What should I give my piggies?

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winters.piggylover649

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Hi all! So I am currently attempting to introduce veggies to my two guinea pigs(got terrible advice from pet stores, that’s my bad) I want to acclimate them to the veggies slowly but I don’t know what veggies to start with. I don’t want to introduce anything I shouldn’t right away, but don’t want to introduce the wrong thing as well. Does anyone have any input on this? Thank you so much!
 
Herbs are usually well liked and a good thing to start with - Coriander/cilantro can be fed daily - a couple of sprigs a day.
Parsley should only be given once a week due to the calcium content (along with other high calcium beg such as kale, and spinach)
Fruit and carrots are considered only as very occasional treats as they are too high in sugar.

Whatever veg you do try first, just ensure it is only done in small amounts and only add in a new veg every few days. Remembering that veg should be kept to around one cup per pig per day, it’s supplementary and hay needs to form the basis of their daily food intake

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading
 
Great advice. If you follow our feeding guide you won’t go far wrong, but the key with new veggies is to introduce them singly and in small amounts to see how they get on with them before introducing any others. Good luck
 
Okay thanks so much! I think I got bad advice, was told to feed carrots and fennel first since it was easy to digest. Maybe the high spike in calcium is what is causing the deposits. I will follow this strictly as I trust you guys WAY more than my other source lol, thank you so much
Piggies&buns said:
Herbs are usually well liked and a good thing to start with - Coriander/cilantro can be fed daily - a couple of sprigs a day.
Parsley should only be given once a week due to the calcium content (along with other high calcium beg such as kale, and spinach)
Fruit and carrots are considered only as very occasional treats as they are too high in sugar.

Whatever veg you do try first, just ensure it is only done in small amounts and only add in a new veg every few days. Remembering that veg should be kept to around one cup per pig per day, it’s supplementary and hay needs to form the basis of their daily food intake

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C GradingOkay thanks so much! I think I got bad advice, was told to feed carrots and fennel first since it was easy to digest. Maybe the high spike in calcium is what is causing the deposits. I will follow this strictly as I trust you guys WAY more than my other source lol, thank you so much
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I give my guinea pigs
Monday- kale, bell pepper, basil
Tuesdays- bell pepper, carrots, Savoy cabbage
Wednesday- kale, bell pepper, radishes and mint
Thursday- kale, fennel, spinach
Friday- kale, courgette, romaine lettuce
Saturday- romaine lettuce, courgette and bell pepper.
Sunday- kale, bell pepper and fennel, parsley


That’s the main veg I use, they occasionally get a little bit of banana, tomatoes (not the green top) and other herbs like coriander,dill and some other herbs.
 
That is too much kale @Animallover2245 as it's high in calcium. Too much calcium can lead to bladder stones. As the owner of a piggy who passed the HUGE bladder stone below, I now never feed kale or any high calcium veg. I'd like to point out that I adopted the piggy that had this stone and she was at least 5 when I adopted her. This stone must have been forming for quite a while. I'd owned her for approx 6 months when she passed this. I hardly fed high calcium veg anyway now I definitely don't!


Patsy Stone.webp
 
Betsy said:
That is too much kale @Animallover2245 as it's high in calcium. Too much calcium can lead to bladder stones. As the owner of a piggy who passed the HUGE bladder stone below, I now never feed kale or any high calcium veg. I'd like to point out that I adopted the piggy that had this stone and she was at least 5 when I adopted her. This stone must have been forming for quite a while. I'd owned her for approx 6 months when she passed this. I hardly fed high calcium veg anyway now I definitely don't!




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Did you used to feed a lot of calcium veg then?
Why do a lot of websites say kale can be fed a few times a week then and a few times means between 3-5 times, And not occasionally?
They’ve been completly fine with it so far and it’s not every day.
 
Animallover2245 said:
Did you used to feed a lot of calcium veg then?
Why do a lot of websites say kale can be fed a few times a week then and a few times means between 3-5 times, And not occasionally?
They’ve been completly fine with it so far and it’s not every day.
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Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation out there. Kale should be fed sparingly due to the calcium (it’s one of the highest calcium veggies) - it’s recommend only to be given in small amounts once per week.
The most calcium comes from pellets and drinking water - so choosing grain free, low calcium pellets (even low calcium pellets contain a lot of calcium), keeping them limited to just one tablespoon per pig per day and ensuring their drinking water is filtered goes a long way to keeping calcium limited, but ensuring high calcium veg isn’t fed often is still a good thing to do.

