how much? am i not feeding him enough? :(

[kendalm7]

im just wondering how much pellets i should give my piggy a day? i give him 5 tablespoons and thats about almost 1/4 a cup but i feel like he stops eating it once the pellets in the bowl get low so im not sure if i need to give him more or he stops cuz hes actually full! is that enough cuz i feel like if i give him more he'll eat it! what do i do? how much? btw hes about 8 months old, thankyou i care so much about him and i worry so much about everything to do with him! so please help calm my nerves and help me feed him a proper amount. hes perfect size i belive he is not fattt but of course plum! thankyou (:

[PigPandemonium]

The main things guinea pigs need is hay, second is veggies, and pellets coming in dead last. Guinea pigs only need about 1/8 to 1/4 a cup of pellets per day, some people don't even feed pellets, so he's fine with what you're giving him.

[bpatters]

At 8 months, he should be getting between 1/8 and 1/4 cup of pellets per day, but in a month of so, cut him back to 1/8 cup. Pellets are the least important part of pig's diet, so don't refill his bowl if he eats them all during the day.

[kendalm7]

Okay thank you very much and also where's that food chart ppl are always talking about? Can someone find it for me and if not why kinds and servings of veggies should I give him a day? Thank you!

[Raine59]

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...ants-list.html

[PigPandemonium]

Here: http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...ants-list.html Guinea pigs should be getting one cup of veggies per day. Mainly a leafy green like green leaf lettuce (NO Iceberg)

My menu is this: Daily- Red or Green leaf lettuce, Yellow pepper, Corn husk and silk Weekly- Small bit of carrot, some kind of fruit, Corn, and green beans. They also get just random stuff sometimes. Like if I'm eating strawberries I'll throw them the tops and such.

[Paulo]

let me jump into this thread....my pigs dont touch the pellets, no dry, no wet, not mix with veggies. Tomatoes either, not regular, not cherry tomato either. They do eat peppers, carrots, corn, green beans, lettuce, parsley, basil, spinach, celery tops, cabbage and anything leafy.....I keep insisting and trying....I feed a cup of veggies everyday, but half untouched to garbage (and i have 2 piggies)

[PigPandemonium]

What kind of pellets are you feeding? Also, from my knowledge, cabbage is not good for guinea pigs.

[Paulo]

I get the pellets i can find here, for rabbits, as they are not so good for pigs i dont really insist and giving up on it. I am not giving cabagge everyday, but eventually. I am in a resource limited environment and i have to adapt to what is avaible here. At the same time piggies are very common here, but not as a pet but as food

[CavyMama]

I get the pellets i can find here, for rabbits, as they are not so good for pigs i dont really insist and giving up on it.

If the only pellets you can find are for rabbits, it's good that you are giving it up. Rabbit pellets are not appropriate to feed to pigs (as you mentioned).

I am not giving cabagge everyday, but eventually.

If I am understanding you, you want to eventually feed cabbage every day? It's not recommended as cabbage can be very gassy which can lead to problems for pigs. It's not a good substitute for lettuce.

[bpatters]

@Paulo , you should limit spinach -- it's too high in vitamin A and oxalates for pigs to have much of it. Cabbage can cause gas, which may lead to bloat. Red and green leaf lettuces and endive are better leafy vegetables for them to have.

[Paulo]

@CavyMama sorry, my wrong, not eventually!!! but once in a while....in fact today was the first day as i found baby red cabbage

As for the pellets, yeah, even the people here feed them with that, i know that is not good and i am just giving up on that. At the same time i am running low in options to what to feed them...

[PigPandemonium]

Pellets are not needed so much as veggies and hay are. I'd say as long as you are giving them great quality unlimited hay, and one cup of good veggies per day, you are fine without pellets.

[Paulo]

well well, hay is another issue, so far wild grasses and as much diversity of veggies as available

[CavyMama]

Hay or a grass alternative as vital to guinea pig health. What types of grasses do you have available?

[bpatters]

They need a long strand grass hay, or fresh grass if you don't have hay. Hay is what keeps their back teeth ground down and their guts moving normally. Corn husks will help, but are not a substitute for hay. Otherwise, they're apt to have dental problems, up to and including a trapped tongue. And since I can't imagine that there are too many qualified rodent dentists in Mozambique, I'd strongly encourage you to find enough fresh grass or hay to prevent his molars from overgrowing.

[Paulo]

Thanks for the advice, i cannot define what is the type of grass available here as it is collected in the wild. Today also i have visited an agricultural school, but the person was unable to tell me what grasses are in use as forrage.....even after my efforts in portuguese, but as i have said, people here breed and raised GP

[bpatters]

@Paulo , finding hay can be a problem in undeveloped countries. And I know you said that people raise guinea pigs there. But you also said they're raising them for food, which means they aren't interested in whether the pigs live long, happy, healthy lives as someone's beloved pet.

Since yours is a pet, keep looking for the grass or hay. What little I can find online is mostly about cattle food, which isn't generally suitable for pigs. You may find very low quality grass/hay during the dry season.

[Paulo]

@bpatters , thanks i know exactly what you mean, but for many people, the good care of a piggies is very important, they have to be well fed, healthy and able to reproduce, even if for food.
I dont give up easily when i have something in mind....i have been called "persistant" heheheh
So far i am using the wild grass brought from a guard and also some very different variety growing in my garden (no pesticides and not fertilizers)

Thanks!

[PigPandemonium]

If they are really caring for guinea pigs well (Even if for food) then wouldn't they be able to tell you where they get good quality hay, pellets, and such for their pigs?