Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

Pellets Guinea pigs not eating their pellets?

sezzle

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Posts
18
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Messages
18
I got my two female guinea pigs exactly 13 days ago. Theyre both 6 weeks old and theyre sisters. :)
They used to eat their pellets if I just popped them in their pigloo or left the pellets in their food bowl overnight and by morning most of them were gone lol
But for some reason they arent eating them anymore :eek:!
its the same type of pellets they had at the pet store and they always eat their veggies and hay. so why have they stopped with the pellets?
is there any way I can make them eat their pellets again?
help! what should I do? Im worried. :important:important:important
 

guineapigfied

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Posts
108
Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Messages
108
get a good brand like cavy cuisine by oxbox or mazure, mix it with the pellets and if that doesnt work sprinkle some alfla in and mix it or small pieces of cilantro or something like that :)
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,251
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,251
You need a good quality alfalfa pellet, like Oxbow Cavy Performance, until they're about six months old. If you don't have that, try to find some. Most pups like them pretty well.

The pellets are the least important part of their diets if they have a good quality hay and are eating veggies. What kind of veggies are you feeding them?
 

Tylerryan79

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Posts
57
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
57
As pbatters said, so long as your giving them hay and the right veggies they will be fine skipping pellets. Pellets do contain everything a pig needs, but if they get it through their veggies and hay they will be just as healthy as eating pellets. Do you weigh your pigs? Has their weight been dropping? Are your pellets stored in a air tight container or bag? Perhaps they are going stale and you have picky pigs?
 

nicholelynne

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Posts
90
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Messages
90
My guinea pig used to take about 4 days to eat 1/8 cup of the pellets he came with, kaytee something or other. When he ran out, I ordered a big bag of pellets from KMS Hayloft, and let me tell you, it was a great choice!! Now he gobbles up his pellets every day, and each morning, he is squealing for more! :D And the 2 brother piggies I adopted to be friends for him love these pellets too, always eager for thier daily scoops of pellets. I would definitely recommend ordering some and switching to this brand, as anyone on here will tell you, they have one of the best pellets available, quality-wise, and it ends up being cheaper than petstore food anyway.
Hope this helps!!lol
 

sezzle

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Posts
18
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Messages
18
Each day I feed them:
2 leaves of romaine lettuce
1 thin slice of cucumber
2 thin slices of baby carrot
1 slice of green capsicum
1 sprig of parsley
Alfalfa hay
Pellets
Water
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,251
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,251
They're likely getting enough vitamin C, but they may also be getting too much calcium. Are you seeing any white spots where they pee?

Parsley and alfalfa are both high in calcium, and while romaine is about the same as other lettuces, there's something about it that makes some pigs excrete calcium. So if you've got white spots, you need to make a change in diet.

I wouldn't feed cucumber daily. It can contribute to mushy poops, gas, or even bloat. And I'd give more than 1 slice of pepper per day -- my two get 1/4 to 1/3 pepper, depending on the size of the pepper.

I'd also suggest adding some more variety to their diet. Cilantro and dill are huge hits with my two, as are tomato, endive, green beans, summer squash, and corn husks and silks.

If you can get them to eat a wide variety of vegetables, you don't have to worry too much about the pellets, although it's good to feed them if they'll eat them.
 

sezzle

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Posts
18
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Messages
18
Yes i am seeing white spots where they pee and was just about to ask about it too. I'm quite concerned. Thanks for that great advice! :) I'll be sure to make a change in their diet ASAP! Do you have any more suggestions of foods that I could feed my guinea pigs daily that aren't high in calcium? I'm going grocery shopping soon, so I'd like to find out :)
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,251
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,251
Read the "read me" sticky in the Diet and Nutrition forum -- it'll give you the calcium in each of the vegetables.

But unfortunately, that's not the whole story. Romaine has about the same amount of calcium as red and green leaf lettuce, but my pigs, and a lot of others, excrete calcium like crazy when they're fed romaine. And not when they aren't.

It may be that there's another compound in romaine that causes that, or that the other lettuces have a compound that prevents it. Nobody knows.

Since you're not in the US, you can't get Kleenmama pellets, so I don't know what to suggest about pellets.
 

sezzle

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Posts
18
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Messages
18
Hm, the thing about the lettuce is quite strange in fact! :)
Thanks for all the advice and help :)
I'll try my best to find a good quality pellet, our local pet store has terrible pellets so I never buyfrom there anyway, I'll have to do a good search for the right pellets :)
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

Top