daft Qs from a prospective GP owner

[phantomnamechanger]

hello helpful GP experts!

water bottles - I realise I will need one for the hutch and one for the run, that they need to be filled daily and that they need insulated covers, but what size of bottle do I need (for 2 GPs) - have seen anything from 150ml to 1litre - I'm torn between 350ml and 600ml but how much do piggies drink??
who knew this would be so hard!

also I have been reading threads about what veggies yours like (I gather parsley is likely to be popular!) but are the veggies on top of hay and some sort of commercial pellets? or is hay and veg enough? and how much do they eat - how do you know whether they are under/over fed?

oh, and I know they will eat grass and dandelions in their run - is there anything they might find in my grass/garden that they should not eat?

are there any fruits/veg that they CANNOT have? do they eat nuts and seeds like gerbils do?

There's no such thing as a daft question

Water bottles - I bought two , one glass , one plastic about 250/300ml which mt boys never drank from apart from when GP1 was on his own after GP2 died and he slept in DD bedroom for company until we got GP3. I think he just wanted to be noisy though

The main thing is finding one that doesn't leak - they are a pain in the tonsils- but go into a shop and look at the brand they use and check for leakage.
I can't remember the ones I got but the glass one has a little plastic carrot 'float' so you can see how full it is.
You need to fill right up, upturn and let it form a vacuum. It'll drip a bit then stop.
I use bowls in the Pighouse, (they don't use them either)

If the bottles are too big (the huge ones are mainly for rabbits) you have to make sure they're securly fastened (though the bars, mine had a spring with clips, easier than the wire loop)

Pellets - about 30-50g per pig , I like to give a few extra so there's no squabbling .The pellets have everything in one pellet unlike the muesli that they can pick at and leave bits.
Veg - mine have a plate am/pm (and grass if it's nice) maybe 4-5 different veg.
They need fresh water/veg /pellets daily.

Hay- they like to eat, sleep and play in. It gets flattened and manky, so change regularly.

You'll get an idea of how much they need (they'll tell you) GP1 and GP2 woke DD at 3am on Guy Fawkes to tell her that they were not impressed that the food had gone and how could she sleep when they were starved
So DD came through to tell me. (They were in her room)

WRT to grazing, they can't have buttercups or daisies.
Plants from bulbs.
Docks leaves (though IIRC they can have smaller younger leaves)

My lawn is flipping covered in buttercups, DH mowed it/dug up the worst bits and now I have to skillfully arrange the run. I can put cardboard on any patches but they are adults so tend to avoid. You need to monitor the babies though and don't let them eat too much grass to begin with.

again, many thanks 70 - this is all very new and exciting! I love hearing these stories of how chatty the GPs are, I did not realise they were such little characters (we had gerbils when I was a kid, they were a bit boring!)

Ooh and water bottles - they need to be cleaned, a dirty bottle will put them off (yes even though they eat their pooh they are fussy )

We have a motley assortment of plastic plates (veg) stainless steel shallow dog bowls (pellets) and shallow heavy bowls (from IKEA) for water.
All washed daily.

And piglets like to sit on the plate. Our GP3 used to walk through the water bowl when he was weeney - we only put a shallow amount in.

They are chatty, they have a huge vocabulary.
I went near the Pighouse and the boars wheeked like mad.
So much for being prey animals

(There are You Tube websites of GP noises. It's good to hear all the different noises and what they mean. And you MIGHT get a 'singer' . Sounds like a bird chirruping. Usually at 2am. )

GP shopping list - it's really happening!

we are getting 2 GPs very soon - hutch being delivered tomorrow, hay bought, nuggets bought, ceramic food bowls, water bottles, still deciding on tunnels/igloos etc and need to decide whether to go for a metal run with hatches/doors, or a wooden/wire mesh one where the whole lid opens, have also bought a GP care book to read up

what else do I need?

Nail clippers.

Oh yes, thank you - bit scared about that bit - is it easy to do?

If you have pink clawed cuddly pigs its easy. Sadly they are rare . I have one pink clawed cuddly and one black clawed wriggler - he's a nightmare.

Best to clip little and often so the quick doesn't get too long an also so they get used to it. You'll need lots of bribes to keep them occupied while you clip.

It depends on their temperament, you cab get the vet to do it the first few times so you see how it's done, they're normally happy to show you. Wrap them in an old towel, sometimes it helps to have one person wrap and stroke and whisper soothing thongs and another yo clip the nails! But they're fine when used to it.