Doesn't Like Any Veggies

**OSUCavies** · #1 01-01-07, 09:15 pm

My cavy, Layla, does not seem to like any veggies.

I've tried oranges, apples, lettuce, broccoli (she ate a little more of this than anything) and tonight for the first time I tried cilantro since I've seen many of you have piggies that like them.

Someone had told me to keep trying one veggie over and over until she hopefully tries it.

She just seems to be so picky. She loves her hay and her pellet food but doesn't seem to want to try anything new.

Has anyone had any problems getting their piggies to eat any veggies?

I know there's so many good nutrients and vitamins in these things if I could just get her to try them out.

She ate the stem of the cilantro but didn't seem to be interested in the leaves whatsoever.

**littlebear** · #2 01-01-07, 09:21 pm

As you know already jsut offer her small amounts everyday and try and eat some yourself to show her that it is yummy. But if she isnt eating veggies try giving her Oxbow Vitamin C suppliments.

**OSUCavies** · #3 01-01-07, 09:26 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by littlebear

As you know already jsut offer her small amounts everyday and try and eat some yourself to show her that it is yummy. But if she isnt eating veggies try giving her Oxbow Vitamin C suppliments.

Yeah I tried that with the cilantro.

She ate a little bit, but didn't act THAT interested.

I found a petstore right down the road that carries Oxbox so I'm going to try that. Does the pellets alone have enough vitamin C or do I need to grab anything else?

**fairysari** · #4 01-01-07, 09:27 pm

Start with the basics - just some plain lettuce. Keep offering it every day until she eats it. Once she is used to it, add one more veggie. Green pepper would be a good choice, its an everyday veggie and high in vitamin C. Just keep slowly adding new things.

Is your pig all alone? The best thing to get a pig to try new veggies is to have a buddy eating it next to them. They see the other pig trying it and want some too.

**OSUCavies** · #5 01-01-07, 09:29 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by fairysari

Start with the basics - just some plain lettuce. Keep offering it every day until she eats it. Once she is used to it, add one more veggie. Green pepper would be a good choice, its an everyday veggie and high in vitamin C. Just keep slowly adding new things.

Is your pig all alone? The best thing to get a pig to try new veggies is to have a buddy eating it next to them. They see the other pig trying it and want some too.

Thanks for the advice, Fairy.

I actually just bought a new piggie (I made a bad choice of purchasing one, well my boyfriend, from the petstore and it was sick...so we took her back) But we are in the process of buying her back once she's hopefully better and then expanding the cage and making more buddies from either the rescue center or adopting from humane society. You can read my horror story on the cage forum. It's pretty bad.

But I know she will be happier with some other sisters running around. We just have to build the cage. Which we are going to do this week, actually.

grEEEn · #6 01-01-07, 09:44 pm

don't forget that piggies will have favourite veggies, and ones that they absolutely will not eat. My boys love carrots, lettuce, and broccoli, but aren't very fond of tomatos, celery, or bell pepper. I still offer the veggies they don't like and take away any leftovers after a couple of hours, but when they get something they like - watch out or you'll lose a finger!

**OSUCavies** · #7 01-01-07, 09:51 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by grEEEn

don't forget that piggies will have favourite veggies, and ones that they absolutely will not eat. My boys love carrots, lettuce, and broccoli, but aren't very fond of tomatos, celery, or bell pepper. I still offer the veggies they don't like and take away any leftovers after a couple of hours, but when they get something they like - watch out or you'll lose a finger!

Hahaha, she's that way over HAY, but not much else!

I did try carrots, too. I forgot to mention those, she was extremely uninterested in those.

I just want her to be CRAZY about some veggies so I know she's getting good things in her belly!

**this_lil_piggy** · #8 01-02-07, 01:03 am

Quote:

I just want her to be CRAZY about some veggies so I know she's getting good things in her belly!

She will get there

It just takes a little time and patience with some pigs. She just doesn't know what they are and isn't sure about it yet. If not before then, she will almost certainly take to eating them once you have a buddy because pigs are very "jealous", if you will. They can't stand to see another pig eating something they aren't.

Stick with the lettuce until she gives in. Out of 7 pigs I found that was the easiest thing to get them hooked on, and now they honestly pout if it isn't a part of their nightly salad. Lettuce doesn't go bad too quickly and pigs usually like to sneak about the cage when it is dark and quiet at night. Try putting a leaf of it in her cage before bed time at night and leaving it there over night. In the morning, replace it with a new fresh leaf. Just keep pushing it on her until she caves.

**OSUCavies** · #9 01-02-07, 01:10 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by this_lil_piggy

She will get there

It just takes a little time and patience with some pigs. She just doesn't know what they are and isn't sure about it yet. If not before then, she will almost certainly take to eating them once you have a buddy because pigs are very "jealous", if you will. They can't stand to see another pig eating something they aren't.

Stick with the lettuce until she gives in. Out of 7 pigs I found that was the easiest thing to get them hooked on, and now they honestly pout if it isn't a part of their nightly salad. Lettuce doesn't go bad too quickly and pigs usually like to sneak about the cage when it is dark and quiet at night. Try putting a leaf of it in her cage before bed time at night and leaving it there over night. In the morning, replace it with a new fresh leaf. Just keep pushing it on her until she caves.

