Pellets How do you feed pellets? - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**rogersmithiii** · #1 10-20-09, 04:38 am

My GPs are dumping pellets all over the place, and wasting a ton of dry food. I'm buying the Cavy Cuisine, so wasting this stuff is costing a huge amount of money. The two GPs that arrived here had a small cat bowl for pellets. The two guys completely tip the bowl over, scattering the contents. The other GP has a SuperPet Feeder, but he digs there, and scatters too.

Super Pet Gravity Bin Feeder with Bracket

What works to allow the GPs to feed, but prevent food from getting wasted?

Thanks
Rog

**trump_cinnamon** · #2 10-20-09, 05:44 am

The gravity feeder holds too much. You might want to try a wide, heavy ceramic bowl. It has always worked for me, it never tips over. The only problem I have is Kokabo sits in it...

**Seonta** · #3 10-20-09, 05:52 am

What kind of cat bowl was it? Was it Plastic? I was told to use ceramic because it is harder for them to tip over, however if you are using loose bedding that they can dig in then they can probably get under the bowl enough to tip it over. But since they are digging in the other food bin they still might empty out a ceramic bowl.
Do they have any other toys?

**Ly&Pigs** · #4 10-20-09, 12:57 pm

How old are the pigs and how much are you feeding?

**lissie** · #5 10-20-09, 01:59 pm

Wide ceramic bowl works best for me. I got mine at a dollar store. If your pigs are older than 6 months, you should not free feed pellets.

**rogersmithiii** · #6 10-21-09, 05:29 am

I have no idea how old these guys are, and I provide free access to pellets. Do I need to only feed a bit, and then take it away? The first GP that arrived had a bin that gave 24 /7 access to pellets.

Rog

**rogersmithiii** · #7 10-21-09, 05:29 am

What do you suggest for toys? I have a piece of 4 inch PVC as a tunnel, and a piece of wood. Nothing else.

Rog

**rogersmithiii** · #8 10-21-09, 05:30 am

It was a small plastic bowl. I just replaced it with a stainless steel dog bowl. They won't turn that over.

**twiztedlilfae** · #9 10-21-09, 07:53 am

If I'm wrong I'm sure Ly will correct me, but free access should be given to piggies under 6 months, and if they're under 6 months they need an alfafa based pellet like cavy performance.

If they're older than 6 months then they don't need an alfafa based pellet, but a timothy hay based pellet like cavy cuisine, and access to food should be no more than 1/4 cup per pig so for 2 pigs it's half a cup for 4 pigs a whole cup each day. Feeding them anymore than that can lead to obesity.

That's why it's important to feed them unlimited hay and give them veggies. That's were they get most of the bulk of their nutrients from.

**Fudgenrolo** · #10 10-21-09, 07:54 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogersmithiii

I have no idea how old these guys are, and I provide free access to pellets. Do I need to only feed a bit, and then take it away? The first GP that arrived had a bin that gave 24 /7 access to pellets.

Rog

If you read the side of the bag it will tell you the quantity needed. It's basically 1/8 of a cup of pellets per pig per day.

I keep a 1/4 cup measure in the tub (the amount for two pigs per day) with the pellets so that I don't overfeed and I only feed them once a day - usually a couple of hours after they've had their tea-time veggies. When they've gone, they've gone. They don't get anymore until the next day.

They have 24/7 access to hay so they are never without food and having limited access to pellets means that they eat far more hay than they probably otherwise would which is just as it should be.

I use a large, wide pot rabbit bowl to feed mine.

**BabyBellie** · #11 10-21-09, 08:14 am

I use coop cups to feed mine. They have to stand a bit to eat them but they can't scatter them. Just make sure the bowl fits tightly in the holder or else they learn to bump the bowl out.

**Ly&Pigs** · #12 10-21-09, 01:24 pm

Please keep this thread on topic. I have unapproved your non pellet related question. Roger, please ask your toy question in the accessories forum where it belongs.

If unsure of age, do you weigh them weekly? Approximately how big would you say they are and what brand of pellets are you currently feeding?

**rogersmithiii** · #13 10-22-09, 04:50 am

Feeding Cavy Cuisine, as recommended by this site. Thanks for the info about feeding portions.

I haven't weighed them yet. I'm guessing that they're two to five years old. They're adults.

**rogersmithiii** · #14 10-22-09, 04:53 am

I responded about the toys because Seonta asked me about this in her post on this topic (see above).

"But since they are digging in the other food bin they still might empty out a ceramic bowl.
Do they have any other toys?"

How do you respond to someone's question in a topic if it's off topic? If I create another post in the right section, the person won't know that I've answered them. If I send them a PM, then everyone else reading the post won't get the benefit from the answer.

**Ly&Pigs** · #15 10-22-09, 01:18 pm

I didn't see where Seonta had asked about toys. So I apologize. We do try to keep threads on topic. I will re approve that post but in the future I'm going to ask everyone to keep a thread on topic for it's subject. For toy info see Guinea Pig Toys and Play

Cuisine is good but limit it to no more than 1/8-1/4 cup per day per pig since your pigs are adults. They will stop wasting so much. You are giving unlimited grass hay and veggies twice daily?

**Seonta** · #16 10-22-09, 01:43 pm

Sorry, I asked because I was wondering if she might stop knocking the bowl over if she had toys added. It was partly my fault for that.

**Ly&Pigs** · #17 10-22-09, 01:53 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seonta

Sorry, I asked because I was wondering if she might stop knocking the bowl over if she had toys added. It was partly my fault for that.

I'm not blaming anyone, I had not seen where you asked about toys. I read a tremendous amount of threads on a daily basis so I tend to read over them pretty quickly and sometimes miss things.

Looking back over the thread, I even missed in Roger's first post where he said he's feeding Cavy Cuisine. I think it's time to put my glasses on now.

Anyways, there's no telling why they like to dig in the pellets and toss them all over. But cutting down on the amount will keep obesity down and keep them from making such a mess.

I use a double sided cat food dish for my girls. They can put their paws on the edge of it but they've never been able to tip or knock it over. They can however, manage to scoot it around the cage for their own redecorating purposes.

**rogersmithiii** · #18 10-22-09, 08:28 pm

Someone asked if I was feeding hay. I give them a decent amount of hay twice per day. Veges (on the approved list) twice a day, or more often if I see that they've eaten everything. Organic leaf lettuce, swiss chard, blueberries, cranberries, tomatoes, occasional baby carrots, cucumbers, summer squash, green peppers.

**vicky2** · #19 10-22-09, 08:33 pm

Hay is something that they should have access to 24/7.

**rogersmithiii** · #20 10-23-09, 05:32 am

How do you know when you need to add more? There is clean hay on the bottom of the cage, but they seem to eat more when you put out fresh. I add fresh twice per day, and make sure that there is a decent pile for them to chow on.

"Thank you, Ly&Pigs, for this useful post," say these 2 members:
Heady (10-23-09), Seonta (10-22-09)