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Original poster

I think my Guinea Pigs are playing me

29 replies

FabBakerGirlIsBack · 18/09/2009 07:35

They are certainly being spoilt.

They love broccoli, curly kale and carrots and eat the lot but they don't seem to be eating their cereal.

Do I just give them extra fresh stuff, no fresh stuff tomorrow so they have to eat the cereal or try a different brand?

We have had them for a week and the rescue centre said what we had bought them was fine.

OP posts:
Meglet · 18/09/2009 07:47

I love your piggy updates .

You can just top up the dry food and chuck it every few days when it gets a bit stale. What brand do you have? Mine have supa-guinea pellets as they can't feed selectively from it. I would go easy on the veg today and see if it gets them eating the dry stuff. They need the dry food and grass to keep their teeth down.

Hope they have a nice day today .

bruffin · 18/09/2009 07:56

Have you tried them with a bunch of parsley or coriander, ours love it and I think they have lots of vitamin C.
Also cucumber, there is nothing so funny as a guinea pig fight over cucumber. We give them two pieces but they still want the same bit

We also use the pellets, but they seem to rely more on the fresh food and grass.

Original poster
FabBakerGirlIsBack · 18/09/2009 08:17

They have had parsley and love it. I used some yesterday when I made pate and felt guilty .

Meglet . I was worried I was being a piggy bore.

I have got them Wagg guinea pig food and usually change it every other day and they get fresh stuff twice a day.

bruffin - do you peel the cucumber? Mine pinch food out of each others mouths but they love each other really. DS1 wants them to get married .

OP posts:
123andaway · 18/09/2009 09:17

I love your piggie updates too FAB

Don't peel the cucumber, the skins their favorite bit. Mine squabble over the end bit as it has more of the skin on it!

I love it with mine when two of them get hold of the same dandelion leaf, and eat it from each end until they meet in the middle like a piece of spagetti! They then have a tug of war over it to see who finishes it.

I would try swapping from the pellets onto a dry mix. Mine don't selectively feed, and you can always swap back to the pellets if you find it a problem.

weegiemum · 18/09/2009 09:21

It so nice to hear about people loving Guinea PIggies.

Think I might go and give mine a cuddle, actually!!

Original poster
FabBakerGirlIsBack · 18/09/2009 09:58

The food they have is a mix. It looks very similar to what the hamster has.

I asked a guinea pig owner this morning and she suggested leaving off the fresh stuff as they will then eat the packet. How many days do I try as I know they need their vitamin c?

I have just been to the shop for some bits and can hardly get our food in the fridge for the guinea pigs!

I bought them a ball thingy with a bell on to hide food in for them to take out and they seem scared of the bell .

OP posts:
WhereTheWildThingsWere · 18/09/2009 10:03

Ooooh you shouldn't be keeping your Guinneas in the fridge, they'll get very cold.

I wouldn't withold the fresh stuff it seems to be a mean thing to do to a food loving pig, maybe you could just cut it back alot, so you think you may be over-estimating how much they need? 'tis easy to overfeed them when they are so enthusiastic .

WhereTheWildThingsWere · 18/09/2009 10:06

Guineas even, that looks worrying like 'Guinness' which should of course be kept in a refrigerator.

Pyrocanthus · 18/09/2009 10:44

Perhaps give them some cereal on its own first thing, then give them some greens later?

ZZZenAgain · 18/09/2009 10:47

your gp's are living the life of riley there Fabbaker.

Ours eat mostly grass, tons of it and they eat the hay they sleep on. They eat some dry mix and love, just love banana skins.

ZZZenAgain · 18/09/2009 10:48

are they using the snuggly bed yet?

Original poster
FabBakerGirlIsBack · 18/09/2009 11:08

WTWTW

They have been in the bed but I haven't seen them in it together yet and I am not sure they know it is a bed.

They have this too which they snuggle up together in.

Mine ignored the pieces of banana. Maybe I should have left the peel on?

This morning they had about 2-3 tbsp of curly kale, -------- that long a piece of carrot and a couple of florets of broccoli. Too much?

OP posts:
ZZZenAgain · 18/09/2009 11:11

they like the banana peel. I haven't tried feeding mine banana yet though.

They are not that adventurous when it comes to new food. If they haven't encountered something before, they take a while to risk it (unless it's dandelion leaves or fresh grasses of some type).

Original poster
FabBakerGirlIsBack · 18/09/2009 11:13

I am getting them out for a cuddle and a play in their run once I have picked up DS2 from school in half an hour.

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WhereTheWildThingsWere · 18/09/2009 11:17

Are they baby squeaky pigs or full grown ones? I haven't had guineas since I was young, I always gave mine just dry food in the morning, as it was quick and easy and then 'greens' when I got home from school when I had time to prepare it.

I also kept rabbits and they all lived together in a huge hutch thing, and went outdoors alot, I never knew about the vit c thing and only ever fed them all on dry rabbit food, but I presume they all got lots of vitamins from the fresh stuff.

They were all very hale and hearty, one lived to be 8!

Like the carrot length illustration , it doesn't seem to much at all tbh unless they are babies.

Original poster
FabBakerGirlIsBack · 18/09/2009 11:20

One is 6-12 months and the other is 12 months. They are rescue piggies so they didn't know the exact ages.

OP posts:
ZZZenAgain · 18/09/2009 16:34

I think they are very lucky they came to you. What do the dc think of them so far?

Pyrocanthus · 18/09/2009 16:54

Hear, hear, ZZZen.

MmeLindt · 18/09/2009 16:58

You got to watch them Guinea Pigs, Fab. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile. They will be sleeping in your bed next and ordering you to bring them breakfast in bed.

Watch them, sneaky buggers they are.

Original poster
FabBakerGirlIsBack · 18/09/2009 18:24

Ds1 loves them. He cleaned out the whole hutch yesterday without me even mentioning it .

He loves to hold Toffee but is still a little bit nervous but I think he does well. he won't hold Bert as he is a bit more of a terror. I think Bert is just really scared still.

They are the most spoilt piggies in the history of piggies.

OP posts:
bonkerz · 18/09/2009 18:29

just to say that you need to be very careful giving guineas cucumber and lettuce as it is high in water and can cause diarrhea which can lead to wet tail. small amounts occassionally is fine, mine love cucumber and tomoatoes too!

Pyrocanthus · 18/09/2009 18:33

It's probably because it's not very good for them that they like it so much. The guinea pig equivalent of sweets. Ours grab it out of each other's mouths, too.

Original poster
FabBakerGirlIsBack · 18/09/2009 18:33

I will limit their treats.

I hope Bert settles soon .

OP posts:
Original poster
FabBakerGirlIsBack · 19/09/2009 13:48

Bert - who I want to rename Alfie - allowed DH to stroke him for quite a while today but still isn't keen on being held.

They have had their first piece of cucumber and seem to enjoy it.

They have gone in their cabin now for a rest.

OP posts:
bumptwitknocker · 19/09/2009 19:56

Ours took a good few months to be completely happy with being fussed all the time, but are inside, so are talked to every time we go past. Won't eat non-selective food stuff, so we've had to stick with Gerty guinea pigs. Only eats the red bits mainly. Keep giving loads of fresh stuff, it's all good, because they can't make their own vitamin c so need it all from fruit and veg. They'll decide what they like soon enough, and eat more dry food, but I would consider trying a different brand. Have fun - guinea pigs are fantastic!