Food Questions

[Judetheskinny]

Hi!

I'm not new to keeping small animals, and I currently have a year old "skinny pig" that was rescued from a local shop during the lock down period last October.
He has a HUGE enclosure, we tried housing him with another pig and he's pretty aggressive and territorial and is the rare pig who seems best on his own.

He has fresh hay daily.
However he has been eating parsley every day since I have owned him with green leaf lettuce, I just found out that parsley is bad to feed daily he has carrots once a week and only a few.

He also eats Oxbow pellets daily.

This Pig is pretty big but seems very very healthy, I also feed Kale, he eats fresh produce daily!

What can I feed him daily produce wise that is "safe" money is not an issue and he is very accustomed to his fresh greens

 

[Sophtheguineapigowner]

I feed my guinea pig lettuce or baby carrots each morning/night.
and sometimes we feed him bell peppers to.
we would love to see pictures of your guinea pig!

 

[Claire W]

Daily I feed all colours of bell peppers, green beans, coriander, cucumber and little gem lettuce. You may find the following link helpful Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[PigglePuggle]

I feed my guinea pig lettuce or baby carrots each morning/night.
and sometimes we feed him bell peppers to.
we would love to see pictures of your guinea pig!

@Sophtheguineapigowner carrots should definitely not be fed daily- please check our feeding guide before offering incorrect advice!

 

[weepweeps]

Hello. I feed my two boars pepper, cucumber, green beans, lettuce and coriander daily. There are so many foods they can only have once a week that its really not worth buying them unless you will eat it yourself too. Would love to see pictures of your piggy.

 

[PigglePuggle]

Hi!

I'm not new to keeping small animals, and I currently have a year old "skinny pig" that was rescued from a local shop during the lock down period last October.
He has a HUGE enclosure, we tried housing him with another pig and he's pretty aggressive and territorial and is the rare pig who seems best on his own.

He has fresh hay daily.
However he has been eating parsley every day since I have owned him with green leaf lettuce, I just found out that parsley is bad to feed daily he has carrots once a week and only a few.

He also eats Oxbow pellets daily.

This Pig is pretty big but seems very very healthy, I also feed Kale, he eats fresh produce daily!

What can I feed him daily produce wise that is "safe" money is not an issue and he is very accustomed to his fresh greens

Claire has already linked in our feeding guide, parsley and kale are high calcium veg which if fed too frequently can in the long term can contribute to the formation of sludge and stones in kidney and bladder. A small amount once or twice a week.
Bell peppers are an excellent daily vegetable, cucumber and small amounts of lettuce (not iceberg, romaine, little gem and babyleaf) are also good daily veg.
Higher calorie veg like carrots or corn, and fruits, should be strictly limited to a small portion once or twice a week (one slice of carrot, that is a reasonable portion equivalent to us humans eating a slice of cake or a bar of chocolate).
Pellets should also be limited.
Check out the guide for more info, and I really would keep trying to find your piggy a friend- if he wont bond easily with other boars perhaps you could get him neutered and find him a lady friend or two instead?

 

[PigglePuggle]

Claire has already linked in our feeding guide, parsley and kale are high calcium veg which if fed too frequently can in the long term can contribute to the formation of sludge and stones in kidney and bladder. A small amount once or twice a week.
Bell peppers are an excellent daily vegetable, cucumber and small amounts of lettuce (not iceberg, romaine, little gem and babyleaf) are also good daily veg.
Higher calorie veg like carrots or corn, and fruits, should be strictly limited to a small portion once or twice a week (one slice of carrot, that is a reasonable portion equivalent to us humans eating a slice of cake or a bar of chocolate).
Pellets should also be limited.
Check out the guide for more info, and I really would keep trying to find your piggy a friend- if he wont bond easily with other boars perhaps you could get him neutered and find him a lady friend or two instead?

