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How Much? If my piggies finish their pellets and veggies, what do I do?

UnicornFarts12

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Hi! I’m new to Guinea pigs and want to make sure I’m taking care of them properly.

every morning I give them 1 c of vegetables each, 1/8 c. of pellets and 1 treat each. I always ensure that they have plenty of hay to much on. Then I give them 1/8 c pellets before we go to bed. (Following the 1/8c recommendation for each pig)

They gobble up the vegetables in no time at all, and quickly finish the pellets. Once they finish these, they only have hay left and will yell at us seemingly for more.

Do I just give them the recommended amounts and leave it be? (This is what I’ve been doing) or do I do something else?

I want to give them the best possible care. Thank you 😊
 

Soecara

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You can give them fresh hay.

Hay is by far the most important part of their diet, it keeps their teeth ground down and their digestive systems working properly. Overfeeding the other food options would cause them to eat less hay and increases the risk of overgrown teeth and digestive issues.

However sometimes they will get bored of the "old" hay, so topping it up with a bit of fresh hay or even just fluffing up the hay pile can make them happy. My guinea pigs enjoy nothing more then picking out very select strands of hay from fresh piles, nosing through all the hay just to find the one best piece.
 

UnicornFarts12

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Thank you! I always make sure they’ve got fresh hay. One of them loves the poofy parts of the hay. She picks them all out before eating any other pieces. Lol
 

teambenji543

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You can try to spread out the veggies through the day. For example half a cup in the morning and half a cup at night.
 

ItsaZoo

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I give mine small amounts of veggies throughout the day, and scatter them in the cage so she has to forage. I also keep corn husks on hand, which I freeze in the fall. Like hay, they are good roughage. Most of the time I feed pellets in a treat dispensing toy ball made for cats. She has to roll the ball for a few pellets, and it keeps her busy. I also grow grass in a little planter, so sometimes I just snip the top of the grass off onto the hay pile. Then she has to check the whole thing over and ends up eating more hay.
 

4boipigs

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I sometimes pick up all the hay they have scattered, make it into a new pile and my boys will seem satisfied with that. Otherwise I just give them new hay.
 

Rosiethecutepig

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Give them a treat once every other day. I use Oxbow's baked bell pepper treats. Or give them some grass. Never meet a guinea pig who didn't like grass.
 
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