Help with diet needs vegetables

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miranda2300

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hi
I just recently got three baby guinea pigs
I have been looking for information what good vegetables should be given to guinea pig
The variety that they have been tried on is not very much because I have heard some give bloat and not very good then other sources I seen give pepper everyday some not everyday so I am very confused
I am still in the process in testing them what the can eat that don't upset there tummy so far they love peppers if any one can give me a idea of a daily vegetables that will not cause bloat not to much calcium and that other thing cant rember what it is
Would be so much appreciated
I want to give the the best of life
And I fear that I am doing it worry
Many thanks worried owner
Oh got one extreme scared baby any tips on that would be great to
 
:wel:


This guide will help you - Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Safe daily veggies are bell pepper, coriander, lettuce and cucumber. I give these four items routinely. Anything else I give is only if I happen to have it in!

Do double check all your piggies are the same sex if you got them from a pet shop or breeder.
Also, as you have three, that they are all female. You won’t be able to keep three males together long term
 
In terms of settling them in, take your time!
They generally take weeks to months to settle in and become comfortable with interaction. Generally it’s advised to do nothing other than feed them and keep their cage clean for the first week. Second week sit by their cage and talk to them. Then on try to offer food from your hand. Once they take food from you it’s a sign they trust you, but that can take quite some time to achieve - took my most nervous boy a year and a half to take food from me.

The guides below will help you as a new owner

New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection
 
Hi

Please take the time to read the guides in the links in the first post; especially the diet guide, which looks at all food groups for their role in a balanced diet as well as in detail. You will find them all very helpful.
My own veg diet looks fairly similar to that of @Piggies&buns . I also feed a slice of greens (USA: collard green) once or twice a week. Any other veg, herb or fruit counts as an occasional treat.

Most new owners seem to think that veg and pellets are the most important part of a piggy diet - they aren't. At least three quarters of what a piggy eats in a day is hay and or fresh green growing grass (the latter needing to be very carefully introduced). Veg and pellets together only replace the supplementary role of wild forage. Overfeeding pellets and rich veg like carrots can lead to dental problems and overweight because they deliver calories but take away from eating the silica rich hay/grass fibre which are what grinds down the crucial back teeth and for which the digestive system is laid out.
More calcium in the diet comes with the water and with pellets (even those without any added calcium), which is another aspect that most new owners are not aware of. We recommend filtering water and reducing the amount of pellets to 1 tablespoon per piggy per day.

A good, healthy diet can add 1-2 years to an average healthy life span and can take your piggies from the lower end to the upper half of it, so it is worth spending your time to read through it all.

We have also created a starter collection that deals specifically with the most common issues that new owners come
against or struggle with. It is a distillation of our over 15 years of forum experience with literally tens of thousands of piggies passing through here. The guides are very how-to and precise, as much as is possible under the circumstances to help you to a hopefully smooth start. You are however always welcome to ask any questions you may have.
 
thank you for the advise
I am very worried about the brown headed one I have she just in the corner considering calling the vet today the other two are running around having the time of there lives but she is in a box on her own
 
Thank you I have made sure they have plenty of hay aswell as pellets and veg
I am tiny bit stressed but the girl that being extremely shy I have noticed her nipples or very larger then to others could she be expecting if so ill get another enclosure for her
 
miranda2300 said:
Thank you I have made sure they have plenty of hay aswell as pellets and veg
I am tiny bit stressed but the girl that being extremely shy I have noticed her nipples or very larger then to others could she be expecting if so ill get another enclosure for her
Click to expand...

Hi

Please give your piggies time to settle in and do not separate on spec; some very timid/traumatised piggies can take weeks to start coming out of their shell. Piggies under 4 months of age are desperate for companionship and guidance. She still needs the companionship from her mates as much as possible. Place a sheet over the top of the cage to give her a stronger feeling of security and encourage her to come out more while you are in the room.
Weigh your piggies once weekly all their lives but weigh daily at the same time (first thing in the morning is a good time for day-to-day comparison) in case you have concerns about their weight/eating.
Our New Owners Collection link contains a full chapter devoted to settling in guinea pigs, including how to work around their prey animal instincts and a spot of piggy whispering to help making friends in their language, which you may find very helpful.

If a pregnancy is indeed suspected, then please open an ongoing support thread in our pregnancy section (only visible for registered members) and read our advice and information via this link here. Please keep in mind that that you won't see any surefire signs until the last third of a 10 weeks pregnancy at the most (or even later, depending on the litter size) Pregnancy, Mother & Baby Care Guides
 
Welcome to the forum.Please don’t apologise for asking questions.
It shows that you are a very caring owner and we all want the best for our piggies.
This is the best place to learn, and as well as the information threads there’s always someone happy to help.
We all learn here.
 
i have 4 girls from 3-4 months.
coriander and bell peppers are the favourites . They will leave anything else if there is coriander around. I wondered if too much coriander is bad for them ? I don’t treat them so much now and make them eat hay. Sometimes coriander is hard to get so peppers are a v good second.

mine were very nervous for 2-3 weeks but now feed off my hand but they will scatter at the least sound.

they are VERY put out today because I’m getting a new roof on my house and they had scaffolders outside all day yesterday. Gone back 3 weeks today and still upset. I found an old radio and they seem to like classical music turned down low. I worked in a neo natal ward for a while and the prematures all started crying together when the music was turned off For any reason .
 
The two white girls was running around when I put the hay in made me laugh I have tried the coriander with them today see how they go the scared on I put the veg in her box I do feel for her being this scared of me though
 
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