Nutrition Cavy Nutrition Charts Discussion Thread - Page 11 - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**Ly&Pigs** · #**201** 04-02-09, 01:35 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peggysu

The pdf seems to no longer exist and is not linked to the link provided. Just thought you might want to know.

I just opened it and saved it. Seems to be working fine. Maybe it's your settings or browser.

**Peggysu** · #**202** 04-02-09, 03:09 pm

Thanks for checking. It's still not working for me. I'll have my boyfriend look at my settings as I am not a very technical person.

CaviesRGreat · #**203** 04-23-09, 03:20 pm

I got a package of grass seed that is Avena Sativa...which I think is oat grass. Is that okay to feed them?

Thanks for the wonderful charts and help! I got my girls our first guinea pigs last week and I would have been lost without this site to help me find a good diet for them.

**Ly&Pigs** · #**204** 04-23-09, 10:04 pm

Yes, they can have oat grass. After you grow it, start them off slowly on it and increase gradually as to not cause tummy problems.

Thanks for the compliment!

CaviesRGreat · #**205** 04-24-09, 06:56 am

What are the signs of a tummy ache? I had originally gone to the thread with the charts and didn't see any reference to starting new foods slowly. They have had a number of new foods in the last week. I'm not sure what all they ate before I bought them but I did see a lot of lettuce & veggies in their cage.

One of my piggies was smaller/thinner than the other one when I got them and I want to make sure he doesn't stop eating for any reason because I don't think he's got as much reserve as the bigger boy at all.

**Ly&Pigs** · #**206** 04-24-09, 11:36 am

Gas and bloat can be signs of stomach distress.

CaviesRGreat · #**207** 04-24-09, 02:35 pm

Okay, there's been none of that. Just the little guy seems so skinny....maybe it's just that our big bubba seems to grow a lot EVERY day. The little one is so sweet - and will eat contentedly out of my hand, etc. I just very much already feel like these are additional kids that I need to take care of and I want to do what's best for them. And if they eat their fruits & veggies as well as my kids do then we will be just fine.

I'll keep reading the menus and worksheets and from now on I'll introduce things more slowly. They just seem so excited every time I put something new in there.

The only thing they didn't like was banana and that's not so bad since fruits are supposed to be the least of their diet.

Thanks again!

**xxlizzybordenxx** · #**208** 04-26-09, 05:57 pm

I love the chart! i use it every day. Thanks so much for your hard work compiling the data!!

**Poelitstudent** · #**209** 05-11-09, 10:43 am

Hi i am from Puerto Rico and unfortunetly over here there are no adoption services for guineas pigs besides back when i purchased my guinea pigs at the pet store i did not knew what i know now. Ever since i found this website i have learn how to take care of my babies properly. Now my question is, i know that i have to feed my piggies veggies and fruits but the food that is already made for guinea pigs found at pet stores can i use it too as suplementary nutrition or should i eliminate it completely from their diet

**Ly&Pigs** · #**210** 05-16-09, 10:00 pm

If you are asking about pellets, you need to feed them but in limited amounts if they are over 6 months. You need a high quality plain pellet, no foods with seeds, nuts or colored bits in it.

3DLynn · #**211** 05-21-09, 01:35 pm

The best information ever! What are the dos and don'ts of fruit?

**Ly&Pigs** · #**212** 05-21-09, 02:10 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3DLynn

The best information ever! What are the dos and don'ts of fruit?

I thought I already told you about fruits, twice even if memory serves me. Don't feed fruit more than once or twice a week and in very small amounts as fruits are very sugary.

3DLynn · #**213** 05-26-09, 09:02 am

Yes, i understood that the first time. But,what i mean is what fruits should not be feed. Like if i wanted to feed my pigs today a mango slice.What about the mango that can't be feed? I already know about sugar is not good for them.

**Ly&Pigs** · #**214** 05-26-09, 11:37 am

I'm not sure if I am understanding exactly what you are asking. You could give a very small slice of Mango today if you haven't given fruit for the last few days. The rest you could eat yourself. Fruits really aren't great for pigs because of the sugars.

**4piggers** · #**215** 05-26-09, 01:12 pm

One dont of fruit that I cant find mentioned on here, is Apples, it says on they chart you can feed apple with skin included, please dont miss read this and think you can just put a full apple or even half an apple in the cage and let them go to town. For many reason, but for the most important, is you have to remove the seeds, as the have arsenic in them.

And while Im on a roll today, I want to mention the broccoli, its a bit confusing (not for me...but others maybe?) It shows in purple which means, Occasionally 1-2 times a week. But as I all ready knew its gassy. And the side note says, feed sparingly. But, isnt 1-2 times more then sparingly?

I only feed it to them when I find it on sale, like Meijers 10 for $10 sale, I will be one bunch and share it between all 6 pigs and my adult rabbits. (9) And thats only about every month or two.

