What I must NOT feed the pigs??

[threecurrantbuns]

I'm on a steep learning curve.
:)
I didn't realise that certain things are really not good and have just been giving things that I've had or been using for dinner etc.

So far that comprises of,
Carrot peeling and tops
Apple peel
A strawberry
Grape
Green, red and yellow pepper
Parsnip peel

Hopefully they haven't consumed anything they shouldn't of had!

Strawberry, grape and carrot weren't really winners.

Oh yes I gave them potato peel then read they can't have it? They loved it!

What wonderful photos, they are absolutely gorgeous and I am SO jealous, lovely glossy coats, amazing, just want to give them a hug myself! See what I mean about spinach? Mine used to steal it from the garden like it was the most prized possession - but obviously it should be given sparingly, if at all, if you want them to survive for 12 years!!

Just to say that we had 3 guineas for a period, two sisters, and introduced a third, (blind) girl - it took a while, keeping them separate so they got used to each other in the run and cage, - if you have enough time and space it can be done. In the end the blind girl ( cappucino coloured, gorgeous) was So desperate to be integrated with the rest, she did put up with a bit of bullying, but eventually held her own, and became part of the gang. It just depends on your time constraints, I think I did this over a month time scale before they were all happy together.... good luck.

PS ZZZ several of our girls developed 'lumps' over the years- they are usually benign, but do grow - one of ours put up with hers for ages, it didnt restrict her or stop her from eating and joining in, but finally you could hear it impairing her breathing - it is a common guinea complaint, bless them.

I freaked out completely when I saw it. Did you have it removed in the end then?

We had a good friend who worked as a vet nurse who advised against - the anaesthetic and complications may well have killed her ( she was over 4). You will know if she is in pain, because she will protest and squeak if you try and touch it, but if the vet has checked it and it is benign, I would advise just leaving it but keeping an eye on it and be careful when handling. Your guineas are a good age, and it is a shame that 'lumps' are their kind of weakness - ours managed really well for a year after diagnosis, but sadly the lump grew and grew, so we made her as comfortable as possible throughout. Try not to worry too much, just keep an eye on its size and sensitivity.

thanks for the information. Doesn't sound like she has a long time left then. I will have to spend more time with her. She is my favourite of the tw. I don't know what the normal life expectancy is. I thought it was around 5 years, does anyone know?

12 years old is a phenomenal age for a guinea pig!

We thought oh 5, 6, 7, 8 years and we won't have them around any more...

After 8 years we just settled in for however long they are here.... we are very aware we are on borrowed time. They seem to thrive round here - after mentioning it in the playground at school it seems there is quite a collection of 8-12 year olds .... all have a common theme - they came from 2 or 3 decent breeders in Gloucestershire.... NOT pet shops....

They do have stunningly glossy coats - we put that down to the Excel pellets.. and lots of cuddles, brushing them with a little rubber finger brush....

The main way you can tell they are old, is that they just "drag along" now instead of popcorning and leg extending - so we can't put them out on wet grass any more - they do not like wet little tummies...

Whatever it is you're doing it is obviously working. You ought to write a book!

My gps are only 2.5 and 7months .. If they live for 12 years I'll be OLD when they depart

popcorning! That's such a perfect description of how they do these vertical leaps when excited. Did you make it up?

Lovely photos btw.

What must I not feed the pigs.

Oh, I'd add Strawberry Cornetto onto the list GP1.
When DD is lying on the lawn by your run, and you stick your little bristly nose through the bars,you are not meant to take a bite of the cone.
Even if it is crispy and delicious. You are lactose intolerant.

He's the type of pig if any food passes his nose he'll try it.

It will get you into trouble piggle!

Mine get little bits of fruit and veg. More often veggies - spring greens, carrots, broccoli, celery, peppers, spinach and so on. Fruit tends to be teeny pieces of strawberry, grapes, and apples.

My rabbits and guineas each get a paper plate of fresh in the evenings, including some fresh scissor cut grass if it's been too damp to go out grazing, which they love. And if I have fresh growing herbs they like mint and parsley. And some dandelions from time to time.

I feed them the Excel nuggets and their old muesli mix, working towards cutting out the muesli, but going slowly, at roughly half and half now. They get hay, sometimes a herby green mix I think Excel does.

Rabbits also eat all the same stuff, plus Excel baby and dwarf nuggets, lactating mums get a constant supply of food and as much hay and grazing as they can fit in.

Some vitamin C in the water, changed daily.

I buy the bags of watercress,spinach and rocket salad for DH and I, so the GPs will get a couple of leaves (literally) each.

Has anyone given their guineas things like -
banana, blueberries, raspberries?
I worry about seeds in fruit but my childhood GPs used to free range into the raspberry canes and eat the leaves.

Rabbits do they like melon?
And WRT to herbs do you find some make them a bit "giddy"? (ours got nasty after coriander, but they don't like mint,basil or sage. Love parsley)

Yes, my rabbits and guineas get occasional slices of banana, a raisin here or there, and have had blueberries, but didn't fancy them much. Leave them to the kids because they devour them.

Parsley is definitely a favourite here, mint is okay too, good for digestion I think. Both of mine are rather timid creatures, so I've never seen much nastiness, but we'll see since I got them with her pregnant and so put much behaviour down to that.

Never have melon in the house, so I couldn't say, they do eat cucumber (which to me tastes the same as melon anyway, bleurgh), oh and I hear they are partial to tomatoes too, but again bleurgh.

I've got a pot of mint (years old) and I offered some to the GPs . Their Burgess Excell now contains mint for the digestion.

GP1 was busy shovelling as many pear leaves into his face as he could, so he was meh.

And they have a sly bite of any pears that fall. But they are tiny and sour so I swipe them off the grass.

They like dandelion leaves if they are small (so when DH mows the lawn and they regrow) and they love the stalks of dandelions.