Spinach and parsley are also high calcium and it would be best to never feed all of them in the same week - one serving of parsley one week, spinach the next week, kale once the following week etc.

Coriander is a safe herb to be fed daily.
Mine get lettuce, cucumber, coriander, bell pepper daily and then other things such as green beans added in in rotation for variety and nutrient balance. Mine do get high calcium veg occasionally but on those days I dont tend to give pellets (mine don’t get to get pellets daily anyway). I do tend to feed more than the recommended one cup of veg per pig per day though as well - my piggies aren’t big drinkers so I like to ensure they get plenty of wet veg

It takes a while for the calcium balance to tip in the wrong direction before you start seeing problems, equally it also takes a while for it to come back right once low calcium diet is followed.
 
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Animallover2245 said:
Did you used to feed a lot of calcium veg then?
Why do a lot of websites say kale can be fed a few times a week then and a few times means between 3-5 times, And not occasionally?
They’ve been completly fine with it so far and it’s not every day.
Click to expand...
No I've hardly ever fed my piggies on high calcium veg. As I adopted Patsy (piggy who passed the bladder stone) at least 5 I didn't know anything of her diet before she came to me and the Rescue I adopted her from didn't know either. She certainly never had high calcium veg here. I always give filtered water and low calcium nuggets. I have kept piggies now for nearly 6 years and the two that are still with me don't have calcium issues with their wee.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Herbs are usually well liked and a good thing to start with - Coriander/cilantro can be fed daily - a couple of sprigs a day.
Parsley should only be given once a week due to the calcium content (along with other high calcium beg such as kale, and spinach)
Fruit and carrots are considered only as very occasional treats as they are too high in sugar.

Whatever veg you do try first, just ensure it is only done in small amounts and only add in a new veg every few days. Remembering that veg should be kept to around one cup per pig per day, it’s supplementary and hay needs to form the basis of their daily food intake

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading
Click to expand...
Hi again! I comprised a little list of what an ideal meal would look like for the pigs. I used all the info off of the documents you provided. I just wanted to come back and ask if you could take a look to see if this would be ideal? I just don’t want to end up doing something wrong, and really want to make sure they are getting everything they need. Also, how many times a day should I feed them? I was thinking two times a day would be reasonable. Thank you so much for your time and help.
 

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winters.piggylover649 said:
Hi again! I comprised a little list of what an ideal meal would look like for the pigs. I used all the info off of the documents you provided. I just wanted to come back and ask if you could take a look to see if this would be ideal? I just don’t want to end up doing something wrong, and really want to make sure they are getting everything they need. Also, how many times a day should I feed them? I was thinking two times a day would be reasonable. Thank you so much for your time and help.
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Don’t get too hung up on lists, just ensure they get good variety. It will mean they get a good balance of nutrients but also so they don’t get bored of having the same things. As long as you don’t feed carrots, fruit and high calcium veg more than once a week.
As I say, my basis is lettuce, cucumber, coriander and pepper - its because I generally have them in my fridge anyway but they usually get somethings else added in either specifically bought for them or because I’ve bought it for us and our family meals.
 
I wouldn’t give kale regularly, maybe once a week if that. I’d also cut carrots down to a very thin slice no more than once a week. I think start with the staples - coriander, lettuce (not iceberg), bell pepper and cucumber - and go from there. Mine generally only get pepper, lettuce and cucumber. If I buy green beans they’ll have one a day. I rarely give them carrots now. Same for kale (we don’t really eat it) or spring greens.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Don’t get too hung up on lists, just ensure they get good variety. It will mean they get a good balance of nutrients but also so they don’t get bored of having the same things. As long as you don’t feed carrots, fruit and high calcium veg more than once a week.
As I say, my basis is lettuce, cucumber, coriander and pepper - its because I generally have them in my fridge anyway but they usually get somethings else added in either specifically bought for them or because I’ve bought it for us and our family meals.
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So also, should I introduce every vegetable on its own? And have them try every one before I start giving them full meals? Sorry for all the questions
 
winters.piggylover649 said:
So also, should I introduce every vegetable on its own? And have them try every one before I start giving them full meals? Sorry for all the questions
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Please don’t be sorry for asking questions - we are here to help!