And the cabbage...why is that in blue? Seems that would also be sparingly because it is gassy?

These are things Ive steered away from, because gas issues are a very serious matter.
Just seems they are recomended more then they should be,and a bit condradicting too. And with as many people as I see using this as their staple information, it worries me a bit.

**Ly&Pigs** · #**216** 05-26-09, 01:52 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4piggers

One dont of fruit that I cant find mentioned on here, is Apples, it says on they chart you can feed apple with skin included, please dont miss read this and think you can just put a full apple or even half an apple in the cage and let them go to town. For many reason, but for the most important, is you have to remove the seeds, as the have arsenic in them.

I think most people know to feed about 1/8 of an apple with the seeds removed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4piggers

And while Im on a roll today, I want to mention the broccoli, its a bit confusing (not for me...but others maybe?) It shows in purple which means, Occasionally 1-2 times a week. But as I all ready knew its gassy. And the side note says, feed sparingly. But, isnt 1-2 times more then sparingly?

The feed sparingly means the amount of broccoli to feed, not how often to feed it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4piggers

And the cabbage...why is that in blue? Seems that would also be sparingly because it is gassy?

While it may be a gassy food, it's the overall nutrition that makes it appear in the category that it's in. Broccoli is high in oxalic acid making it a 1-2 times a week food compared to cabbage which has lower oxalic acid.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4piggers

These are things Ive steered away from, because gas issues are a very serious matter.
Just seems they are recomended more then they should be,and a bit condradicting too. And with as many people as I see using this as their staple information, it worries me a bit.

Yes, gas issues can be a serious matter. The charts are guidelines, not hard and fast rules and most people make their own judgment calls on what to feed and what not to feed. You are by no means bound to use the charts.

It took months of research to put these charts together and the bottom line figures come from a combination of the total nutrition in the items. It's not chosen to be in a specific category because of one nutrition factor but what is in that particular veggie overall. Example: Calcium content + Vitamin A content + Oxalic acid Content + Sugar Content + C Content = how often it can be fed.

**4piggers** · #**217** 05-26-09, 02:24 pm

I understand that one would think its safe to *assume* people know to remove seeds, and what is a serving size. But that is not always the case. I say this because I was on the phone over the weekend with a person who had an unexpected litter of babies. At some point she mentioned being excited for apple season, because she had many trees, and loved to allow the pigs to graze under the trees for the apples. Meaning she left them whole, and let them free range....she seriously had no clue that the seeds had arsenic in them. Then I asked a few others in my rescue group, and only about 25% of them knew. I believe I had a conversation with a person on these very board about the same thing, again they didnt know. So this is why I searched to see if it was mentioned. I just find that this is an important piece of info that should be passed on, even if we find it to be common knowledge.

So are you saying its a large portion per sitting that is makes cabbage/broccoli unsafe, and not the frequency of the offering?

**Ly&Pigs** · #**218** 05-26-09, 02:42 pm

There is a statement in the Don't section that says to not feed seeds. I will take your input and do something positive with it. I'm planning on re-vamping the charts later this summer and I will update that to include something like "remove core and seeds".

Quote:

So are you saying its a large portion per sitting that is makes cabbage/broccoli unsafe, and not the frequency of the offering?

It's kind of both. Larger portions would inevitably cause more gas and feeding it more often even in smaller portions will cause more gas. So feeding it in smaller portions and only once or twice a week shouldn't cause much of the way in gas unless you have a pig who is predisposed to being very gassy.

The reason I feel the need to revamp the charts is because of some of the items in the blue category. Not all of those veggies should be fed up to 4 times a week. There are a few that are better fed twice a week like cabbage. It ended up in the blue because of the combination of nutrients. I'd like to do something more along the lines of a green, yellow, red (stoplight) kind of chart and be specific on how often each individual veggie can be fed. Like green would be daily, yellow would be rotating and each would state how often to be fed and the red would be like the red is now.

Edit: I've updated the poisonous plants list to contain the following:
- Apple Seeds- Contain Arsenic. Please remove seeds and core from apples before feeding!

**4piggers** · #**219** 05-26-09, 02:57 pm

Oh thank you for not thinking I was being pushy or anything. Its just a snag I seem to hear alot, and thought should be addressed.

I agree, some of those items in the blue were a bit confusing to me. But knowing guinea pigs the way I do, I knew to take that information loosely, while new owners may not. With all the options out there dos and donts get really confusing. Green, yellow and red would be very cool. I always find myself half way down the list thinking...what is purple again LOL.

Again, thank you for hearing me out and making that change.

**TwilightStar** · #**220** 07-09-09, 11:15 pm

Question-Is orange peels a good food to feed them? I want to start adding more variety to their diet, and oranges is something we buy for the family ever week anyways.