Diet: Is this a good diet?

[Rachelle15]

I feed my guinea pig 1/3 of his bowl in pellets, unlimited hay, and one baby carrot, 3 leaves of romane lettuce, and a tiny handful of parsely a day. Also he always has fresh spring water. Is this okay? Today I will introduce green leaf lettuce. Tell me if there is anything I am doing wrong. Thanks.

[akstrohm]

Hay: Are you feeding a grass hay like timothy or orchard?

He should have 1/8-1/4 cup of pellets if he is over six months old. What kind of pellets are you feeding?

He needs a lot more veggies. If he is over 6 months, cut back on parsley to a few times a week. He needs at least 1/8 of a bell pepper per day. Don't feed carrots until he is eating a good variety. You can add in cilantro,other lettuces, tomatoes, zucchini, celery, cucumber, etc. Check out the nutrition charts and sample menus in the stickies section. They will help a lot!

[Rachelle15]

Hes only 4 months, and I am feeding him Nutriphase pellets and Timothy hay, and he has a block of alfalfa hay.

[akstrohm]

Nutriphase is not a quality pellet. I would switch him to Kleenmama, Oxbow, Mazuri 5664, or Sweet Meadow (assuming you are in the US). He can have the alfalfa hay as a treat and should have the timothy hay at all times.

[1frankie7]

I feed martins but I do not think that it is available in the US.
And I would tell you good pellets but akstrohm basically did that so...

They need ALOT more veggies (think bell peppers cilantro ect) look and the diet sticky Ly made It is really really good.

[Africa]

This is what you need to print off and refer to all the time. Its Ly's nutrition chart: http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...ants-list.html

If your piggy is under 6 months he needs unlimited pellets (but only the good quality brands as already mentioned)

[blackarrow]

What the others said, plus, the hay block is a waste of time and money.

[Rachelle15]

I live in Canada sorry, I should have mentioned that before, he loves to play with the hay block he nudges it around and chomps on it all day long.

[akstrohm]

Oxbow is the best pellet available in Canada. You can find it in some stores or order it online.

[Rachelle15]

Once my bag of nutriphase is finished I will get some oxbow, I heard oxbow cavy cuisine is only for guinea pigs 6 months and older.

[blackarrow]

Originally Posted by Rachelle15

he loves to play with the hay block he nudges it around and chomps on it all day long.

I meant nutritionally/for proper tooth wear it's a waste of time. I don't see a harm if he's using it as a toy, as long as you realize that it's only any good as a toy. As I see you say he has other sources of calcium and he's already got timothy hay, it's not a big deal I suppose.

[akstrohm]

You can feed Oxbow Cavy Performance to pigs under 6 months or you can feed Oxbow Cavy Cuisine and then give a bit of extra parsley or other veggies higher in calcium.

[Ly&Pigs]

You shouldn't really wait until the Nutriphase is finished. It's a really crappy brand manufactured specifically for PetNotSoSmart. You'd do your pigs a big service by switching them now rather than later.

Variety is the key to a good diet. You need to add a lot more veggies into their diet. In addition to the nutrition charts, read the sample menus thread to get an idea of what a good well rounded diet should be.

[Rachelle15]

Oh dear, okay I guess I'd better get him some new food as soon as possible then. Also I just read the charts, thanks.

[louie_joey]

If you are having a hard time finding Oxbow in stores, then this is a really great place to order online, and they have 2 stores in Oakville. I use them and haven't had a problem!
Canadian Pet Connection Online - Healthier Foods For Healthier Pets