I put cilantro in her bowl!
Anddddd, she LIKES it!
I'm super excited. She just took a little bit to warm up to it.

So now I'll have to try something else.

I'll just have to replace all veggies after they've been out all night.

I wonder if she'll like peppers. She's a crazy girl. So who knows.

Thanks guys

**OSUCavies** · #10 01-02-07, 01:11 am

Will it be easy to house 2 pigs together if one has been used to being alone for over a year?

I definitely plan on getting at least one or two more pigs in the near future, I just want them all to get along.

**Hansel** · #11 01-02-07, 01:25 am

My boys go nuts for cilantro! Cucumbers are another huge hit!

**OSUCavies** · #12 01-02-07, 01:28 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hansel

My boys go nuts for cilantro! Cucumbers are another huge hit!

Yep! My girl officially LOVES cilantro!

I'm happy!:-D

**this_lil_piggy** · #13 01-02-07, 01:28 am

YAY! I know you are relieved. Now the fun starts

Watching her grow into a braoder diet of veggies, and learn the art of "begging" for them . Peppers I would say are probably one of the hardest to get them to love, but once you do...they are so good for them! The red peppers are sweeter than the green ones so you may have better luck starting her with those first.

With pigs, there just isn't any telling. Some pigs that have been alone forever will take right to a new buddy, and some won't. I have also heard of people adopting bonded pairs, only for the little turkeys to turn on each other a few months down the road. My older easy going boar has always done fabulously with other pigs, but in the last week or so has gotten grumpy with ALL the other pigs--he's guarding the food and giving his son, in paticular, total hell.

I think he is going to have to be separated from the herd now, at least for a while, even though he has always been in a herd with no problems before now. It depends greatly on personality, who's dominant, and if the others agree to being submissive.

**OSUCavies** · #14 01-02-07, 01:32 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by this_lil_piggy

YAY! I know you are relieved. Now the fun starts

Watching her grow into a braoder diet of veggies, and learn the art of "begging" for them . Peppers I would say are probably one of the hardest to get them to love, but once you do...they are so good for them! The red peppers are sweeter than the green ones so you may have better luck starting her with those first.

With pigs, there just isn't any telling. Some pigs that have been alone forever will take right to a new buddy, and some won't. I have also heard of people adopting bonded pairs, only for the little turkeys to turn on each other a few months down the road. My older easy going boar has always done fabulously with other pigs, but in the last week or so has gotten grumpy with ALL the other pigs--he's guarding the food and giving his son, in paticular, total hell.

I think he is going to have to be separated from the herd now, at least for a while, even though he has always been in a herd with no problems before now. It depends greatly on personality, who's dominant, and if the others agree to being submissive.

Yeah I think peppers would be the hardest one to get her to like.

Sucks to hear your piggie is being so grumpy! Hell, mine is like that just with me. Some days she's begging for attention and others she gets pissy just with me getting her out of her cage. So I guess they have mood swings just like us!

I hope she can get along with another piggie. I think she'd be much happier with a friend. I just hope it doesn't take a long time to get her to open up to the other. I want them to be instant buddies! I just don't want her to bite or snap at the other. I'd get really paranoid about them killing one another.

**this_lil_piggy** · #15 01-02-07, 01:43 am

A friend of mine has a pig that was over a year old and had always been alone. She wanted to adopt one of my new baby sows to provide her with a cage buddy. So I go over one day and build her a new CC Cage (hers had been in a pet store cage up to that point) and we introduced the baby (Oreo) to the sow (Lilly). Lilly went hay wire. From the get go she was lunging at Oreo doing all she could to get a chunk out of her. Poor Oreo was running and screaming and trying to hide everywhere she could. Lilly just would not accept her, no matter what we did. We wound up having to put a divider down the middle of the cage to separate them. Much to our surprise, Oreo (who was lonely for her mommy) starting sleeping up against the grid divider, and trying her best to talk to Lilly, and Lilly did the same. They would "cuddle" from opposite sides of the grids. After several weeks of them living on opposite sides of the grids we tried again and darn if they didn't get along just fine. They are great cagemates now.
Lilly was a wild girl to begin with. She hadn't been handled a whole lot because she had been a biter and her owners were a little afraid of her. Now that she has accepted Oreo (Oreo was well accustomed to handling when we gave her to them) she has also tamed completely down, and allows lap time and handling with no biting!

I thought for sure this pig would never be able to have a buddy, but things worked themselves out and she has completely turned around.

**OSUCavies** · #16 01-02-07, 03:19 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by this_lil_piggy

A friend of mine has a pig that was over a year old and had always been alone. She wanted to adopt one of my new baby sows to provide her with a cage buddy. So I go over one day and build her a new CC Cage (hers had been in a pet store cage up to that point) and we introduced the baby (Oreo) to the sow (Lilly). Lilly went hay wire. From the get go she was lunging at Oreo doing all she could to get a chunk out of her. Poor Oreo was running and screaming and trying to hide everywhere she could. Lilly just would not accept her, no matter what w

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