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 AHO1867 |
picky pigs |
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Posts: 4 04/23/03 09:16 PM |
I recently adopted a pair of 4-5 year old BOARS. They eat pellets and hay just fine; but the only veggies they eat are carrots. I have tried some that are popular with my other pair (lettuce, orange, tomato, parsley) with no luck. Any suggestions on fruits/veggies eaten by finicky cavies?
Thank you. AO |
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jillianbobillian |
those picky little guys... | #1 | ||
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Posts: 3 04/24/03 10:20 PM |
because you adopted them, maybe they were never
fed other veggies...and aren't used to them as "food." keep trying! maybe start making special "clucking" noises when you give your boys the carrots. they will come to associate that noise with food. then, make those same clucking noises when offering lettuce/etc. and above all keep trying! spooky, my little female, is picky as well. i do the "clucking" trick, and always offer new foods. as long as she likes 5-6 different types of veggies, i'm satisfied. hehe. i hope things work out! |
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PooksiedAnimals |
Re: picky pigs | #2 | ||
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Posts: 3566 04/24/03 11:37 PM Moderator |
Could be they have a sweet tooth. My pigs go nuts over cantelope rinds and strawberries. You could try that, too. :)
Sally, Teddi and Eclair |
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Rosalee |
Working with what they like / Introducing New Foods | #3 | ||
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Posts: 231 04/25/03 02:49 PM Moderator |
Hi AHO,
Congratulations on your new duo and "hats off" to you for adopting (this lucky pair)! I am sure you've seen lots of posts about folks with fussy babies. Unfortunately this occurs when the original breeder/owner fed the sow minimal if any vegies and in turn the babies are highly suspicious of new foods. Turning such a situation around in the very young animal is relatively easy through daily exposure (and certain techniques help). In the older animal it can also be done, but it may take more time (and some may never acquire a wide range of taste). Be it baby or adult, its important to choose foods that are well tolerated with the bonus of being easily accepted. Quite basically in the beiginning, the latter will include vegies without a strong odour or taste. Items such as... -Romaine -Greenleaf or Redleaf lettuce -Flatleaf or Curly Parsley -Green Pepper -Carrot -Cucumber or Celery bits (the above is only a sample) I have found it easiest to keep a steady pace with the same diet (in the beginning) as the more the animals are exposed, the more familiar they will become. The bonus of having a pair here, is that hopefully one of them will begin nibbling on "something" creating a stage for the other to follow. Since your devils already like carrots, you can use this item as bait. I would suggest that you "shred" your carrots, and mix this in with the greens. Cutting the greens into smaller pieces and slivering the pepper will incorporate the carrot into the mixture (so there will be a better chance of them picking up something else as well). Feeding by hand would be a great idea as well, and you could begin with the beloved carrot. Using "shreds" (or tiny pieces as bait) will encourage your animals to hang around for more (whereas a large coin or chunk will have them run off to secure the food). Offer the carrot, and after a few nibbles add a piece of parsley with the carrot. Another tactic is to do a switch from the carrot to the parsley (or bits of lettuce, or snow pea pod is also nice). Well, that is all for this go around and let us know how it goes! Best Regards, Rosalee P.S. You may also like read the "Feeding" thread in the ARCHIVE: Hot Topic section. |
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AHO1867 |
pigs | #4 | ||
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Posts: 4 04/28/03 03:14 AM |
Thanks for the replies; I will try those techinqures and write back it I have any luck.
Aaron |
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Rosalee |
Picky Pigs (to the top) | #5 | ||
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Posts: 231 08/13/03 02:54 AM Moderator |
And away we go!
(upped post re: mwells) |
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icebengals |
thanks | #6 | ||
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Posts: 1 09/29/03 07:30 PM |
I just got a guinea pig and he will eat nothing but hay and pellets, this was just the information I was searching for on the internet, thank you.
Mystery |
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Unregistered(d) |
picky pigs | #7 | ||
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Posts: 1134 10/13/03 07:36 PM |
I too adopted a pig who was about a year old and had never had any veggies. It took about 6 weeks before he finally starting eating some romaine lettuce. He will now eat romaine lettuce, celery, and apple. I finally figured out he doesn't respond well to unknown food in his bowl. If I just put it in his bowl he won't eat it. The first couple of times I introduce a new veggie I've had to feed it to him when he was sitting on my lap.
dmm |
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Rosalee |
Picky Pigs (to the top) | #8 | ||
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Posts: 231 11/18/03 06:26 AM Moderator |
And away we go!
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Rosalee |
Picky Pigs (to the top) | #9 | ||
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Posts: 231 12/05/03 05:11 AM Moderator |
And away we go!
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tatandsam |
Our pigs' favorite greens... | #10 | ||
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Posts: 1 12/05/03 07:04 PM |
Our pigs love wheatgrass, romaine lettuce, and dandelion. These so far are definitely their favorites.
