Pellet quantity

Pantalaimon

Pantalaimon

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I currently feed my guinea pigs science selective pellets (not grain free) and was told on this forum that I need to measure out the quantity in a more accurate way than just using my hand and eyes! I have one measured out 1 tablespoon of food and it definitely does not look right.
I am unsure whether this is what it was supposed to be or if it is due to the shape of the tablespoon and the pellets?

The tablespoon is in the white bowl and the current portion is in the orange bowl.
 

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The portion in the white bowl seems about right for 1 tablespoon. It's 1 tablespoon of nuggets per piggy per day. I scatter feed mine so there is no food hogging. My piggies love playing hunt the pellet and get very excited snaffling around in the hay to try and find their tasty breakfast. One tablespoon is quite easy to find, the other one I try and put in different places like in a hidey, on top of the hidey house, or on the hammock. I hide a few nuggets from the last tablespoon in various places. It's good for the piggies as it stimulates their brains and they use their natural foraging instincts to find their food. I do this with the veggies in the evening. The only thing I put in a bowl is their forage supper.

The more pellets you give them the less hay they will eat as they will be full up on pellets. The more hay a piggy eats the healthier they are.
 
I’ve not used the science selective much but the orange bowl is too large a portion, even for two.

They will get used to the correct portion. If they seem like they’re asking for more, just fluff up the hay or top them up.
 
I agree with the others.
The portion in the white bowl is fine for one piggy.
The portion in the orange bowl is far far too much.
Counting the pellets per portion - the tbsp bowl holding 16 pellets - it looks like the orange bowl is showing enough pellets for about four or five piggies.

I would personally feed less than one tablespoon per piggy of those pellets given its main ingredient is alfalfa
 
Thanks for the responses. I had not reaslised how much I was feeding over the recomended amount.
I struggle with an old guinea pig who does not hold weight very well at all and the other one eats everything and is 1.4kg!
I think I will reduce the portion sizes significantly but perhaps not all the way down to 1 tablespoon. I plan on changing the room so that the cage can be opened to let them out and I would be able to feed Pat, my big boar, outside the cage to prevent him from eating his own food and Ratter's food before she even has a chance to look at it!
 
Piggies&buns said:
I agree with the others.
The portion in the white bowl is fine for one piggy.
The portion in the orange bowl is far far too much.
Counting the pellets per portion - the tbsp bowl holding 16 pellets - it looks like the orange bowl is showing enough pellets for about four or five piggies.

I would personally feed less than one tablespoon per piggy of those pellets given its main ingredient is alfalfa
Click to expand...
I am aware that these are not the best pellets but unforunately I have been unable to find anything better that is not very expensive. I thought that they were an improvement from the Burgess blackcurrant pellets that I thought had quite terrible ingredients.
 
Pantalaimon said:
I am aware that these are not the best pellets but unforunately I have been unable to find anything better that is not very expensive. I thought that they were an improvement from the Burgess blackcurrant pellets that I thought had quite terrible ingredients.
Click to expand...

The ingredients in burgess are not that bad at all. They are grass based which is a positive (better than being alfalfa based). Although the burgess ones also contain some alfalfa (in the ingredient list as Lucerne) but it is lower in quantity.
I’d go for grass based over alfalfa based any day.

I have fed burgess for many years to both my rabbits and piggies. Although I have now switched to a fully grass pellet for the piggies, and only give pellets three times a week in any event.

Either way, whichever pellet brand you feed the important bit is to not give more than 1 tablespoon. Pellets are the least important part of the diet
 
I think these pellets are quite good ingredients wise, there are a lot worse! Although they contain alfalfa the overall calcium level is .6% (pellet comparison chart is showing .8% but packet says .6%) which is on a par with most of the other top brands. My vet gave me some free samples of these to try when one of mine wouldn't eat last year and they were well received. I normally try to avoid anything with soya in but that's not always possible.
 
Piggies&buns said:
The ingredients in burgess are not that bad at all. They are grass based which is a positive (better than being alfalfa based). Although the burgess ones also contain some alfalfa (in the ingredient list as Lucerne) but it is lower in quantity.
I’d go for grass based over alfalfa based any day.

I have fed burgess for many years to both my rabbits and piggies. Although I have now switched to a fully grass pellet for the piggies, and only give pellets three times a week in any event.

Either way, whichever pellet brand you feed the important bit is to not give more than 1 tablespoon. Pellets are the least important part of the diet
Click to expand...
What make are the grass pellets you feed?
I am always looking for new or different brands that may be better than the ones I currently use.
I have looked at the pellets sold by a few different brands but they always seem to be the same shape/size as the rosewood brand and I didn’t like them as they made an unbelievable mess in the cage.
 
Pantalaimon said:
What make are the grass pellets you feed?
I am always looking for new or different brands that may be better than the ones I currently use.
I have looked at the pellets sold by a few different brands but they always seem to be the same shape/size as the rosewood brand and I didn’t like them as they made an unbelievable mess in the cage.
Click to expand...

I use pellets from Piggie Parcels now
 
When I used Selective ordinary pellets, I measured 1 tablespoon as being 15 or 16 pellets too. I don't put them in a bowl, I sprinkle a few for foraging, then give the rest as individual treats when they wheek at me for food.
Nowadays I usually use Selective Grain Free or Versele Laga nuggets. They are both available from UK online suppliers, if not pet shops.
 
Ello! I don't have guinea pigs, but I am currently researching and preparing to have my own. I have heard online to feed about 1/8 of a cup every day. I don't know if this is for two guinea pigs, or more. I hope this was helpful!
 
ThatGuineaPigFanatic46 said:
Ello! I don't have guinea pigs, but I am currently researching and preparing to have my own. I have heard online to feed about 1/8 of a cup every day. I don't know if this is for two guinea pigs, or more. I hope this was helpful!
Click to expand...

1/8 of a cup converts to two US tablespoons according to Google.
Therefore 1/8 of a cup is for two guinea pigs once a day.
(We don’t tend to use cup measures on the UK though so you will see reference to tablespoons
on the forum)
 
I use the science selective grain free pellets about 12 pellets per piggy
 
piggieminder said:
I think these pellets are quite good ingredients wise, there are a lot worse! Although they contain alfalfa the overall calcium level is .6% (pellet comparison chart is showing .8% but packet says .6%) which is on a par with most of the other top brands. My vet gave me some free samples of these to try when one of mine wouldn't eat last year and they were well received. I normally try to avoid anything with soya in but that's not always possible.
Click to expand...
Can the comparison chart be updated to reflect this? @Piggies&buns
 
Pound Shilling & Pig said:
Can the comparison chart be updated to reflect this? @Piggies&buns
Click to expand...

The spreadsheet itself was created by Flutterby - who has stepped away from the forum - and is only a photo on here so is not editable. I would think the whole thing needs to be recreated by active member and re-uploaded.
 
Piggies&buns said:
The spreadsheet itself was created by Flutterby - who has stepped away from the forum - and is only a photo on here so is not editable. I would think the whole thing needs to be recreated by active member and re-uploaded.
Click to expand...
I can have a go at this when I’ve got some time, maybe end of the month! If someone else doesn’t beat me to it.
 
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