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How Much? Veggies and pellets question

PennyLane94

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Ok so from what I’m understanding Timothy Hays free feed and pellets can be free fee if the piggies not pregnant ortherwise they are only supposed to get like 1-2 tablespoons a day of pellets and a handful of alfalfa hay if they are pregnant and I’ve heard to give 1 cup of veggies a day so would that be like 1/4 cup pepper 1/4 cup zucchini 1/4 cup raspberry’s/strawberries/sometimes other stuff and 1/4 cup lettuce? Or different amounts? I just want to make sure I’m feeding my piggies correctly especially since one might be pregnant
 

Soecara

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Guinea pigs should be fed unlimited amounts of a grass hay (unlimited in the sense top it up before they run out, timothy is a type of grass hay), this applies no matter the age or pregnancy status as the grass hay is what keeps their constantly growing teeth ground down and guts moving properly.

For pellets, guinea pigs over 6 months old who are not pregnant or lactating should be fed 1/8 cup per guinea pig per day of a high quality adult guinea pig pellet. Brands we recommend are Oxbow or KMS. Pregnant/lactating guinea pigs or guinea pigs under 6 months old can have more pellets and/or young guinea pig pellets, but if they are housed with other older guinea pigs it can be easier to just stick with the 1/8 cup of adult guinea pig pellets per guinea pig per day.

Vegetables should be 1 cup per adult guinea pig per day (scale it down a bit for younger guinea pigs, for example a 3 week old doesn't need 1 cup). What I feed my guinea pigs per guinea pig is 1/8 of a large bell pepper, 2 small leaves of lettuce (red leaf, green leaf, butter head, radicchio, or an heirloom lettuce from my garden), a 1 inch slice of zucchini, a 1.5 to 2 inch slice of a large carrot, and 1-2 cherry tomatoes or equivalent from a larger tomato. These are all vegetables that can be fed daily, if the pile looks a little small i might throw on a little extra lettuce or zucchini. Some days I will swap out the carrot or tomato for something else that can't be fed as often, for example cucumber, beans/bean leaves, snap peas/pea leaves, zucchini leaves, turnip, pumpkin. Fruit should only be an occasional treat in limited amounts as guinea pigs generally don't process sugar very well.

Now you might be thinking what about Alfalfa hay or young guinea pig pellets or a high calcium vegetable? The point of these are to provide a source of calcium for growing bones, you only need one source of calcium and you can choose whichever one source of calcium is best for your situation. You don't want guinea pigs older than 6 months who are not pregnant/lactating getting extra calcium as it can increase the risk of them developing bladder stones. So for example if you were housing a 3 week old male guinea pig with a 1 year old male guinea pig you wouldn't want the older one getting the extra calcium. In that case it may be easiest to chose a high calcium vegetable and take the younger one out to feed it directly to them. If you chose to feed alfalfa hay it should be at a ratio of roughly 30% alfalfa hay to 70% timothy hay.
 

PennyLane94

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Guinea pigs should be fed unlimited amounts of a grass hay (unlimited in the sense top it up before they run out, timothy is a type of grass hay), this applies no matter the age or pregnancy status as the grass hay is what keeps their constantly growing teeth ground down and guts moving properly.

For pellets, guinea pigs over 6 months old who are not pregnant or lactating should be fed 1/8 cup per guinea pig per day of a high quality adult guinea pig pellet. Brands we recommend are Oxbow or KMS. Pregnant/lactating guinea pigs or guinea pigs under 6 months old can have more pellets and/or young guinea pig pellets, but if they are housed with other older guinea pigs it can be easier to just stick with the 1/8 cup of adult guinea pig pellets per guinea pig per day.

Vegetables should be 1 cup per adult guinea pig per day (scale it down a bit for younger guinea pigs, for example a 3 week old doesn't need 1 cup). What I feed my guinea pigs per guinea pig is 1/8 of a large bell pepper, 2 small leaves of lettuce (red leaf, green leaf, butter head, radicchio, or an heirloom lettuce from my garden), a 1 inch slice of zucchini, a 1.5 to 2 inch slice of a large carrot, and 1-2 cherry tomatoes or equivalent from a larger tomato. These are all vegetables that can be fed daily, if the pile looks a little small i might throw on a little extra lettuce or zucchini. Some days I will swap out the carrot or tomato for something else that can't be fed as often, for example cucumber, beans/bean leaves, snap peas/pea leaves, zucchini leaves, turnip, pumpkin. Fruit should only be an occasional treat in limited amounts as guinea pigs generally don't process sugar very well.

