Does anyone have picky eaters??

CarrieG · 12-17-2005, 01:07 PM

Hello Guinea pig lovers, and animal lovers alike!

I was wondering if anyone has any picky guinea pig eaters? The only things my guys seem to like are apples and carrotts. I've tried greens, brocoli, raspberries, sweet peppers, celery and oranges, but the only thing they seem to want are the apples and the carrots. When I change their water every morning I add supplements because I'm afraid they aren't getting all the nutrition they need from their food! But is this normal? I thought they would enjoy a wider variety of veggies and fruits.

Any thoughts, any suggestions?

Carrie

Mollymitten · 12-17-2005, 04:14 PM

Little Pig loves carrots and apples, and sometimes orange. He also will eat baby bok choy. Bananas are really scary and have to be run away from!

He doesn't like green beans, but he does like broccoli

suzoo · 12-17-2005, 05:57 PM

Chloe likes carrots (especially the green tops), green pepper slices (but not those funky red, yellow or orange ones), romaine, cilantro, parsley, apple slices, orange slices... Nope, I don't have a picky eater!

Mollymitten · 12-17-2005, 06:21 PM

What toys do your GP's have in their cages? LP is totally bored with his

CarrieG · 12-17-2005, 10:41 PM

The only "toys" they have so far is a toilet paper roll, which I sometimes fill with hay. I've heard that they sometimes like little stuffed animals, but I am afraid that they will choke on the eyes or the stuffing! I've also heard that they sometimes like bird toys...ones that jingle with little mirrors, so I thought I would give that a try.

suzoo · 12-17-2005, 11:23 PM

I like this site for toy ideas.. http://cavycages.com/toys.htm

theratlady · 12-18-2005, 10:23 AM

keep the carrots and apples away for a few day and keep adding small amounts of greens every day to entice them. it sounds more like they arent very hungry to refuse greens. even try not feeding any pellets/hay for the better part of one day as well to entice them to try the greens.

actually things like carrots, apples, berries and other fruits are TREATS not a regular part of their diet. their diet should be mainly timothy hay or pellets along with orchard hay and greens such as fresh grass, dandelions, romaine lettuce, collard greens, spinach almost any other leafy greens you can think of. i would say that only 10% of their diet (or less) should be fruit and veggies (carrots and such)
80% of piggie pelleted diets out there are garbage!!

CarrieG · 12-18-2005, 10:35 AM

Good advice Christina, thank you. They do get a constant supply of the Timothy Hay as well as an alfalfa cube now and then for a treat, and they have their pellets. I'll give your idea a try and see how they respond to the greens. I'll let you know how that turns out!!
I learn something new about these guys every day! Last night I could swear they were playing either tag or hide-and-seek. It was so funny...I wish I had a video camera!!!
I checked out that website you suggested, Suzoo...looks great! I really like the paper bag idea and the cozzy cuddle ups!! I have to give that a try. When I take them out of their cage I cover then up with a little blankie on my stomache and they just cuddle up and go to sleep. It would be nice to provide them with something like that in their cage!

jennawing · 12-18-2005, 11:51 PM

Christina hit it on the nose- and it is good to note that young pigs and lone pigs will be slower to like new foods. Competition encourages variety. Also, if they turn it down- try again a few days later- then a few weeks if that didn't work. Sometimes accepting new foods is purely mood. Also, if you chop new stuff up with favorties, they try new stuff by accident.

Here is the food list I go by- leafy greens and things high in vit c, etc are noted- as well as other warnings and good notes.

