sells dried leaf and flower forages which are all safe, most being able to be fed daily in small amounts. My rabbits and piggies love them

 

[alyssaxxxm]

That doesn’t sound like a healthy forage. I would not feed it all if it contains popcorn type things (Potentially maize which is a grain which piggies shouldnt really have). Pea flakes should be kept as an occasional treat as they are high fat.

Safe forages include things like dried leaves and flowers. If you check out the website Piggie Parcels, Piggie Parcels – Natural Forage Foods
It is a company run by a forum member who sells dried leaf and flower forages which are all safe, most being able to be fed daily in small amounts. My rabbits and piggies love them

i have a forage for my tortoise but she doesn’t like it, it has dandelions and dried flowers in, would this be better?
i will order some from the website
thanks

 

[Piggies&buns]

i have a forage for my tortoise but she doesn’t like it, it has dandelions and dried flowers in, would this be better?
i will order some from the website
thanks

It really depends what is in it so without seeing an ingredient list, we couldnt guess whether the flowers would be safe for piggies.
However, dried dandelion is something which is absolutely fine to be fed to piggies, but is best given only a couple of times a week (rather than daily) as it is slightly higher in calcium

 

[acapae]

@alyssaxxxm if you post the brand and product names of the bought forage mixes you have, or better still link to them online, people will be able to better advise their suitability. As that way people can look at the listed ingredients contained vs just which bits you're able to identify by eye. Good job on looking into making sure you have things right going forward.

 

[alyssaxxxm]

@alyssaxxxm if you post the brand and product names of the bought forage mixes you have, or better still link to them online, people will be able to better advise their suitability. As that way people can look at the listed ingredients contained vs just which bits you're able to identify by eye. Good job on looking into making sure you have things right going forward.

hi i would but the person i got them off gave them to me in a tub, i wont feed just incase, or i can take out the dandelion and pea flakes and give on very rare occasion
thanks for your reply

 

[Swissgreys]

hi i would but the person i got them off gave them to me in a tub, i wont feed just incase, or i can take out the dandelion and pea flakes and give on very rare occasion
thanks for your reply

Sadly the person you got them from doesn't sound like an ideal owner, so I would avoid using things she gave you unless they are clearly labeled and you can check the full ingredient list, expired date etc.

Sadly we have many owners who come on here are buying piggies from online adverts and end up with unwell or pregnant piggies who were clearly just being passed off to save them the money and time of getting them well again.

Well done for taking responsibility and trying to do the absolute best for your new piggies.
They are very lucky to have found a home with you.