Poorly chicken

[Turk+JD]

Hi there everyone,

 

I have used this forum before a long time ago when I had chickens, now I have guinea pigs where else would I go for reliable information!

 

I bought Turk & JD about 6 weeks ago from a Pet store, when we bought them we were told to give them fresh veggies everyday for their vitamin c intake as they cannot produce their own. The girl told us not to feed them apple as it can burn their mouths and eventually kill them, so I haven't gone near the stuff, my piggies seem to love their carrots and broccoli but is there anything else I can give them to vary their diet? The girl at the pet store told me not to give them any water based veggies like lettuce or cucumber but I have read on various piggy pages that people do give them these things? Are there any other fruits I can give them without causing my boys any harm? Is banana okay?

 

Any suggestions would be gratefuly received, I don't want my babies getting bored of carrots and broccoli, they don't seem to like peppers much, well not the red ones I have offered them, brussel sprouts went down okay for a few days but then got left!

[Millie-Annie]

You can give them cucumber, and romaine lettuce. Celery, but chop it up as it can get a bit stringy. Peppers are brilliant, so keep persevering with them. Mine love a corn on the cob complete with the leaves and spring greens.

 

They like grapes, but I always chop them in half and don't give to many. They can have apples and pears but in moderation and very thinly sliced, as they can make their mouths sore.

 

Parsley can be given but sparingly, same with spinach and curly kale.

 

Meggie likef a small bit of banana, but Matilda and Minnie won't touch it.

 

Iceberg lettuce is a big NO it gives them diarrhoea.

 

Hope that helps

[Turk+JD]

Thank you that does help, what about strawberrys? I have some kicking about and wondered if they were a yay or a nay?

[kazmac]

Agree with M-A re veggies.

The reason apples can give them sore mouths is because of the citric acid - if they get a lot, it burns them. But as an occasional treat, apple's fine.

Parsley, curly kale and spinach are favourites, but as said, sparingly due to the high levels of calcium in them.

I feed carrots, brocolli and spring greens regularly to all our piggies.

Green cabbage on occasion too, but it can cause 'bloat' if fed regularly.

I never feed lettuce, but they can have romaine lettuce now & again as a treat. Cucumber is fine as it's mainly water and is a good source of fluid for them, particularly on hot days.

As also said, chop up celery (also a favourite) as it's stringy and can cause choking.

Carrots as often as they will eat them.

 

In the winter, though, it's worth supplementing their vitamin C as winter veggies are lacking in vitamins.

 

And, if you didn't already know this (and apologies if you do), never feed veggies / fruit straight from the fridge as it will chill their stomachs and can make them ill. Room temperature is best.

[Millie-Annie]

Ooh Kazmac, I didn't know that about cabbage. I know I sound dense here, but is that the same with spring greens? Mine have those everyday. I will cut it down if it can cause bloat?

 

Thank you

 

Re supplementing their vitamin C, I tend not too as it is added to most guinea pig food. Mine have Gertie Guinea and Excel pellets and it is certainly added to both of those. It can't hurt though

[Princess Leia]

All the above, and the Burgess Guinea Excel seems to be the best of the pelleted foods, as it prevents selective feeding. The other thing our two (who live in the house) have, is kiln dried grass, especially when they can't go out on the lawn. This is a horse feed made by Dodson and Horrell. Unfortunately it only comes in large bales, but it keeps for months.

[Millie-Annie]

I always fed mine the Burgess Excel purely to stop selective feeding, but they didn't seem to be eating it. So I swapped to Gertie Guinea and they do eat all of that apart from the long green pellet things

 

I give mine Readigrass which I presume is the same sort of thing and also Excel Herbage with dandelion and marigold

[kazmac]

Sorry, Millie-Annie, not ben on the forum for a while due to being ill.

I feed spring greens regularly to my piggies. It's not quite the same as cabbage and has lots of vitamin C.

 

I feed mine exclusively Burgess Excel to prevent selective feeding and because it has enhanced vitamin C. I used to mix it with D&H Rabbit Royale which they loved, but it's got really dusty and I found that I was paying more for that than actual substance and their dishes were always compacted with the dust which meant they'd had less actual food.