Master Guinea Pig Food List
by Gina Rowlee

This list is meant to be a comprehensive list of everything edible/safe for cavies. Keep in mind that “moderation” is one of the biggest keys to a healthy diet. Too many carrots can be linked to liver disease, too many bananas linked to constipation, too many oranges linked to mouth sores, etc. A varied diet is very important to guinea pigs.
In the United States, it is recommended to give 1.5 - 2 cups of fresh mixed veggies daily. It is also recommended to provide unlimited timothy hay & unlimited pellets. Alfalfa hay and alfalfa based pellets are suggested to only be given for cavies under 6 months of age, as well as pregnant and nursing sows due to high calcium content. Timothy based pellets and hay should be provided for all other cavies. It is also important to avoid any pellet mixes that have seeds, nuts, or colored pieces.
In the United Kingdom, as in the US, it is recommended to give 1.5 – 2 cups of fresh mixed veggies daily, and a little fruit. It is also recommended to provide unlimited high quality meadow hay (preferable dust-extracted) and a good quality mixed grain food (free from artificial colors, molasses, seeds, nuts and animal products, but with added Vitamin C). If possible, fresh grass should be given in moderation throughout the year. Alfalfa (Lucerne) hay and alfalfa based pellets are suggested to only be given for cavies under 6 months of age, as well as pregnant and nursing sows due to high calcium content. Guinea pigs are by nature selective feeders, but they should be encouraged to eat all components of the grain mix as this has been formulated to give them a balanced diet. If the guinea pig leaves some ingredients, slightly less should be given the next day, until the bowl is emptied each day. If a pig is determined to eat only selected ingredients and begins to loose weight as a consequence, pelleted guinea food is available. Some owners prefer feeding pelleted food as a guaranteed way of providing a balanced dry diet.
Do not feed your guinea pigs a pellet mix for Rabbits. Very rarely do these contain the essential vitamins a guinea pig needs.
EDIBLE VEGETABLES/FRUITS/PLANTS
• Agrimony (feed sparingly)
• Anise
• Apple (avoid seeds as they are slightly toxic) (feed in moderation; discontinue if mouth sores develop)
• Apricot
• Arugula
• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Bananas (both the fruit and the peels) (high in Vitamin C)
• Basil (all varieties)
• Beet Greens (high in Vitamin C)
• Beet Tops (feed in moderation – high in oxalic acid)
• Bell/Sweet Peppers (green, red, orange & yellow – not the seeds) (very high in Vitamin C)
• Bilberries
• Blackberries (fruit and leaves) (Rubus plicatus)
• Blueberries
• Bok Choi
• Borage (feed sparingly_
• Broccoli (leaves, stalks, etc.) (high in Vitamin C) (gas causing food)
• Brussel Sprouts (high in Vitamin C)
• Cabbage (all varieties) (high in Vitamin C) (gas causing food)
• Calendula (leaves and flower)
• Carrots (both the vegetable and the leaf) (high in Vitamin C & Calcium)
• Cantaloupe (high in Vitamin C)
• Caraway
• Cauliflower (leaves, stalks, etc.) (gas causing food)
• Celery (leaves and stalks) (high in Calcium) (cut into pieces as strings can choke)
• Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis)
• Cherries (remove pits)
• Chicory
• Chickweed (Stellaria media)
• Chives (feed in moderation)
• Cleavers/Stickyweed/Goosegrass/Bedstraw (Gaolim aparine)
• Clover (Trifollium rrepens or Trifolium pratense)
• Collard Greens (high in Vitamin C)
• Comfrey (feed sparingly)
• Coltsfoot (feed sparingly)
• Corn on the cob (vegetable, leaves, silks & stalks)
• Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) (high in Vitamin C)
• Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaeae) (berries & leaves)
• Crabapple
• Cranberries
