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My piggy isn't eating his hay!

WiggyD

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Greetings!! I am new here and am so happy to have found you all! My sweet piggy, Wiggles, hasn't eaten his hay in several days. However, he eats his pellets, carrots, etc. I switched brands and that didn't work. I took him to the vet and his teeth were fine!! I am completely at a loss and so worried. Any help or advice is much appreciated!
 

bpatters

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Are you getting your hay from a local pet store? If so, it may be dry and tasteless. That's by far the most expensive way to buy hay, and also the worst quality.

You can get very good hay online from places like Small Pet Select, American Pet Diner, or KMS Hayloft for less than half what you pay for pet store hay.

Or, if there's a local farmer near you, you can get good hay for very little money.
 

WiggyD

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Yes, I do get my hay from a chain pet store....I will definitely look into getting it elsewhere. Thank you for the info!! Also, what would make my guinea pig suddenly go off his hay that he had been previously eating with no problem?
 

bpatters

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I have no idea. They just do that sometimes.
 

lisa325

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You could try a different hay. We use Timothy and Orchard Grass mixed, so they don't get bored with the same hay all the time
 

ZiggyPig

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I often give the girls a variety - they always have Timothy but they usually get a little bit of some Orchard Grass, or Meadow, sometimes Botanical hay to keep life interesting.
 

lisa325

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I don't give meadow or botanical because of the herbs mixed in, some are high in calcium and I try to keep my boys on a low calcium diet.
 

WiggyD

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Thank you all so much! I ordered a variety pack from Small Pet Select so hopefully he finds something he likes.
 

stray hares

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How much of the non-hay foods do you provide (i.e. pellets and veggies)? Is there any point in Wiggles' day where he only has hay to eat, that is, cannot choose to eat another food over hay?
 

WiggyD

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Yeah....We give him pellets in the morning and then fresh fruits/veggies a couple times a week. We even stopped extras to see if he'd eat the hay, but no go :-/ just not sure what's going on.
 

ZiggyPig

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Yeah....We give him pellets in the morning and then fresh fruits/veggies a couple times a week. We even stopped extras to see if he'd eat the hay, but no go :-/ just not sure what's going on.

Quick side note from what I see here - he needs fresh veggies every day. A cup per day - usually a mix of red leaf/green leaf/romaine lettuce, bell peppers, cilantro, sometimes zucchini, other herbs, lots of other veggies can be mixed in - which you can see on veg chart here. Fruit rarely - I do it 2-3x per month but I am conservative.

If he is able to sucker you into treats when he doesn't eat his hay, he likely will, btw. GP's are ridiculously smart, occasionally conniving little creatures who will do their best to figure out how to train humans.
 

ZiggyPig

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I don't give meadow or botanical because of the herbs mixed in, some are high in calcium and I try to keep my boys on a low calcium diet.

Thank you for this - I've stuck to Orchard a lot, and meadow rarely with botanical once or twice, so this good to know.
 

WiggyD

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That is so helpful! Thank you!! :)
 

bpatters

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Be careful with the romaine and the cilantro. Both can cause excess urinary calcium in some pigs, but not in others. If you notice large amounts of dried white powder/grit where the pig has peed, skip the cilantro and switch to red or green leaf lettuce.
 

ZiggyPig

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Be careful with the romaine and the cilantro. Both can cause excess urinary calcium in some pigs, but not in others. If you notice large amounts of dried white powder/grit where the pig has peed, skip the cilantro and switch to red or green leaf lettuce.

Thank you for this! Sometimes I have a hard time remembering all the nutrition info and grab from my base knowledge. This is good to add to it.
 

RubyC

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Huh, that's so strange. You went to the vet so that's the best thing you can do. Has your pig been chewing toys?
 
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