Won't Eat New piggy won't eat anything but carrots

[Brandi0509]

We rescued a pig 3 days ago. He was being fed only crap pellets (with seeds and etc) and carrots. No hay. The only thing we have gotten him to eat is baby carrots. He is not drinking (from what we can tell). We put Oxbow pellets in there but he won't touch them (I'm guessing since they are different). He has Oxbow Timothy hay but won't touch it (I'm sure he just doesn't know what it is maybe since he's never had it). Tried to give him lettuce but won't touch it. I know he is still adjusting and has had a lot of changes but I don't know how long he can go on a baby carrot a day. I know that is his allowance for the day on baby carrots but do we give him a few a day since that's the only thing he will eat? (He is 4 months old) Surely he won't starve himself right? Any tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

[HannibalLecter]

You need to handfeed him Critical care or pellet mash as well as water every two hours or so, until he eats hay on his own.
Weigh him daily to ensure you feed him enough. And take him to the vet to have his teeth checked as he's been without hay for quite a while.
I wouldn't feed him any carrots at all until he eats properly. It may be the change of environment, but he really needs to eat & get fibers.

http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html

 

[G_Piggler]

Newbie, but would love to help.... Congrats on your new baby, and does he have a buddy? I'm thinking a healthy buddy could model good Gpig behaviors for him. Personally, I would get a mixed lettuce bag and keep trying until he finds something yummy. I picture a hand towel with piled hay and a buffet of lettuces right in the middle of the cage to encourage interest. We don't want him hooked on sugary carrots/fruits, and I bet he'll learn to love red lettuce eventually if you just leave it for him to graze from. I also keep my chopped lettuce quite damp on a small saucer when feeding, a bit of extra hydration that way. My shy baby gets her veggies in her favorite hidey spot so bold sister won't bother or steal her goodies, does your baby have a hidey or safe feeling area? Good luck!

 

[Brandi0509]

Newbie, but would love to help.... Congrats on your new baby, and does he have a buddy? I'm thinking a healthy buddy could model good Gpig behaviors for him. Personally, I would get a mixed lettuce bag and keep trying until he finds something yummy. I picture a hand towel with piled hay and a buffet of lettuces right in the middle of the cage to encourage interest. We don't want him hooked on sugary carrots/fruits, and I bet he'll learn to love red lettuce eventually if you just leave it for him to graze from. I also keep my chopped lettuce quite damp on a small saucer when feeding, a bit of extra hydration that way. My shy baby gets her veggies in her favorite hidey spot so bold sister won't bother or steal her goodies, does your baby have a hidey or safe feeling area? Good luck!

He does have a hidey which he doesn't come out of yet. He is alone right now because of being in quarantine but when he gets out of quarantine he will be getting a buddy (from a rescue). He does have an appointment with the vet tomorrow morning. She (my sister) does leave lettuces in his cage all day and night in the hopes he will eat some but so far he hasn't. I know he is just scared and is adjusting but I just worry about him. All our other piggies (between my sister and I we have 9 right now) wouldn't really eat the veggies and eventually came around but they at least ate hay. :sad:

 

[Brandi0509]

You need to handfeed him Critical care or pellet mash as well as water every two hours or so, until he eats hay on his own.
Weigh him daily to ensure you feed him enough. And take him to the vet to have his teeth checked as he's been without hay for quite a while.
I wouldn't feed him any carrots at all until he eats properly. It may be the change of environment, but he really needs to eat & get fibers.

http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html

Okay, I am going to have my sister stop at the store to get some canned pumpkin to feed him. Thanks!

And he has an appt with a cavvy savy vet in the morning!

 

[bguardguy]

So good to hear that you are taking him to a good cavy savvy vet! Hope everything works out well!

 

[Brandi0509]

So good to hear that you are taking him to a good cavy savvy vet! Hope everything works out well!

Thanks [MENTION=26656]bguardguy[/MENTION]!!!!!

 

[bguardguy]

Also! One tip I have to get my piggie to try new veggies is to give them a very fine dice. I find that when it is smaller he doesnt mind taking a bite. Plus he isnt overwhelmed by such a large piece of veggie or the new smell of it. That way he can try it without realizing that he is trying it. LOL yes trickery!!

 

[Brandi0509]

Also! One tip I have to get my piggie to try new veggies is to give them a very fine dice. I find that when it is smaller he doesnt mind taking a bite. Plus he isnt overwhelmed by such a large piece of veggie or the new smell of it. That way he can try it without realizing that he is trying it. LOL yes trickery!!

Definitely gonna have to try that! Thanks!!!

 

[bguardguy]

No problem! Anything I can do to help!

 

[Aleks]

[MENTION=25411]Brandi0509[/MENTION] When you introduce new veggies you should definitely start with some green bell pepper. It's a very good source of Vit C which they can't produce themselves, but they need it to be healthy. I don't recommend using vita drops though as they start to degrade once they hit the water and can make the water taste funny which can make your piggies not wanna drink it.

 

[Brandi0509]

@Brandi0509 When you introduce new veggies you should definitely start with some green bell pepper. It's a very good source of Vit C which they can't produce themselves, but they need it to be healthy. I don't recommend using vita drops though as they start to degrade once they hit the water and can make the water taste funny which can make your piggies not wanna drink it.

Thanks for the info. We are definitely trying lettuce and bell pepper but he isn't wanting it. Right now my concern is getting him to eat hay though since that's supposed to be 80% of his diet. Poor guy....

 

[bguardguy]

Yeah. Hay should be your number 1 focus. Have you tried timothy hay or alfalfa or orchard grass?

 

[Brandi0509]

Yeah. Hay should be your number 1 focus. Have you tried timothy hay or alfalfa or orchard grass?

Timothy. I don't think he even knows what it is. He doesn't show any interest at all. I told my sister to just put a bunch of it in his pigloo with him. Maybe he will decide to nibble on it in there. We shall see....

 

[Brandi0509]

Here is Kevin. We think he is a Texel. You can see in the picture he is just like "I'm not eating that lettuce!"

 

[madelineelaine]

Will he eat yard grass? Most pigs will eat that and you can use that instead of hay for a bit until he gets used to it. A healthy buddy would be really great as they tend to work that way. "Hey what are you eating, I want some, mine" etc.

 

[Brandi0509]

Will he eat yard grass? Most pigs will eat that and you can use that instead of hay for a bit until he gets used to it. A healthy buddy would be really great as they tend to work that way. "Hey what are you eating, I want some, mine" etc.

Our grass is all dead for the winter right now. Should we try giving him the dead grass? And he will be getting a buddy after his quarantine time.

 

[madelineelaine]

Dead grass isn't the best idea haha. You could try growing wheat grass, it grows within days.

But really, you need to get critical care into him because he isn't getting enough fiber. And a vitamin C tablet should be a must too.

 

[Brandi0509]

LOL! That's what I figured about the grass! My sister is going to get some canned pumpkin and is going to make a pellet puree with it here in a bit.

 

[piggiepleaser]

Praying for you. Keep us posted on Kevin!