help with a problem!!!

[CavyCrazyMom]

OK, my girls will not eat their veggies, and they will not drink their vitimin water...what should I do!?! They are young (about 2 1/2 months) so I thought that maybe that was the problem, but I wanted to check with you guys to see what you thought and see if you had any ideas. I thought I posted this here, but I can't seem to find it, so sorry if you have already responded! Also, pigs don't need salt liks right?? And what do you recomend as far as chewing, because my girls wont chew on anything that I give them. HELP!!!

Thanks in advance,

~~Cheri~~

 

[mncavylover]

If you just got the pigs, they may not be used to the idea of eating veggies. If the vitamin water you refer to is their drinking water, don't put the vitamins into their water. The vitamins can lose potency VERY quickly in water. I use a mix of a crushed 250 mg vitamin c tablet and 8 cc of water. Each pig will need 1 cc per day. I put it onto their veggies, but you can try just using crushed tablets on their pellets for now if you like. They will eventually eat the veggies, keep trying! Good luck! =)

 

[CavyCrazyMom]

See, that's what I thought too, I was pretty sure that's what it was. I got them three weeks ago and they aren't givin veggies in the store, but we do give them fortified diets, so I was thinking that might be ok for now until I can get them to eat.

I have a funny story to go with that actually...
I had cut up some veggies for a couple days and kept them in a ziplock in the veggie drawer. The first day they got them room temp, but the next day it was cold. They wouldn't touch them either time...But this one day like a week later I put it in the same bowl I keep their other food thinking that they will try it then...no luck. BUT...Maggy went up to it and touched it with her nose and ran into her choob. Poozy went and sniffed it too, wondering what all the excitement was about. Then Maggy came up behind her and did it again...this time Pooz followd her...lmao...I about peed my pants laughing watching them do this for about 15 minutes!!! It was the funniest thing!
I had to share that...it's too cute not to!

~~Cheri~~

PS I just keep putting the veggies in there anyway, but they really aren't interested right now. I have tried different ones too.

What about chewing?? I'm afraid their teeth will overgrow!

Oh, and thanks for that hint about vitimin C...I'll try that. I know how important it is for them to have it and I've been stressed out! lol

 

[WildKingdom]

It took our little ones a while before they liked vegetables. For chewing...they prefer "natural" looking things. They wouldn't touch all the brightly colored blocks and sticks. They love those bark bites that you can put on the k-bobs and I bought a bird toy with sticks that still had bark on them and they love those too. And of course they like to chew their fiddle sticks house too.

 

[NoVeil]

They are still young, I would definately keep offering them veggies. Mine like romaine lettuce, cilantro, parsley, watercress, squash, corn....the list goes on and on... try bell peppers. Mine dig around in the bowl for bell pepper and jicama but our older girl, who was a classroom pet...she still is very picky about it. I hope when she gets a buddy and see them snarfing down veggies that she will realize what she is missing.

On an interesting note, my girl who doesn't eat veggies with the relish the others do, she is the one who goes through a ton more water. The two that are veggie hounds use maybe 1/4 the water.

 

[Treen]

What about chewing?? I'm afraid their teeth will overgrow!

Their front teeth are actually worn down by the opposing action as the guinea pig chews with its back teeth, not by chewing at things with its front teeth. They do enjoy having a gnaw at something like an untreated apple branch though.

 

[CavyCrazyMom]

Their front teeth are actually worn down by the opposing action as the guinea pig chews with its back teeth, not by chewing at things with its front teeth. They do enjoy having a gnaw at something like an untreated apple branch though.

Where can I find the apple branches?? I've heard tons of people talk about these, but I have no idea where to get them! lol I wish I had an apple tree out back but I don't, and no one I know does! lol

~~Cheri~~

 

[mncavylover]

Pet stores sell some "branch bites". I think they are made by SuperPet. They are branches from fruit trees.

 

[LiciaMommycott]

My baby piggie would not eat anything but hay when I first got him. In the end I started giving him unsweetened apple sauce (for my human baby) and he liked it. I mixed it in with the pellets and mushed it up and fed him by hand. With each meal I used less apple sauce until after a few days he was eating dry pellets. He then started eating anything I put in the cage.

Of course, perhaps it just took him a few days to get used to us and the above ordeal wasn't necessary but I was so afraid he wasn't getting enough nutrition and I've read than even a few days of losing weight can be serious.