My piggie won't eat pellets

**Janelle** · #1 08-30-08, 08:47 am

Rumpy is 4.5 weeks old, and she won't eat her pellets. I've given her timothy and alfalfa pellets--both Oxbow. As far as I can tell, she hasn't really touched either in the past week. She's also very picky about what fruits/veggies she eats. She inhales romaine and red leaf lettuces, cilantro, and the occasional strawberry. She won't touch carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, or squash. She also eats TONS of hay--both alfalfa and timothy, but mostly the alfalfa and just lays on the timothy.

Should I be concerned? Is there something I should do to make her more interested in the pellets and other veggies? Is she still getting all she needs for a baby piggie?

Thanks!

**Drawingwords** · #2 08-30-08, 09:00 am

Are you completely, 100% sure she's not eating any pellets. I would take about 10 pellets and put them in the dish and see if any are disappearing. She could just prefer not to eat them or eat very little of them.

Some pigs do go pelletless, some even waterless! However, make sure she is getting lots of hay-I'm giving my babies alfalfa and timothy- and even give them fresh grass and keep trying with the veggies. If she has a cage mate, she might eat them if she sees another pig eating them.

Good luck!

**Janelle** · #3 08-30-08, 09:25 am

I'm trying to find a buddy for her. I just finally decided that she is, indeed a female. There are only males in the shelters around. I found one lady that had a female, but I'm not getting replies to my e-mails.

I'll try what you said with just a few pellets. Thanks for the help!!

**Ly&Pigs** · #4 08-30-08, 01:58 pm

Pellets are the least part of the diet so it's not that big of a concern if she's not eating them. Veggies however are a large part of the diet. Be persistant and keep offering small amounts of new veggies and leave them in the cage for a few hours. Have you tried bell pepper? Great for vitamin C.

I'd do either alfalfa pellets or alfalfa hay but they don't really need both.

**Janelle** · #5 08-30-08, 03:56 pm

Oh, that's good to know. She LOVES her alfalfa hay!! Is there a certain age I should quit giving her the alfalfa hay?

Yes, I've tried bell peppers. She didn't like that either, but I'll keep trying. I need to get some orange, red, or yellow ones and see if she likes those better. She seems to be starving all the time. Is there a limit to how many veggies I should be giving her? Is it okay that she eats hay all day long?

**Ly&Pigs** · #6 08-30-08, 04:02 pm

Quote:

Is there a certain age I should quit giving her the alfalfa hay?

About 6 months.

Quote:

Is there a limit to how many veggies I should be giving her?

There is no limit to variety, however some things are better fed a certain number of times per week and in small amounts.

Have you seen the Nutrition charts sticky thread in this forum section? If not, check that out along with the sample menus thread.

If she's eating hay all day long, that's excellent.

**Janelle** · #7 08-30-08, 06:53 pm

Yes, I've been going off of the chart and the sample menus. I've been varying it as much as possible for the foods she will eat (for example, one type of lettuce in the morning and a different type of lettuce in the evening), plus I give her cilantro once a day and a food that she so far hasn't eaten (either a carrot, a tomato, a piece of green pepper, etc.).

That's a relief on the hay. It seems she's eating it constantly.

Thank you!

**Janelle** · #8 09-08-08, 02:00 pm

Ok, so Rumpy still won't eat pellets. Every time I move she's wheeking at me. I think she'd eat a whole refrigerator full of lettuce if I'd let her. She still won't touch green peppers, carrots, squash, or tomatoes. She wants nothing but lettuce and hay all the time (she also eats cilantro), and she always acts like she's starving!! What should I do? Is it possible to overdo fresh veggies--especially lettuces? Should I just let her wheek, hoping that in desparation she'll try her pepper or pellets? It's so hard to hear her begging and not give in!!

**CavyKeeper** · #9 09-08-08, 02:33 pm

It could be that she is ignoring the pellets because she knows she's getting plenty of other food that she really likes (the lettuce and hay). Similar to how if you gave a pig pellet mix with seeds and junk in it they'd pick through and only eat what tasted best to them. In your case, Rumpy's at least eating food that's good for her.

You might want to try cutting up your veggies into smaller pieces. I have a three month old boar who hasn't had much interest in veggies. I cut up half of a baby carrot into smaller pieces and he gobbled them right down.

**Janelle** · #10 09-08-08, 02:39 pm

Oh, great idea!! I can even try shredding it and mixing it into her lettuce. Then she's bound to try at least a little bit and realize that it's good stuff! She won't even try red peppers, but I bet she'd like them once she tastes them. Thanks! I'll try that.

**Janelle** · #11 09-09-08, 08:45 am

Ok, so my pigs are rotten.

I tried shredding the pepper into their salads last night. Rumpy somehow managed to eat all around it. Maybe she swallowed some, but it certainly hasn't changed her mind about whether or not she likes it. Yahoo, either. She actually left some of her salad in her bowl last night, because it had peppers on it!

**CavyKeeper** · #12 09-09-08, 10:34 am

I feel your frustration, though, I have to admit, I was laughing to myself at your last post. Maybe you should try more leafy veggies like chard, curly endive, and other veggie leaves since she seems to like leafy things better. It could be she just doesn't want to bother with harder food? One thing's for sure, they've already got you wrapped around there little paws.

**Janelle** · #13 09-09-08, 01:40 pm

Isn't it something how they train you like that? I've had Rumpy for not quite 3 weeks and Yahoo for not quite 1 week, and I'm already at their beck and call. Yeah, I'll hit the store for more stuff tonight. Thanks for the suggestions.

**auburnmare5** · #14 09-09-08, 07:18 pm

Pellets are not a necessary staple to a guinea pig's diet. A gp can go w/o pellets, as long they have enough veggies etc... to replace them.

**Ly&Pigs** · #15 09-10-08, 12:09 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by auburnmare5

Pellets are not a necessary staple to a guinea pig's diet. A gp can go w/o pellets, as long they have enough veggies etc... to replace them.

It's called a HAFF (hay and fresh foods) diet. But before undertaking this type of diet, you need to do a lot of research.

**Janelle** · #16 09-10-08, 12:32 pm

Once I have the two girls together, maybe Yahoo eating pellets will encourage Rumpy to eat them.

In the meantime, I'll search for info on the HAFF diet for my rotten little picky pig! Thanks!

**Janelle** · #17 09-10-08, 12:54 pm

Ok, so I've only been searching for about 15 minutes, and I'm already nervous about trying a HAFF diet.

I first tried the Mazura alfalfa pellets, then I tried the Oxbow timothy ones. Maybe if I try the KM timothy ones? But she won't eat timothy hay, either, so I'm scared to spend a bunch of money on more pellets that she won't eat. I know she used to eat pellets when my sister still had her, but those were the junk ones from Wal-Mart. Should I try another brand? How long can she go without pellets? I don't think she's eaten a single pellet for the past 3 weeks that I've had her. I've tried just putting 10 in there for a week, and they were never touched. I still have some in there, but she's not eating them. Yahoo won't be out of quarantine for another 2 weeks, so Rumpy can't see her eating them. Is there anything else I can do to encourage it?

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