 

I also feed hay freely and often give them D&H Readigrass which is another firm favourite.

[Gloss-Hen]

Are guinea pigs do eat iceberg lettuce and it hasn't effected them at all but all piggies are different

[Millie-Annie]

It doesn't always cause tummy problems, but bear in mind, it has absolutely no goodness in it

[Turk+JD]

I didn't know that about feeding them veggies out of the fridge, and am worried I have made one of them ill, Turk has been very very lethargic lately, he still eats and drinks but he just lays about and really isn't very active anymore, I am really concerned, and his broccoli which he dives into comes from fridge where as JD eats carrots which i don't put in the fridge, do you think I have made him ill, how can I tell??

[kazmac]

It's hard to tell. You maybe haven't made him ill. But you might not get the answer to that question, unfortunately. But veg straight from the fridge can certainly chill their tummies - their digestive systems are very delicate.

However there may well be something else going on - guinea pigs are prey animals in the wild and as such they hide illness well. By the time we notice they're ill, they've usually been ill for a while.

I'd say he definitely needs to see the vet, as prompt treatment gives you the best chance of him getting better.

Are his peeps and poops still normal?

[Turk+JD]

Yeah they seem to be I have been checking the cage for unusual poops and pee's but nothing unusual or smellier than usual and he is eating and drinking but he used to be quite lively, popcorning a lot, chasing JD around and now he spends most of the day just lying around, we get them out and let them run around in our hallway for a but if a play and he has just been lying down and not really being as inquisitive as normal, but I can't tell if he is ill or just calmed down incredibly but compared to JD he is lethargic.

 

Their claws need cutting anyway so I have talked to my partner and we are gunna get them checked over by the vet this week just to be on the safe side.

[kazmac]

Might be an idea - then it would at least put your mind at rest.

Hope he's okay though.

[Turk+JD]

Took Turkey to the vets, Vet checked him over, front end, back end, stethescope to check his chest, felt him all around and the verdict is....he seems perfectly healthy! He might just be mellowing into an adult guinea pig, as long as he is eating, drinking, peeing and pooping then all seems fine, he said only to worry if any of them decrease then to take him back down.

 

Has put my mind at rest, i will still keep an eye on him, I suppose I'll know if he is really ill if he stops attacking his broccoli in the mornings. I bought them some Burgess Excel Mountain Meadow herbs for being such good piggies at their first vet visit

 

Thanks for all the advice guys, at least I now know about the room temp veggies and I know my piggy is okay, I might sleep better tonight.

[Millie-Annie]

Sorry I have been on holiday, but I am really pleased to hear Turkey (??) is healthy. Boars do grow into laid back men, I have to admit. I have only recently started to get my veggies out a while before, mine always had chilled food. I feel awful now, but they really didn't seem to mind

[Chicken deficient]

Hi

 

I hope your piggies are well.

Mine, in addition to the above, get pickings from the herb garden, which they love, such as Sorrel, Parsley, Thyme, Oregano, Fennel etc. I also pick them dandelions and chickweed. They also get things like radish leaves, chard, perpetual spinach, beetroot leaves and the odd tomato - leftovers from the allotment.

I'd go easy on the carrots though, they contain a lot of vitamin A, (hence the thing about them helping you see in the dark), so I'd say once or twice a week, in sensible amounts.

 

In winter, when they are indoors, mine are bedded on newspaper covered in Readigrass, with extra fresh Readigrass top ups a few times a day, for eating. Roughage like Readigrass or hay is the most important thing for them to eat, for their digestion and their teeth.

 

It really is best with the dry foods to feed them the ones that only have one type of complete pellet in them. Otherwise, the bits they tend to not eat out of the mixes, (generally the dark green pellets), are the bits with the added vitamin C!

 

If I am travelling anywhere with them, as the water bottles tend to drip and empty themselves very quickly with the motion of the car, I give them big chunks of watery cucumber in their carry cage.

 

Hope that helps.