Sorry just tead that back and my lettuce advice may not be clear- I meant NOT iceberg, but YES to little gem, romaine and babyleaf. Also cos lettuce is popular with my piggies. And coriander/cilantro is great for vit C and can be fed daily as @weepweeps mentions

 

[Judetheskinny]

Hello thanks all for the replies, he cannot be housed with other pigs, this has been tried. He is quite mean and has bullied the two mates we attempted, prevented them from access to food and left them with cuts and wounds. I am quite serious when I say he is delightfully happy being alone and really he's not "alone" he loves me and loves to play with my Chihuahua ( I know very unusual) so Jude has been eating parsley almost daily for over a year and is in fantastic health. He gets pellets and tons of orchard grass hay and some Timothy hay when he gets carrots they are "baby carrots" He's been offered fruit but doesn't like anything sticky, he does love clementines however. The lettuce he eats is called green leaf not sure if that's the same all over it's not ice berg or romaine. Jude HATES bell peppers lol

 

[Judetheskinny]

Here’s a few pics of Jude, his enclosure is huge, despite how it may look. He gets tons of free range time as well and generally is a very happy little dude and loves being alone (which was hard for me to accept lol) but not all cavs are textbook right?

 

[Judetheskinny]

Daily I feed all colours of bell peppers, green beans, coriander, cucumber and little gem lettuce. You may find the following link helpful Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

green beans! I will offer them and see what he thinks lol

 

[Judetheskinny]

Hello. I feed my two boars pepper, cucumber, green beans, lettuce and coriander daily. There are so many foods they can only have once a week that its really not worth buying them unless you will eat it yourself too. Would love to see pictures of your piggy.

Hilariously we joke about Judes feeding expense, he eats more vegetables than we do! posted a few pics but they are not great sorry

 

[Judetheskinny]

Here’s a few pics of Jude, his enclosure is huge, despite how it may look. He gets tons of free range time as well and generally is a very happy little dude and loves being alone (which was hard for me to accept lol) but not all cavs are textbook right?

And yes, that is a treat stick in the background and he's had it several weeks. He doesn't pay it much attention because he has so many other offerings, I mention this because I am aware the "honey stick and seed treats are bad" it was a gift and he's not much of a fan. My hamsters would have left no trace of that thing.

 

[weepweeps]

Hilariously we joke about Judes feeding expense, he eats more vegetables than we do! posted a few pics but they are not great sorry

He’s gorgeous.

 

[Judetheskinny]

He’s gorgeous.

He’s gorgeous.

Aww thanks! He's a special boy..he's chosen me as his person which is hilarious to me because I'm a middle aged woman who keeps Chameleons and owns 2 dogs so the little hairless guy has grown on me <3

 

[Judetheskinny]

Daily I feed all colours of bell peppers, green beans, coriander, cucumber and little gem lettuce. You may find the following link helpful Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Sorry for posting so much Anyhow I just read that feeding guide and holy bananas ... so according to all of that my Pig is very very overfed he doesn't look bad though? He gets a bowl full of pellets/kibbles once every 2-3 days (a bowl not a tablespoon he'd think I am starving him) he has hay all over his enclosure and he loves to sleep on it, sometimes even on his side, so I don't track his hay intake he just has it there always. He does eat WAY more than the food guide with greens and veggies.. he will eat a whole head of leafy green lettuce in 3 days tops and will finish a bundle of parsley in 2 days. He's never had any health issues his poops are great, he's active and he genuinely seems happy, This has been his routine since last November when he came to live with us. If I make drastic changes I worry it could affect him? I have a small animal vet I use for my Chameleons should I take him there and just have him tested to ensure his blood levels are ok?

 

[PigglePuggle]

Blood tests in guinea pigs are an invasive procedure requiring anaesthesia and taking blood from a major vein in the neck, so are only recommended if there is a serious medical need. However registering your piggy with a vet and getting him a general health check is always a good idea. The main food piggies should eat is always hay, hay and more hay. Any health issues from a poor diet take a while to manifest, often over years- like with humans, where kidney stones and type 2 diabetes turn up in middle age but probably began with poor diet a long time before that. Skinny pigs do need more calories and more food than furry piggies and often eat a bit more veg, but ultimately they should mostly eat more hay and if more veggies then a good balance of veggies. Their calcium needs are just the same as furry piggies. Any diet changes should be made slowly, but if piggy has unlimited hay then any reduction in pellets or veg should prompt more hay eating which is much better for long term health than filling up on the empty calories in pellets or the sugary calories in carrots.