Yes, it’s best to introduce veggies separately until you know they are ok with them.
And only give small amounts initially. Putting too much veg on an unprepared tummy can cause soft poops
 
Animallover2245 said:
I give my guinea pigs
Monday- kale, bell pepper, basil
Tuesdays- bell pepper, carrots, Savoy cabbage
Wednesday- kale, bell pepper, radishes and mint
Thursday- kale, fennel, spinach
Friday- kale, courgette, romaine lettuce
Saturday- romaine lettuce, courgette and bell pepper.
Sunday- kale, bell pepper and fennel, parsley

I don’t think you should be giving your piggies kale 5 days a week it is very high in calcium and can cause bladder stones
That’s the main veg I use, they occasionally get a little bit of banana, tomatoes (not the green top) and other herbs like coriander,dill and some other herbs.
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I don’t think u should be giving your piggies kale five times a week . It contains alot of calcium and can cause bladder stones
 
Guinea lover 1982 said:
I don’t think u should be giving your piggies kale five times a week . It contains alot of calcium and can cause bladder stones
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Yeah I know, before I got told it was fine to feed kale a few times a week as websites always said a few times a week. I’ve changed it to a couple times a week. There 5 months and when I first got them the pet store in October they only fed cabbage every day and I know cabbage is bad every day. Kale and herbs was the only veg they would eat at the start till adding new veg in slowly . So now they have a variety of veg they can eat. I know
 
You’re doing well. You’re not the first to be given incorrect information so don’t worry about that too much. I made mistakes when I started owning them but have changed. As long as you’re learning and making changes to benefit your piggies, then you’re doing fab ☺️
 
When I first started keeping piggies as an adult I fed them a bag of spinach a day!
Then I learnt that was really not good and have since adapted the veggies to forum guidelines.
Mine get a lettuce leaf each morning with their pellets- about 2 tablespoons shared between 3 piggies. That’s when a mountain of hay is given too.
A midday snack of coriander is given most days and the rest of their veggies late afternoon.
Mine get a mix of salad leaves, green beans, red pepper, fennel, chicory, cucumber in va amounts and depending what is in the fridge.
Occasional treats are a slice of carrot or a small piece of apple, some dill also goes well but not too often.
 
Mine get cos lettuce, capsicum (alternating colours throughout the week), cucumber or celery, and coriander daily. Very occasionally (once every 1-2 months or so) they'll get a small piece of carrot, a cherry tomato, a grape or a tiny slice of apple.
 
I got cilantro from my local market. I couldn’t find coriander. Will cilantro do? I took out the peppers for that reason lol I didn’t want to start them off real hardcore. So I thought cilantro would work better since it’s an herb
 
winters.piggylover649 said:
I got cilantro from my local market. I couldn’t find coriander. Will cilantro do? I took out the peppers for that reason lol I didn’t want to start them off real hardcore. So I thought cilantro would work better since it’s an herb
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Yes cilantro is fine, it is another name for coriander I believe 🙂
 
Reading through the replies in this thread has helped me out with my pigs rotation. I think I been doing it wrong.

Daily: romaine lettuce, cilantro, carrot tops, red lettuce and parsley, sweet peppers.

3x a week: kale, mint, dill, pea pods, cucumber, and celery.

Occasional snacks: carrots, apple, plaintains, melon.

I often cut up all the daily things for the week. I cut them all up and seal in in Tupperware and chill for the week. It’s a huge mix of those greens and peppers and I serve it in a large dish once in the morning.

I feel bad. Thanks this topic makes me rethink their veggie rotation big time.
 
GuineaPigsRDaBest said:
Reading through the replies in this thread has helped me out with my pigs rotation. I think I been doing it wrong.

Daily: romaine lettuce, cilantro, carrot tops, red lettuce and parsley, sweet peppers.

3x a week: kale, mint, dill, pea pods, cucumber, and celery.

Occasional snacks: carrots, apple, plaintains, melon.

I often cut up all the daily things for the week. I cut them all up and seal in in Tupperware and chill for the week. It’s a huge mix of those greens and peppers and I serve it in a large dish once in the morning.

I feel bad. Thanks this topic makes me rethink their veggie rotation big time.
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The only thing I would change is to cut back on kale, parsley and carrot tops. They can have cucumber every day. Their staples can be lettuce, cucumber, coriander (cilantro) and bell pepper. You can then add in other things a few times a week. Parsley and kale are high in calcium and it’s not recommended you feed both in the same week. So either a sprig of parsley once in a week or a very small portion of kale once in a week. I would probably give every two weeks.

We are glad the thread has helped you, try not to worry too much ☺️
 
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