Diet Piggies always hungry

[sheldon]

I have two pigs, the vet thought they were approx. 3-4 months old. One in particular is relentlessly hungry, every time someone enters the room they are housed, she cries out for food. One is also a bit larger than the other and though I am no expert, seems to be kind of overweight, especially compared with the other one.

I feed them unlimited hay and pellets (they tend not to bother much with the pellets), and fresh vegetables, 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup in the late afternoon.

Am I feeding them enough or should I be caving in to their demands for more food?

 

[Wibbles]

I think they are supposed to get 1 cup each so it seems enough. My pigs cry a lot but since they are on a feeding schedule now it seems to have calmed them down some. If you feed them randomly they will constantly cry for more. they are pigs you know

 

[Varcoda]

you should make sure that one pig isnt eating the share of the other. other than that.... piggies tend to wheek whatever chance they get XD

 

[KaileighRussell]

Guinea pigs are notorious for begging for food (Callie will shriek to the point the neighours hear her if she thinks she can weasel a carrot out of you).

One cup of veggies per pig is more than enough and they should be getting around 1/8 of a cup of pellets per day. Other than that timothy hay should be supplied 24/7. If they're truly truly hungry they will eat the hay.

I make sure to keep an eye on weight to make sure nobody is being bullied out of food. All my girls are gaining at a healthy rate - so it's just about begging. It's like how dogs beg for scraps! If you feel like your piggy is in need of some more weight feel free to add some extra fruit or veg.

They should be getting their fill of food throughout the day through their hay though, so they should never have an opportunity to go hungry!

 

[CanadianComforts]

One cup of veggies per pig is more than enough and they should be getting around 1/8 of a cup of pellets per day. Other than that timothy hay should be supplied 24/7. If they're truly truly hungry they will eat the hay.

Just to clarify, 1/8 a cup should be given after 6 months or 1 year (depends on who you ask).

@sheldon,
Your diet sounds great, what is in your 2 cups per day of veggies?
What brand of pellets do you feed?
What type of hay do you feed?


Guinea pig weights can vary, even among siblings. I had two sows years ago, one out weighed the other by a good 200gs all their lives and they were sisters from the same litter. My current sow Aolani is (at 5 months) over 800gs. She doesn't look "fat" at all. In fact Reko, my neutered male, has a larger dewlap (bulge under his chin) than she does and he is 2 years old and 1200gs. It really depends on their build. Some pigs hold their weight well while others look like furry bricks of fat, and usually weigh less!

 

[KaileighRussell]

There are no hard-and-fast rules for raising cavies. Each situation is very individual. We obviously have very different experiences, and tend to base our opinions on that. I don't know how long you've had cavies, but I've had them on and off for 30 years. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Oh definitely! One cup of veggies is the recommended amount (that I've seen on here) as well as by my vet. That number may or may not fluctuate throughout their lives depending on age I'll definitely agree with you on that. I have a kind of chunky pig so I've been sticking to that one cup method as it's a large enough portion (3 cups per day for all). I also don't feed in the afternoon - I'm at work all day so they get 1.5 cups in the morning 1.5 cups at night. On weekends they get the occasional treat during the afternoon.

As long as your balancing the types of veggies they get so they're getting everything they need the amount can depend on your personal situation. If you find they need to add a bit of weight then change their feeding, if they need to slim down a bit take away from the amount pellets or veg. Hay has to remain 24/7 constant though!

Spy9doc I'm glad we're able to disagree without being all grumpy with each other! It always makes me happy when clashing opinions can get along! @sheldon Spydocs advice is also very good! Definitely look at your individual situation before coming to a decision

 

[soccerchickgrp5]

Every piggy is different!!! They need more calcium for their growing bones!!! Balance the diet of veggies and make sure they have unlimited hay!






:cheerful: Good Luck :cheerful:

 

[Wibbles]

Not really........actually they are rodents......but you know that. Cavies are *generally* not like dogs or other animals who will overeat.

Sorry I meant the last line as a joke. I appolgize if I mislead.

 

[sheldon]

Just to clarify, 1/8 a cup should be given after 6 months or 1 year (depends on who you ask).

@sheldon ,
Your diet sounds great, what is in your 2 cups per day of veggies?
What brand of pellets do you feed?
What type of hay do you feed?

Thanks for all the responses. As for answers to the above, they get a spring mix of greens, carrot greens, green, red or yellow peppers, carrots, apple pieces or strawberry pieces twice a week as a special treat.

I use Oxbow pellets and Oxbow timothy hay and they are always in the cage along with their water bottle.

The smaller piggie is more laid back about food and not near as demanding as the larger one is. The larger one also is more inclined to try to bite fingers when she gets picked up and when held will also go for zipper pulls and anything else she can chew on.

I'm a little concerned that she is getting too much of the food at the expense of the smaller one who is less aggressive about getting to the food bowl. Last night I picked up the larger one and held her out of the cage for a minute or two in order to give the smaller one a head start on the food, she was not amused. At least she hasn't devoured the fleece bedding yet...

 

[MuggleMaggie]

Hmm... this makes me wonder if my feeding habits are good, too? i use timothy hay, always int he cage with water, and I keep pellets out always too. I use Kaytee pellets. Balance diet, or something like that? and then one cup of veggie mix a day (per pig) . this week my veggie mix is snow peas (pod and all) and romaine lettuce. I give a hunk of fruit or carrot to each pig a day, too.

 

[Wibbles]

the only thing I have heard is that kaytee food is horrible with additives and stuff. I switched to oxbow and they have been a lot more perky.

 

[sheldon]

Thought I would post some pics of my piggies so folks could see the size difference between them and also perhaps some thoughts if Rosie (aka Jabber the Hut) needs a go around with Jenny Craig.

Brownie


Rosie

 

[sheldon]

Looks like yesterday's attempt at posting pics didn't work, the top one is Brownie, the bottom one is Rosie, the one with the voracious appetite and shameless attempts to convince me that I'm heartlessly starving her...