Vegetables How much do you feed?

[GrinnyPigs]

I worry that my little piggies are getting overweight.. Could it be that I am feeding them too many veggies?

I have 3 girlies & they have nuggets in the morning (I can cut down on these), they are having about a bowl full between them. Is that too much?

They also have hay every day, usually a couple of handfuls.

Then they have veggies every evening.. Normally a mixture of carrots, bell peppers, lettuce, runner beans, tomatoes. My OH manages to give them a bowl full of veggies.. I tend to go a bit OTT & end up accidentally giving them at least two bowls full of veggies! Ack. Is this too many? Can they get fat on too many veggies?

 

[Piggies_4_Life]

Guinea pigs should have one cup of leafy green veggies for each pig

I give mine 1/8 cup of PLAIN pellets every day

And UNLIMITED hay

 

[pawner69]

I believe they can get fat on too many veggies and/or pellets. I am not sure how big your "bowl full" of pellets are but my girls get about 1/8 cup of pellets daily, 1 cup each of lettuce and veggies daily with an occasional snack of cucumber or carrot in the evening, and all the hay they can munch on. Definately do not limit the hay because they need it for their teeth and proper digestion.

 

[Piggies_4_Life]

How many carrots do you feed them a day? It should be one baby carrot a day be cause carrots have a lot of sugar. It's better to give them dark leafy greens.

 

[pawner69]

Yup! Its just a small piece of organic carrots...I don't like the baby carrots because of the stories about them being washed in bleach! ICK! And its not every day...maybe once or twice a week and same with cucumbers...maybe once or twice a week. They are only occasional treats and not every day.

 

[WheekingPiggies]

Hay is the most important part of a guinea pig's diet because it helps with digestion and wears down their teeth. Guinea pigs should always have a supply of hay available.
I really recommend that you measure out your piggies' pellets because adult guinea pigs should only have 1/8 cup of pellets each. (Or 3/8 of a cup total.)
Regarding veggies, guinea pigs should get about a cup a day each, or 3 cups all together. I would advise you to measure out 3 cups of veggies just to see how much it is and give them about that amount every day.

 

[pawner69]

Tried to edit but it wouldn't let me...my girls' daily lettuce is a spring mix or general lettuce mix purchased at the farmer's market. In the winter when I don't have the farmer's market available, we spend a little extra and purchase organic lettuce for them to protect them from the pesticids.

 

[GrinnyPigs]

The nuggets they are on are the Burgess Excel Tasty Nuggets.. As for the carrots, they've been having, on average, half a full carrot a day between them. Should I cut down on that then? And increase their leafy greens?

When I say bowl, I just mean their normal food bowl size, not a human bowl

Pawner69 - When you say your girls have 1/8 cup of pellets, do you mean each or is that between them?

The hay isn't limited, that's just usually what they eat And then they leave some of it lying around as well. I'm thinking of getting a hay rack just so some of it is kept off the base where they're toileting to keep it a bit more hygienic.

 

[GrinnyPigs]

Ok.. I've just measured out their nuggets as per the guidelines on the packaging. As they're looking a little chunky, I've gone with the lower amount.. Apparently they can have between 25-50g each.. Which seems like a large range! I've marked on a plastic cup 25g & they can have that each, so 75g in total.

I'm not sure what I can use to measure cups.. I'm in the UK so that measurement is a bit lost on me. Lol. Does anyone know what it would convert to in grams or anything? :/ Sounds like I need to give more leafy greens though & use the other veggies more as treats, in moderation. Should I include the bell peppers & green beans with the carrots as treats, or are they ok in larger amounts? I know red bell peppers can be higher in sugar than the yellow & green so I try to limit those as much as I can.

 

[jessieisabel]

You can't convert cups and grams as cups aren't a measurement of weight. You don't have any measurement of mL/L or fluid ounces?

 

[GrinnyPigs]

Ooh, maybe I could use the measuring jug instead of scales? I can definitely measure ml & litres on there.. Not sure about fluid ounces, should do though!


ETA - I've just given the girls their hay & I think a couple of handfuls was an underestimation! Haha. No wonder I go through it so quickly They have a few handfuls that go inside their house & a few more outside of the house.

 

[jessieisabel]

1 cup is 250mL so you could definitely be doing that

 

[GPlove94]

I give my guinea pigs 1/8 cup of pellets a day each, a cup of veggies each, and unlimited hay ALWAYS.

 

[Piggies_4_Life]

great i don't think you need to worry just keep track of their weight