Young pig - oranges only?

[catipig]

I have had my 2.5 month old boy for six weeks. I am brand new to guinea pigs. I have been feeding him unlimited plain timothy hay pellets and lots of timothy hay. The pet store (sorry) said to feed him only orange slices until he is three or four months old, but I see on the chart it has a lot of sugar and should only be given a few times a week.. He loves to eat and gets an orange slice a day. Is it all right to start feeding him lettuce and a bit of baby carrot instead? Thanks for your help.

[Jenni_Feathers]

Yes, he should be eating all the normal veggies like on the charts. So yes, the Lettuce and Carrot is good. Also you may want to add some Bell Pepper, and maybe some Cilantro or some Parsley. Also since he is young he should have alfalfa pellets rather than timothy.

[Ly&Pigs]

Your pig doesn't necessarily need alfalfa pellets. They just provide extra calcium for growing. If you provide the calcium through veggies, no need to feed alfalfa based pellets.

I'd start with lettuce (no iceburg) and bell pepper. Save carrots for treats as they aren't very nutritious. I'd also give parsley to start with.

Oranges no more than one small slice, twice per week. They aren't even very good for C content.

[pigsforlife]

I wouldnt listen to what the petstore told you. You will find out that alot of it was garbage, and potentially harmful to your cavy.

As he is a petstore pig, it is likely that he has mites, or worse an URI. In any case he should be seen by an exotic vet. If you provide your state and either north, east, south or west (so south california, north arizona etc) we can help you track down a good cavvy savvy vet.

Also, you should consider making a C&C cage. You can find out more info on these on the site. 1 pig needs a 7.5sq ft cage. Although you should think about adopting another pig, as pigs are social creatures and do better in pairs.

If you need help finding a pig to adopt, again just let us know your state, and I will help you track down a guinea pig rescue or an adoptable pig near you.

Also, you should sex your pig as petstores are notorious for miss-sexing. Just push the pig gently around his/her genital, if something comes out then he is a boy.

[RayFay]

Mine only get oranges a few times a month but they get all their vitamins through a wide variety of other veggies.

What brand of pellets do you have?

[Cherish]

As other people have already said, the pet store unfortunately seem to have given you inaccurate information (which is their fault, not yours) and he could really benefit from being introduced to a wider range of fresh foods.

I really would not advise feeding him oranges every day, as even the sweetest varieties can be very acidic, and consequently may cause sores on his mouth.

[catipig]

Thanks so much for the responses. Greylock has been enthusiastically eating green leaf lettuce for the past few days. How soon should I introduce another veggie (green bell pepper?)? I will be holding off with the oranges for a bit.

Right now he is eating Kaytee brand pellets and hay. The hay seems kind of dry and scratchy, so I'd like to switch to something else.

pigsforlife, I would like to bring him to a vet who knows cavies. I live in Northern Connecticut, if anyone has any suggestions. Thanks again!

[Wheek Weak]

Originally Posted by catipig

Thanks so much for the responses. Greylock has been enthusiastically eating green leaf lettuce for the past few days. How soon should I introduce another veggie (green bell pepper?)? I will be holding off with the oranges for a bit.

Right now he is eating Kaytee brand pellets and hay. The hay seems kind of dry and scratchy, so I'd like to switch to something else.

You can start introducing a variety of veggies now. We give each of our piggies a quarter of a bell pepper twice a day, along with their other veggies. They have lots of vitamin C and can be fed daily.

If he doesn't eat a new food at first - keep offering it. Sometimes piggies won't try new foods right away. It may take a while before they'll start eating it.

Here is a link to Ly's Nutrition Chart. Print off a copy to use as a reference for what to feed, and how often. I use it everyday...I'd be lost without it! Diet/Nutrition Chart

An excellent source for hay and pellets is Kleenmama's. Here is the link for her site: Kleenmama's Hay

[Ly&Pigs]

I'd get your pig off the Kaytee pellets, they are low quality and contain many bad ingredients. You need a high quality plain pellet.

Go ahead and start with the peppers and every 2-3 days add in one new veggie in small amounts.

[Pumpkin_RIP]

Could anyone suggest some high quality petstore pellets to buy?

[pigsforlife]

Pumpkin_RIP - the only acceptable brand that can be found in petstores apart from KMs (online order only) and Oxbow (can be found in some stores) is Mazuri 5664.

catipig - This is the list of recommended vets off GL Veterinarians Connecticut - The GLX-Files . Are they any good?

[catipig]

Originally Posted by Ly&Pigs

Go ahead and start with the peppers and every 2-3 days add in one new veggie in small amounts.

I started the peppers this evening. He doesn't seem interested, but I'll be persistent and try the rubbing trick mentioned in the other thread about fresh foods.

Originally Posted by pigsforlife

catipig - This is the list of recommended vets off GL Veterinarians Connecticut - The GLX-Files . Are they any good?

Yes, thanks. I found this list the other day and requested an appointment with the one in Wilton, since it had such a good review. It is about an hour away from me (I don't mind the drive as long as I can locate an emergency vet much closer just in case) - can my piggy stay in the car in a carrier for that long?

[pigsforlife]

Yes he should be fine. Just give him so wet vegetables.

[Ly&Pigs]

Originally Posted by catipig

I started the peppers this evening. He doesn't seem interested, but I'll be persistent and try the rubbing trick mentioned in the other thread about fresh foods.

They usually aren't interested in anything the first time it's fed to them. Patience and persistance is the key. It may take him a couple weeks or so to eat the peppers.

[catipig]

Greylock started eating the peppers the next day, and I've introduced carrots too. I'm really happy to have your help on this, thanks again.