Nutrition: A Bit Confused

[tabikat55]

My grandsons have 2 GP's. Tasha is a 3 mo black & white Abyssinian Satin (at least she looks like one according to pictures on the internet). Carley is a 2 mo "calico" Teddy (her fur is so dense you can't even see her skin). They are both so darn pretty!

Their diet consists of: All the Timothey Hay they want, Guinea Pig Pellets(these have dried carrots in them), 1/8 cup Romaine Lettuce, 1 Carrot Chip, 2 Snow Pea Pods and a small slice of a quartered orange.

Any way I have a couple of questions:

1. Currently I buy their hay and pellets (bulk) at the pet shop. But now I'm wondering if they're fresh (or at least as fresh as possible). What is the shelf life for hay and pellets?

2. I understand that they need a varitiy of lettuces, so last night I bought a bag of mixed which has Green Leaf, Red Leaf, Butter Lettuce, Radcciho and Romaine in it. Will this work?

3. I also bought a Red Bell Pepper (not realizing that it was yellow or green that I needed). Can I use this one up first?

4. And how much Cillantro should be put in to the mix?

5. For the orange I was peeling it and giving them the juicy part. But I thought I just read where they need the peel. Which is correct?

My plan is (since these are the grandsons pets) was to make a bowl of all the veggies and then separate then into small 1/2 cup sealable containers. This way after the boys clean out the cages they just have to grab a container of veggies along with the fresh hay, pellets and water.

Does this sound like it's a good plan?

thanks

[Ly&Pigs]

Hi and welcome.

I would switch to a high quality pellet. Pellet mixes with dried veggie bits are not good. The best brands are KM's and Oxbow. Since your grandson's pigs are so young, they would need an alfalfa based pellet.

The shelf life for hay is at least a year or more if stored properly in a cool place where no moisture can get to it. The shelf life of pellets vary. They are best kept in an airtight container away from light keeping out only what you need for a week or two.

Their diet needs some modifications. They need the minimum of 1 cup of veggies per day, primarily made up of leafy greens. A variety of lettuces is good and you can use the mix that you bought. Pretty much any variety of lettuce is safe except iceburg. They each need a good handful of the lettuce mix. If giving head lettuces they need at least a couple of large leaves or 3-4 smaller leaves per feeding.

Any color of bell pepper can be fed. Just keep in mind, the more colorful, the higher in sugar. They need about 1/8 of a bell pepper each per day.

As for cilantro, you can give a good amount. I've given up to half a bunch for my two girls per day.

The carrot chip each per day is ok but snow peas and orange should not be given daily. Oranges are very acidic, sugary and can cause mouth sores. I don't know where you read they need the peel. It can be fed, but it's not essential. They should get no more than 1 orange wedge no more than twice a week. If you are giving oranges for Vit. C, the bell pepper contains a lot more C and is better nutritional wise.

You really need to add more variety into the veggie mix. Variety is the key to a good diet as it prevents selective veggie eaters, it promotes a more nutritionally sound diet and they don't get so bored eating the same things over and over.

Since these girls are young, they'd benefit from parsley about 3 times a week as it's higher in calcium compared to cilantro. I'd add in 4-6 sprigs of parsley into the mix about every other day. I'd also add in some kale twice a week (great for C content). Give 1/2 a large leaf each or 1 smaller leaf each.

It's fine to pre-prepare veggies.

[Africa]

Here is Ly's nutrition chart (so you know how much and which types of veggies to feed) good to print out and refer to on a regular basis.http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...ants-list.html