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Pellets is 1/8 really enough?

geo13

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 5, 2012
Messages
122
So they weren't eating hay anymore as much , so I did what everyone told me. I measured 1/4 cup of pellets cuz I have 2. Gave it to them in their feeder this morning (they share) They finished it up by 5.Bailey eats than lucky,I did notice they started going for the hay . Good right yea but then I noticed they started head Butting their feeder until they knocked it off.they EVEN moved their litter box which is a bit heavy and squeaked when they heard me and climbed up at the edge of coroplast to see if I was coming.now is this their way of throwing a fit out are they hungry they have no food in their feeder anddddd I feel so advice anyone? PS they do have hay.....
 
The oxbow that I give my pigs says 1/8 to 1/4 cup per pig. Check the bag of food as some lower quality foods do require a larger quantity of food. Also, if they are used to having way more food than that per day, they are not going to be happy going down to a reasonable amount. Do they get veggies and greens too?
 
Pellets are the least important part of a guinea pigs diet. You should only feed between 1/8 to 1/4 cups of pellets per pig. If you provide unlimited hay, then they will graze if they are hungry. You don't need to worry about them not eating enough.

What kind of pellets do you feed? If you feed one that isn't very nutritional, they may want it more then the hay. It's like giving a kid a choice between eating french fries or eating broccoli...LOL
 
Yep they do I give the Oxbow essentials for adults
 
Idk so bump it up to 1/2 cup instead? That way its 1/4 each?
 
Idk so bump it up to 1/2 cup instead? That way its 1/4 each?

Yes, you can bump it up to 1/4 cup for each pig per day. It's a good idea to have a kitchen scale so you can weigh your pigs weekly. You can tell a lot about their health just from fluctuations in their weight.
 
What kind of hay are you feeding? They might not like they hay you give them?
 
i have two babies around 2-3 weeks old 1/8 oxbow pallets too?
 
i have two babies around 2-3 weeks old 1/8 oxbow pallets too?

For pigs under 6 mths, the pellets should be alfalfa to supplement the timothy hay. Under 6 mths, can have unlimited pellets.
 
my pellets from oxbow ( baby) and yeah unlimited one question
should i change my male to female?

im putting my male and female tgt . they are 3weeks old . might pregnant? if i separate them will they be lonely?
 
my pellets from oxbow ( baby) and yeah unlimited one question
should i change my male to female?

im putting my male and female tgt . they are 3weeks old . might pregnant? if i separate them will they be lonely?

Yes, please seperate your male and female. It's best to keep it that way, unless you have your male neutered. You don't want to end up with a pregnancy.

If they are only 3 weeks old, this is a great time to seperate them. You shouldn't have to worry about your little girl being pregnant yet.

Guinea pigs are very social animals and do better in pairs or herds. I would suggest trying to find a good small animal/exotics vet to neuter your boy once he's old enough, so they can live together.

Where did you get your pigs? If you got them from a petstore, maybe you can exchange one of yours so that you have a same sex pair. Or you can see if a rescue/shelter will trade with you as well.

There always the possibility of getting another male and female, so the boys could live together and the girls could live together. I only suggest this if you have the proper space, funds, and time to care for 4 guinea pigs. They can be a handful.
 
How essential is it for pigs under 6 months to get alfalfa pellets? My girls will be 6 months next month, but they've been getting timothy pellets since I've got them. They very healthy, but now I feel a little guilty that I've been feeding them timothy and not alfalfa pellets. :sad:
 
I'm not really super precise when I feed pellets mainly for three reasons. Number one I am currently switching them over from oxbow cavy cusisne to oxbow organic guinea pig. Number two because I have 2 pellet bowls because my girls are a little mmm they don't like to be in the smae litter bix at the same time lets put it that way they don't fight though but anyway so I try to put roughly about 1/8 of a cup in each dish but like is said since I'm mixing it it's not perfect. And Numer three because I don't have a 1/8 measuring scoop just a 1/4 so I try to give them a perfect half but again I'm not overly precise and really and I don't know if this goes for all guinea pigs but mine won't over eat they will only eat what they are hungry for. You can feed up to a 1/4 cup per pig or 1/2 for two pigs since they share a bowl if they are acting like they want more but I wouldn't reccomend more than that and make sure they have unlimited grass hay and one cup of veggies per pig everyday.
 
How essential is it for pigs under 6 months to get alfalfa pellets? My girls will be 6 months next month, but they've been getting timothy pellets since I've got them. They very healthy, but now I feel a little guilty that I've been feeding them timothy and not alfalfa pellets. :sad:

The extra calcium in alfalfa helps them grow healthy, strong bones structures. If they've come this far without them, then I wouldn't bother switching for a month just to switch back.

Don't feel guilty. I'm sure your babies are happy and healthy if you are tending to their other needs. :cheerful:
 
That is good to know! Thank you!:eek:
 
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