Guinea Pigs

[concretejungle]

My guinea pigs are now a year old, and getting greedier by the day! I don't want to overfeed them. Can you give me an idea of how much they should have (versus how much they want!)?

Also, my pair of girls don't seem to get on well. They never huddle together, and often have a bit of a squabble! I think one instigates it most of the time. Neither are getting hurt, not squealing about it. Is that normal?

Thanks in advance

I think fairly normal for girls to squabble. I've only had pairs of boys so far (never a pair of girls) and my first pair bickered constantly. The second pairing which was one of the original two plus a new friend were best pals and got on brilliantly, but even then, the older one would sometimes have a go at the younger. So long as no blood is shed they're fine. Just make sure they have separate spaces to retreat to if they want. I used to arrange the cage with two igloos facing away from each other, so they could lie in them without having to even see the other pig!

As for feeding, my pair have a handful of nuggets every day and lots of fresh hay. In the morning, they get a piece of cucumber or some parsley and then they have their main supper in the evening which is a handful of kale, lettuce, spinach, a tomato etc. Just whatever I have available. They also get bits during the day if I'm cooking or they notice me near the fridge and shout. I tend to limit the root veg, they get as it's quite sugary, so not much carrot or fruit. They get more of that if they seem thin and need feeding up.

Thank so much. I'm happy enough with the squabbling.

I tend to keep the bowl of dry food / nuggets filled up, but am now filling it twice a day. Hay also available all day, and a couple of decent size handfuls of kale / spinach twice a day (or other veg scraps depending on what I'm cooking). The pigs are getting chunky looking, so just want to make sure I'm not overfeeding them.

They never stop eating , mine don't drink water so their fluids come from veg (and they are getting plenty of fluid judging by what comes out)
Mine are getting right lardy , but I've noticed (not scientific or anything) that our Smooths tend to run to fat compared to Long Haired GP7 or Teddy boar (Gp6) who are more solid and our Abby (GP2) was slender-er.

Sows are bickery TBH.
Food they want. Space they want to get through.
In Season 24 hours of Evils.

Keep a close eye on their droppings (nice) and adjust the amount of veg if they're softer.
Try different hays as treats (RediGrass/ nice Timothy or Meadow) as well as their usual eating/sleeping hay.
Hide treats in loo roll tubes to make them work harder.

Thanks again.... My pigs eat whatever cardboard goes in their cage, so have been avoiding giving them anything, as don't imagine it's very good for their digestive system. Am I being over protective?

I don't think my pigs have been in season yet, and for some reason the penny hadn't dropped that it would happen one day! Off to google that :)

Mine are short haired, so perhaps explains the lardiness. Dropping seem fine to me, but am finding that the cage is getting smellier quicker these days - perhaps because they're older / bigger / eating more.

ours save CardBoard Eating for 3am when they're indoors for maximum noise pollution

Console yourself its wood pulp and good for their rodenty little teeth. All my pigs have eaten the edge of cardboard boxes, no harm done.

My pigs also eat cardboard and done fairly well. Current Bun thinks it's a staple part of his diet and eats large quantities - he's nearly 6, so it can't be too bad for them.

Have two girls who bicker for England, squabble for attention, for food, for space - even when have loads, over parsley and just because they can!

Mollie is smooth coated and well-rounded fat but she is getting old now and doesn't move much, unless poked 😃

Mine have hay all the while, nuggets and also camomile hay - Moll's favourite

In the morning they have a bag of salad leaves between them, in the evening they have carrot with the leaves chopped up - yes an expense buying carrots with leaves but they love them. DH grows carrots for them in summer.
They have some flat leaved parsley daily and in winter cut grass when possible.
They also have, a bit of celery and leaves, a couple of grapes cut up, cucumber pieces and either kale, cabbage or similar.
Sadie also has a few blueberries.

They have treats hay sticks, parsley bell, treat sticks etc. I limit these but DH spoils them.
My goodness reading this it explains their plumpness

Mine have a small bowl of nuggets in the morning and veg in the evening. Their favourite is the meadow hay. One is much fatter than the other and they have separate dens, so they don't fight. The vet said "hay in and hay out. You can't go wrong"