I would think that if guinea pigs love hay (which they should, as it is their staple), that they would also go crazy (or even crazier) for the fresh version, grass. Then after they get used to fresh green grass, the transition might be easier to introducing other fresh greens. Also, maybe try different varieties of hay, and really fresh-looking hay, too. We give ours Oxbow Western Timothy as their main hay, but we also give them Oxbow Orchard Grass hay, which they actually love even better (but maybe that's because it is more like a treat - a departure from the familiar norm of Timothy). We also give them Oxbow's alfalfa hay (our pigs are still young), which they also really love. Our pigs seem to really enjoy variety in their diet. It probably keeps them from getting tired of the same old thing. For picky pigs, I would guess that the fresher the hay (or grass) you offer them, the easier it might be to segue into fresh vegetables. Also, perhaps taking baby steps, subtle little changes - say, for instance, introducing orchard grass - will help graduate them to making other bigger steps in dietary variety. I'm not speaking from personal experience here, though, because our pigs have always been greedy eaters for fresh produce. They really love bright-green leafy treats in general. Usually the brighter green, the better. Besides the dandelion and romaine, they like kale, Italian parsley, regular parsley, cilantro. For more of a "dry" taste, they also like broccoli (most actually like the stems better), baby carrots. And to satisfy their sweet tooth, their favorite fruit is probably apples (Fuji). They also like seedless green grapes, watermelon (with absolutely no seeds) with the rind, and cherries (again, without the pits). One trick we've used is to place half an apple (with the center completely cut out, of course) on the floor. Then they will come and gnaw and nibble chunks out of it. It is absolutely adorable to see. Hope that helped. |
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Rosalee |
Picky pigs / Fussy Babies (to the top) | #11 | ||
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Posts: 231 01/07/04 06:13 AM Moderator |
And away we go!
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Rosalee |
Picky Pigs (to the top) | #12 | ||
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Posts: 231 02/08/04 10:54 PM Moderator |
And away we go!
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Rosalee |
Picky Pigs (to the top) | #13 | ||
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Posts: 231 05/26/04 07:42 PM Moderator |
And away we go!
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Marina1327 |
Re: Picky Pigs (to the top) | #14 | ||
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Posts: 3 05/26/04 08:31 PM |
I have also noticed that if you feed too much of the same thing they will stop eating it...like for example they loved oranges at first and I would give them an orange everyday...but then they stopped eating it after about 4 days...so I waited a week or so to give it to them and sure enough they ate it up like it was going out of style.
All three of them will eat Romaine lettuce and red/green leaf lettuce...so I suggest those. They love tangerines and apples. And they love corn on the cob....I just shuck it and break it in half. I don't give them the silk, but I do give them the green husks...they love that. Theresa |
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RedStripedRose |
Veggies | #15 | ||
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Posts: 42 05/27/04 01:44 AM |
My babes got burned out on carrots after they came home from the rescue. Darwin still won't touch a tomato! But, I have found that they like parsley, and kale, and fuji apples (red delicious sent them back into the pigloo). Cuecumbers are their unrequitted favorite, and since my guy works at Subway, they get them every night, free of charge. He's gotten into the habit of bringing a 'piggie bag' home every night.
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Marina1327 |
Re: Veggies | #16 | ||
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Posts: 3 05/27/04 02:50 PM |
See now my girls do not like cucumbers at all...I have tried them a few times and I may get a nibble but that is about it. I would have to say carrots they love and peppers have to be their favorite...unfortunately for me they love the expensive bell peppers , red, yellow etc...way more than the green ones..(those are better for them anyway so I guess I should be happy)...I may need to get a third job just to keep them in veggies..heheheh
Theresa |
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addieware |
Re: Veggies | #17 | ||
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Posts: 1 05/27/04 03:27 PM |
Hi everyone I just adopted 2 piggies too and they ate there pellets when I got them but since I have been giving them veggies and fruit they will not hardly eat there pellets. I keep them in there all the time as well as hay. will this hurt them not to eat pellets.
Thanks Traci |
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Andy And Patches |
Re: Veggies | #18 | ||
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Posts: 3 11/04/05 05:51 PM |
Hi my piggy patches is very picky he only eats hay and pelets and cabbage and im trying to give him carrots and celery how can i do this
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PooksiedAnimals |
Re: Veggies | #19 | ||
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Posts: 3566 11/04/05 06:56 PM Moderator |
Baby pigs often have baby tastes, and take a while to learn to like new veggies. An adult friend would help this process along, since pigs know that if one is eating it, it must be good to eat!
Cabbage is not a good thing to give a guinea pig. It can cause gas, and can cause bloat, which is very bad for guinea pigs. As far as introducing new stuff to him, just put it in the cage with him, or try hand feeding it to him. He may reject it at first, but introduced enough times, they'll eventually figure out its not poisonous. My guess is he'll eventually go nuts over carrots - you need to limit carrot intake, since it is high in vitamin A, which can cause problems if they eat too much of it. Celery also doesn't have a whole lot of good content. Try him on green leaf lettuce (like Boston lettuce, or romaine), veggies such as bell peppers, tomatoes, squash. The more variety, the better. Good luck with him! |
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jippus |
Re: Veggies | #20 | ||
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Posts: 31 11/18/05 03:37 PM |
We have a picky lady, too. She absolutely loves endive and chicory (those bitter, white things). Wednesday I came home with a little bag of small, scraped carrots and she actually eats them. Now when she starts to beg for food, I give her one of these little carrots. I think the large ones are just too large for her. She does not really like apples, just a few bites and then she looks at me again. I am trying to vary, but maybe I should take baby steps like it posted here or serve it together with the chicory.
Mirjam |
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