Now you might be thinking what about Alfalfa hay or young guinea pig pellets or a high calcium vegetable? The point of these are to provide a source of calcium for growing bones, you only need one source of calcium and you can choose whichever one source of calcium is best for your situation. You don't want guinea pigs older than 6 months who are not pregnant/lactating getting extra calcium as it can increase the risk of them developing bladder stones. So for example if you were housing a 3 week old male guinea pig with a 1 year old male guinea pig you wouldn't want the older one getting the extra calcium. In that case it may be easiest to chose a high calcium vegetable and take the younger one out to feed it directly to them. If you chose to feed alfalfa hay it should be at a ratio of roughly 30% alfalfa hay to 70% timothy hay.
So like my 5-6 month old should get 1 cup of veggies and my 2 month old like 1/2 cup?
 

PennyLane94

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So something like this?

Furbys veggies
1/8th yellow/green bell pepper
1/2 large leaf of Romain lettuce
1/2 inch slice of zucchini
1 baby carrot
1 cherry tomato


Fancys Veggies
1/4 yellow/green bell pepper
1 large leaf of Romain lettuce
1 inch slice of zucchini
2 baby carrots
2 cherry tomatoes

sometimes adding cauliflower or turnips
 

Soecara

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Yes that does look good.

Keep in mind some guinea pigs, for an unknown reason, will have more urinary calcium when fed Romaine lettuce. We don't know why this happens as Romaine is no higher in calcium than any other lettuce, and it doesn't affect all guinea pigs. If you start seeing white spots on the bedding you may need to stop feeding Romaine and switch it out for another lettuce (not iceberg).

Turnip/cauliflower can be fed once a week in small amounts.
 

bpatters

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I'd just put the veggies down and let them eat. There's not enough difference in age to worry about separating meals for them.
 

Soecara

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If i recall correctly they are housed separately. The younger guinea pig is a boar who was originally mis-sexed as a girl, and the older one is a sow who is now under pregnancy watch.
 

PennyLane94

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I'd just put the veggies down and let them eat. There's not enough difference in age to worry about separating meals for them.
I figured since they’re separated right now till I can get him neutered I’d do individual meal plans until they can go back together
 

PennyLane94

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Ok so for the foods that are to be fed less often like the 2-4 times a week section is it like anything in that section can only be fed 2-4 times a week or like you could do celery 2 days cucumber 3 days and cauliflower 2 days a week?
 

Soecara

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Just to make sure we are all on the same page, you are referring to the chart in this link correct? https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List

If so then it depends on why the item is listed as 1-2 times a week, 2-4 times a week, etc.

For example, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and broccoli are both on the 1-2 times a week because they can cause gas. I would only feed two of those a week total. So for example if I feed cauliflower one day and broccoli another, I wouldn't feed brussels sprouts, cauliflower or broccoli again until the next week. I also wouldn't feed them directly one day after one another.

Some items are in the "occasionally" list because they are high in calcium, and have a high Ca:p ratio like basil, dill, thyme, turnip greens, etc. Depending on your guinea pig you might only want to feed 1 high calcium item a week, or avoid them entirely.

From your example yes you could do that without causing issues.

If you aren't sure why an item is listed the way it is and the end column doesn't explain, try comparing it to the items that are okay to feed daily. For example you can see peas are higher in sugar, and snap beans are high in oxalic acid.

Guinea pigs are generally very happy with their vegetables even if they get the same things every day, as long as they are getting pellets their vitamin needs are mostly taken care of, so try not to overthink it too much and just find a routine that suits you.
 

PennyLane94

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Just to make sure we are all on the same page, you are referring to the chart in this link correct? https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List

If so then it depends on why the item is listed as 1-2 times a week, 2-4 times a week, etc.

For example, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and broccoli are both on the 1-2 times a week because they can cause gas. I would only feed two of those a week total. So for example if I feed cauliflower one day and broccoli another, I wouldn't feed brussels sprouts, cauliflower or broccoli again until the next week. I also wouldn't feed them directly one day after one another.

Some items are in the "occasionally" list because they are high in calcium, and have a high Ca:p ratio like basil, dill, thyme, turnip greens, etc. Depending on your guinea pig you might only want to feed 1 high calcium item a week, or avoid them entirely.

From your example yes you could do that without causing issues.

If you aren't sure why an item is listed the way it is and the end column doesn't explain, try comparing it to the items that are okay to feed daily. For example you can see peas are higher in sugar, and snap beans are high in oxalic acid.

Guinea pigs are generally very happy with their vegetables even if they get the same things every day, as long as they are getting pellets their vitamin needs are mostly taken care of, so try not to overthink it too much and just find a routine that suits you.

Yeah im talking about that chart and I over think things way to often lol I’ve atleast figured out the best time for me to feed them is when I get off work at 4 am though weekends will probably be during the day lol
 
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