General What do younger guinea pigs eat?

[Kota12]

I'm adopting a young (5 weeks) guinea pig today and was wondering what he would eat.
I've already gone out and bought some Alfalfa hay as I've read is the only type of hay they should consume around that age. What else should they be eating? I think I read somewhere that they should be eating veggies too.

Can they have little chew toys? At his age, after the quarantine period, can I introduce him? Or would my older boar (1-2 years) bully him too much?

 

[lissie]

They'd need the same food as the adults. Alfalfa is just a supplement for calcium and protein.
They'll need unlimited grass hay too.

If he comes from a reputable rescue that already did quarantine, you can do intro right away. If not, make sure to quarantine him for 3 weeks to make sure he doesn't have anything that could pass to your pig.

 

[elkaye]

They should be eating the same foods you're giving your older piggie, although probably not the same amount, and I've heard that younger ones are usually given more pellets. I also give my pigs (both the young and older one) an oxbow vitamin C tablet to make sure they get enough. But the thing to remember is that hay is the MOST important part of their diet, so if he's eating that really well, it's a good sign (I use timothy hay).

Chew toys are usually for keeping their teeth from growing too long, but the hay should take care of that. I bought my piggies chewing blocks, but they don't touch it. They prefer to chew on cardboard rolls, and their plastic and wooden hidey houses. Instead of investing in the chew toys, I suggest getting him a wooden tunnel or hidey house (if he doesn't already have his own hidey house, you should get him one, it'll help him from being too stressed out when your older pig asserts his dominance).

As for your older boar bullying, it's really based on his personality. He may or may not and you really can't tell until you put them together. He probably will feel like he has to assert his dominance since he is older and your new one is just a baby when they first meet, but you might not see much fighting until the younger one reaches adolescence if he starts trying to be the dominant one. I'd go through the forum to read up on people's suggestions about introductions (and there are lots of good websites linked on those threads). You kind of asked questions about different topics all in the same thread.

 

[madelineelaine]

Unlimited hay, and unlimited pellets. Long stand grass hay, alfalfa isn't really necessary.

 

[kirin no rei 77]

Unlimited pellets? I was always under the impression they were only supposed to get 1/4 cup per pig, per day. I knew the hay was supposed to be unlimited. Is that wrong?

 

[lissie]

Pigs younger than 6 months can have unlimited pellets.