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Post by rustypete on Oct 21, 2021 7:12:12 GMT
Basically I feed my guinea pigs.
Unlimited hay
Pellets around breakfast (the guidelines on the back say for young Guinea pigs 35-55g. I do 40g)
1/4 of veg around lunch
1/4 of veg around dinner
I know the guidelines for adults are generally a cup per Guinea pig. So I do half a cup in total per guinea pig
Is this too much or too little or is it the right amount? I’m just checking as I don’t want to feed them to much or too little
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Post by Bean on Oct 21, 2021 7:41:57 GMT
Sounds good to me! The grams of pellets don't mean much to me, but if you're following the guidance on the packet it'll most likely be a good amount. I'm sure they're enjoying it and getting everything they need.
I'm pretty stingy with pellets for adult pigs - their diet is mainly different hays supplemented with a variety of veg. But I'm generous with young pigs and let them fill their boots while they're growing. (Of course this can be difficult when you have different ages living together!)
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Post by rustypete on Oct 21, 2021 7:56:11 GMT
Sounds good to me! The grams of pellets don't mean much to me, but if you're following the guidance on the packet it'll most likely be a good amount. I'm sure they're enjoying it and getting everything they need. I'm pretty stingy with pellets for adult pigs - their diet is mainly different hays supplemented with a variety of veg. But I'm generous with young pigs and let them fill their boots while they're growing. (Of course this can be difficult when you have different ages living together!) Thanks, luckily mine are the same ages. I did get mine from Pets at home back on the 11th October,, as since I don’t drive I couldn’t reach any rescue centres. However I can see pets at home have improved a lot compared to a few years back. Good to see pet stores are improving (well except for selling to small cages/hutches, hence why I got mine from Online) |
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 21, 2021 19:51:23 GMT
Years ago I read that once the pellets are exposed to the air, they start to lose their nutrients. I use small bowls, and keep them filled. I wash them regularly, but since I have two bowls in the cage, they're never without pellets. I don't think they'll eat too much, but if they seem to be going through pellets quickly, it could be a growth spurt. I've had seemingly fat pigs, but I think that's they're build more than pigging out on pellets. Since my cage is full of hay, I'd say mine get unlimited hay, which they should. I also give them some fruit pieces for breakfast, a good bowl of veggies for lunch, and a smaller bowl of veggies for dinner. They do pretty well  |
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Post by rustypete on Oct 23, 2021 20:20:32 GMT
Years ago I read that once the pellets are exposed to the air, they start to lose their nutrients. I use small bowls, and keep them filled. I wash them regularly, but since I have two bowls in the cage, they're never without pellets. I don't think they'll eat too much, but if they seem to be going through pellets quickly, it could be a growth spurt. I've had seemingly fat pigs, but I think that's they're build more than pigging out on pellets. Since my cage is full of hay, I'd say mine get unlimited hay, which they should. I also give them some fruit pieces for breakfast, a good bowl of veggies for lunch, and a smaller bowl of veggies for dinner. They do pretty well I give them a small amount of veg for lunch and big amount for the evening. I give there pellets in the morning. But the pellets last all day and sometimes night. They always finish the veg for lunch by the evening. The evening portion of veg they don’t finish till overnight. They always have tons and tons of hay as well. Also I thought it’s bad to give fruit daily because of the natural sugars.? I thought fruit is only supposed to be given a couple times a week |
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Post by Bean on Oct 24, 2021 7:40:07 GMT
As long as you throw away any pellets still left after a 24 period, I can't see any issue with that. I think they start tasting different after then - stale maybe. - so are more likely to be left. We all have our own take on ideal feeding, but I rarely give fruit, probably only a small piece a couple of times a week. This diet guide on Guinea Lynx is really good. |
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Post by rustypete on Oct 24, 2021 7:58:02 GMT
As long as you throw away any pellets still left after a 24 period, I can't see any issue with that. I think they start tasting different after then - stale maybe. - so are more likely to be left. We all have our own take on ideal feeding, but I rarely give fruit, probably only a small piece a couple of times a week. This diet guide on Guinea Lynx is really good. Yeah when they don’t eat all the pellets overnight i do throw them away and fair points about fruit. |
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Post by rustypete on Oct 24, 2021 11:59:40 GMT
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 24, 2021 18:13:32 GMT
I love the hay cube toy! That's great! I don't feed them a lot of fruit, but there are super fruits, such as blueberries, that are just as good for them as for us. I give them small blueberries, cut up pieces of strawberry or pineapple, etc., so they get the nutrients, but not enough to give them too much sugar. Everything in moderation |
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Post by rustypete on Oct 24, 2021 20:11:29 GMT
I love the hay cube toy! That's great! I don't feed them a lot of fruit, but there are super fruits, such as blueberries, that are just as good for them as for us. I give them small blueberries, cut up pieces of strawberry or pineapple, etc., so they get the nutrients, but not enough to give them too much sugar. Everything in moderation Do you not have a hay cube toy in US, I got it from Pets at home (local pet store). I’m introducing fruit slowly I’ve tried blueberries but they didn’t like it. So I used banana instead that day which they ate last and this week I’m trying Half a grape each. and fair enough I didn’t have strawberries or pineapple. I know tomatoes are technically a fruit so is it the same rule with tomatoes. (It used to confuse me as tomatoes are ussualy with the veg in supermarkets) also a cat litterbox tray is great for hay |
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Post by Bean on Oct 25, 2021 7:30:31 GMT
A bit of tomato now and then is fine, but yes, they're a fruit so I wouldn't overdo it. The cherry tomatoes seem to be the most popular!