 

[Claire W]

Sorry for posting so much Anyhow I just read that feeding guide and holy bananas ... so according to all of that my Pig is very very overfed he doesn't look bad though? He gets a bowl full of pellets/kibbles once every 2-3 days (a bowl not a tablespoon he'd think I am starving him) he has hay all over his enclosure and he loves to sleep on it, sometimes even on his side, so I don't track his hay intake he just has it there always. He does eat WAY more than the food guide with greens and veggies.. he will eat a whole head of leafy green lettuce in 3 days tops and will finish a bundle of parsley in 2 days. He's never had any health issues his poops are great, he's active and he genuinely seems happy, This has been his routine since last November when he came to live with us. If I make drastic changes I worry it could affect him? I have a small animal vet I use for my Chameleons should I take him there and just have him tested to ensure his blood levels are ok?

There is not a thing as 'posting too much' It is far better to ask questions than not too @PigglePuggle has given you some great advise above x

 

[Siikibam]

You’ve been given fab advice. We say it’s always better to ask too many questions than not enough. One thing I would say is please be aware you don’t speak ‘piggy’. Although he may seem fine in your company, it’s not enough that you play with him. Their communication goes beyond just ‘playing’. There’s scent and body language. Living alongside another piggy as a neighbour is better than living alone entirely. So if you can find him a boar to live alongside them that also works.

The other thing you really should avoid is letting him play with your dog. As with you, they’re of totally different species with different needs and communication. All it takes is one second. There have been incidents of dogs (seriously) injuring piggies on here and we don’t want that for you.

Please don’t discount finding him a friend entirely. Some take more tries before they find a piggy they gel with. I don’t know how old he is, but boars in their teens (4-14 months of age) can have a trickier time of finding a friend. His behaviour wasn’t aggressive, they just didn’t get along. When they decide, that’s usually the end of it.

Do think about it seriously as companionship (even through a divider) is one of their rights. Would you be okay living with, say, lizards for years and years, with no contact with other humans? That’s the same for them.

You were given good advice above including the link to the feeding guide. I would do as mentioned and just cut back on what shouldn’t be fed daily. He should hopefully then just fill up on hay. He may wheek for veg and other things but just be strong and don’t crack. I would also remove the treat stick entirely. It’s not at all suitable for them given the ingredients - whether he is interested or not. Good treats are things like a different type of hay or forage. I don’t know if that is available in Canada.

Do you also weigh him weekly? You can’t judge hay intake by eye so weighing weekly (at the same time) is the best way to gauge that. I’d get him in for a general health check. Otherwise he’s gorgeous like all furry potatoes/hippos. I’ve not yet seen an ugly piggy. Hmm, I wonder what that says about me

Guinea Lynx :: Canadian Rescue Organizations

 

[VickiA]

Hello thanks all for the replies, he cannot be housed with other pigs, this has been tried. He is quite mean and has bullied the two mates we attempted, prevented them from access to food and left them with cuts and wounds. I am quite serious when I say he is delightfully happy being alone and really he's not "alone" he loves me and loves to play with my Chihuahua ( I know very unusual) so Jude has been eating parsley almost daily for over a year and is in fantastic health. He gets pellets and tons of orchard grass hay and some Timothy hay when he gets carrots they are "baby carrots" He's been offered fruit but doesn't like anything sticky, he does love clementines however. The lettuce he eats is called green leaf not sure if that's the same all over it's not ice berg or romaine. Jude HATES bell peppers lol

Please do not let your doggy play with your piggy. We have heard and seen so many disasters where dogs (no matter how well trained) have a mad moment and the piggies get injured or killed. It really isn’t a safe practice to let them get together.

 

[VickiA]

Please consider having him neutered and finding him a sow wife or wives once he’s past 6 weeks post neuter. At his age it would be difficult to bond him with another boar. That is because he is still hormonal and juvenile boars can’t help their raging hormones. His best bet is to be neutered and then find a sow.