• Cucumbers (high in Vitamin C & Calcium)
• Currants (all varieties) (fruits and leaves) (high in Vitamin C)
• Dandelion Greens (leaves, stems, flowers & roots) (Teraxacum officinale) (very high in Vitamin C & Calcium)
• Dates
• Dill Weed
• Dog Rose
• Endive (all varieties)
• Escarole
• Figs
• Garden Cress (high in Vitamin C)
• Golden Rod
• Gooseberries (high in Vitamin C)
• Grapefruit (high in Vitamin C) (mouth sores can develop)
• Grapes (seedless varieties)
• Grass (most varieties – avoid ornamental grasses) (high in Vitamin C)
• Green beans
• Green Leek tops (feed in moderation)
• Green Onion Tops (feed in moderation)
• Guava (high in Vitamin C)
• Honeydew Melon (high in Vitamin C)
• Kale (all varieties) (high in Vitamin C)
• Kelp
• Kiwi (fruit and skin) (very high in Vitamin C)
• Kohlrabi leaves (high in Vitamin C)
• Lambs Quarters
• Lem Balm
• Lemon (high in Vitamin C) (mouth sores can develop)
• Lettuces (Romaine, red, green, butter, Boston, etc.) (Avoid Iceberg lettuce)
• Lime (high in Vitamin C) (mouth sores can develop)
• Mango (high in Vitamin C)
• Marshmallow (?????????????)
• Melilot
• Mint (all varieties including Lemon Mint)
• Mustard Greens (high in Vitamin C & Calcium)
• Nasturtium (leaves and flowers)
• Nectarine
• Nettle
• Oats
• Okra
• Oranges (very high in Vitamin C) (too many can cause mouth sores)
• Papaya
• Parsley (all varieties – plain, curly, Chinese, etc) (high in Vitamin C & Calcium)
• Parsnip
• Passion Fruit
• Peach
• Pear
• Peas (vegetable, pods & shoots) (high in Vitamin C)
• Peppermint
• Persimmon (all varieties) (high in Vitamin C)
• Pineapple (mouth sores can develop)
• Plantain
• Plum
• Pole Beans
• Prune
• Pumpkin
• Purslane
• Raspberries (fruit and leaves) (fruit high in Vitamin C)
• Radishes (vegetable and leaves)
• Rapini
• Rosehip (high in Vitamin C)
• Runner beans
• Rutabaga
• Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella burse-pastoris)
• Silverweed (Potentilla anserine)
• Spinach (high in Vitamin C & Calcium) (gas causing food)
• Squash (all varieties – acorn, banana, butterhorn, etc.) (feed in moderation)
• Strawberries (both the fruit and leaf) (high in Vitamin C)
• Sweet onion (feed in moderation)
• Sweet potato (vegetable and leaves)
• Swiss Chard (all varieties – Red, Swiss, etc.) (high in Vitamin C BUT feed in moderation as high in oxalic acid)
• Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
• Swede
• Tamarillo (leaves poisonous) (high in Vitamin C)
• Tangerine (high in Vitamin C)
• Thistle
• Thyme
• Tomatoes (fruit only -- leaves & stalks are poisonous) (high in Vitamin C)
• Turnips (vegetable and leaves)
• Turnip Greens
• Vetch (Vicia x)
• Water Cress (high in Vitamin C)
• Watermelon
• Whortleberry/Heidelberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) (berries & leaves)
• Yarrow (Achllea milleforium)
• Yams
• Zucchini
UNTREATED/UNSPRAYED TREE BRANCHES/TWIGS:
There is contradicting information available for these, but the general consensus is that fruit tree branches are okay. Trees I have given my guinea pigs branches from with no ill effects are:
• Apple
• Cherry
• Crabapple
• Pear
MASHES:
Mashes are great for treats and sick critters.

AVOID:
• Avocado (too high in fat)
• Chile peppers
• Coconut (too high in fat)
• Garlic
• Hot peppers
• Milk or milk products (yogurt can be used under a vet’s guidance)
• Mushrooms
• Nuts (too high in fat) (can get caught in teeth)
• Onions (excluding green onions and sweet onions)
• Paprikas
• Peanut butter
• Potatoes that are green or sprouted
• Rhubarb
• Seeds (choking hazard)
• Taro
• Tomato leaves & stalks (fruit is okay to eat)

01-29-2006, 03:22 PM

One of my pigs won't eat anything but Romaine Lettuce and baby carrots! She barely nibbles on apples, oranges, anything but those two things. But my other two will eat anything in seconds!