Love the photos - they are gorgeous! And I know the bowl is big, but the boys are so dinky! It looks like they're becoming a lot more relaxed around you.
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Post by rustypete on Oct 25, 2021 14:35:47 GMT
A bit of tomato now and then is fine, but yes, they're a fruit so I wouldn't overdo it. The cherry tomatoes seem to be the most popular! Love the photos - they are gorgeous! And I know the bowl is big, but the boys are so dinky! It looks like they're becoming a lot more relaxed around you. Thanks and they are very cute.I use a big bowl as before when I used a small bowl they kept trying to steal off each other. the big bowl has stopped that Can’t believe I’ve already had them for 2 weeks. Time goes very quickly |
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Post by Bean on Oct 26, 2021 7:48:57 GMT
That's a really good idea using a bigger bowl so they can both grab something without the other one feeling encroached upon. I know some people have separate food bowls and water bottles to head off conflict, but your way certainly makes for far cuter pictures! These boys have definitely got themselves a lovely home with you.
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Post by rustypete on Oct 26, 2021 9:33:53 GMT
That's a really good idea using a bigger bowl so they can both grab something without the other one feeling encroached upon. I know some people have separate food bowls and water bottles to head off conflict, but your way certainly makes for far cuter pictures! These boys have definitely got themselves a lovely home with you. Thanks and yeah. These 2 aren’t actually my first pair of guinea pigs. I did have 2 guinea pigs back when I was in school called Cookie & Oreo. However Oreo passed away when he was 3 months. When I was coming home from school the Thursday before he passed I did notice a whole bottle of water was drank and more areas were wet from them peeing, Unfortunately my vet was shut that day. We did get an appointment for Saturday as I wasn’t allowed to skip school. That Friday I had a dententjon just for forgetting my PE Kit sock after school. However when I came home. Oreo had passed away. (He was only 3 months) cookie was litreally just sat down looking at him. After I buried Oreo. Cookie went back to his usual self. We didn’t get a 2nd Guinea pig after as I knew males are quite territorial if not brought up together and I didn’t want them to start fighting, Cookie was fine and didn’t have any signs of anything wrong. However 1 day after his 1st birthday he passed away. When I got them from Pets at home, they had been health checked and sexed which was fine. (Compared to my hamsters who hadn’t, my hamsters lived till 2.5 years old which was a great age for hamsters). I don’t know what they passed off) but I do know that ussually when guinea pigs drink a lot and pee a lot. It can be a sign of diabetes (if it was from this I would feel at fault for it for no reason (as I’m type 1 diabetic myself) or kidney issues.). Or I caught it too late as guinea pigs hide illnesses well. A couple weeks before I did leave my brother (2yrs older) in charge of them as me and my mum went to Cuba for holiday and my brother said he didn’t notice any change. The weirdest thing is my neighbours who had recently got there chickens from somewhere passed away the day after my guinea pigs passed away. For weighing guinea pigs is there a way too do it? As when I’ve tried with Pete & Rusty. They get off it. Guessing because they don’t like staying still. (With cookie & Oreo we never weighed them as my mum accidentally broke the scales) |
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 26, 2021 20:29:04 GMT
Try a cardboard box on an adjustable scale, so you can put the box on the scale, zero out the weight, and add a piggy. I have one that wasn't expensive at all. It has an analog weight display, which is fine. Getting a base weight at regular intervals helps to know if a pig is losing too much weight, which indicates illness. Illness includes teeth problems, any physical reason they aren't eating.
If you get a base weight regularly, say monthly, and just picking them up doesn't indicate any major weight loss, that's probably enough.
If they get sick, you should weigh them at the same time every day(first thing in the morning, right after dinner, whatever works for you, but the same time every day). Log their weight, and at the end of the week, get an average of their daily weight.
Pigs can lose enough weight just doing a good bathroom break, that it can appear they're losing weight. Same with having just eaten making it appear they're gaining weight. That's why you want to take an average. Track the weekly averages, until and for a little while after the pigs are sick. If the vet weighs them, and it's a lot different from the weight you get at home, don't worry. It's not as much about the actual weight as it is about the amount of loss or gain. The vets scale is probably calibrated differently than yours.
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Post by rustypete on Oct 27, 2021 13:37:16 GMT
Try a cardboard box on an adjustable scale, so you can put the box on the scale, zero out the weight, and add a piggy. I have one that wasn't expensive at all. It has an analog weight display, which is fine. Getting a base weight at regular intervals helps to know if a pig is losing too much weight, which indicates illness. Illness includes teeth problems, any physical reason they aren't eating. If you get a base weight regularly, say monthly, and just picking them up doesn't indicate any major weight loss, that's probably enough. If they get sick, you should weigh them at the same time every day(first thing in the morning, right after dinner, whatever works for you, but the same time every day). Log their weight, and at the end of the week, get an average of their daily weight. Pigs can lose enough weight just doing a good bathroom break, that it can appear they're losing weight. Same with having just eaten making it appear they're gaining weight. That's why you want to take an average. Track the weekly averages, until and for a little while after the pigs are sick. If the vet weighs them, and it's a lot different from the weight you get at home, don't worry. It's not as much about the actual weight as it is about the amount of loss or gain. The vets scale is probably calibrated differently than yours. Thanks. i already had a scale so i did it today before they had their lunch and it worked . Rusty. 390g & Pete 360g. (When i got them on the 11th we got told they were 10-12 weeks and it's been 2 weeks since i've got them). So this would make them around 3 months old right?) |
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 27, 2021 18:45:26 GMT
Good weights for the little guys:) Yes, they would be around 3 months old |
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Post by rustypete on Oct 27, 2021 20:05:22 GMT
Good weights for the little guys:) Yes, they would be around 3 months old Thanks |
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Post by rustypete on Nov 4, 2021 8:52:31 GMT
Good weights for the little guys:) Yes, they would be around 3 months old Weighed them again today Last week I weighed them on the 27th around 12pm which was Rusty 390g Pete 360g I was going to weigh them yesterday but decided not as I didn’t want them to get wet from the rain. So I decided to weigh them today around 8:40am. Because it’s supposed to rain again later. Now there: 4th of November Rusty; 450g Pete: 445g Ithe extra weight of 60g & 85g is them growing most likely especially now Pete is almost the same weight to Rusty. Just so I know with weighing young piggies. I know with adult piggies that if they gain over 60g that something is wrong. However with young piggies. They are still growing so how are you supposed to spot if something is wrong with their weight? Obviously if they lose weight that shows something is wrong. So basically I’m asking how would you know if young piggies are gaining to much weight due to growing. |
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Post by 3piggles on Nov 4, 2021 17:52:33 GMT
Don't use just one thing, like weight, to decide if something is wrong. If the weight keeps going down, there are some abnormal poos, one isn't as active or eating as much as he used to, there are sounds or signs of pain, etc., all together give you a full picture of a pigs health. Sometimes they get to deeply into the pellets, and sneeze. It's not an Upper Respiratory Infection(URI), but it may be a sign that one eats a bit too fast, so perhaps making sure there's as little pellet dust at the bottom of the bowl, as possible, would help. Sometimes the hay is dusty, and that makes them sneeze.
Sneezing along with watery eyes, nasal discharge, wheezing when they breathe, makes a full picture of a pig with respiratory problems. It could be allergies, but it's best to have a vet check over the pig completely, and possibly provide meds to make sure it doesn't get worse. I had a pig get pneumonia, and it's not good. We got him through that, but he had a lot of allergies, asthma, etc., after that.
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