[GPDD] Health re: Blizzard and questions

[Renee Roszkowski]

Hay is the most important source of food for guinea pigs. Their
digestive system is set up in such a way that they need a lot fiber in
their diet. They can't get it from pellets and veggies alone. Eating hay
is essential for piggies (and rabbits). If Blizzard is from a shelter,
he may never have encountered hay before. Make sure that you have a high
quality timothy hay. I would recommend Oxbow Hay company.
(www.oxbowhay.com) That is the only type of hay that my guinea pigs will
eat. They won't touch any of the pet store stuff. I would try to get
some hay from Oxbow and see if that perks his appetite. You should try
really hard to get him to eat hay. Oxbow also has a few different types
of grass hays. You could try some of those as well. They each have a
slightly different flavor. Grass hay is better than alfalfa for an adult
piggie. It is healthier for them. Alfalfa is really rich and can
contribute to bladder stone formation. Make sure he always has some
available in his cage. He will probably take a nibble one day and decide
it's great!! I don't know how much pellets you are feeding him, but you
could cut it down a little and let him get a little hungry so that the
nibble of hay tastes especially good. Don't let him go without food
though. They need food in their digestive tracts to keep them healthy.
Two of my girls get a tablespoon of pellets a day. My other piggie (a
special needs piggie) gets about 1/8 cup pellets per day. That's all
they will eat. From what I understand anywhere from 1 tablespoon to 1/4
cup of pellets per day is appropriate. The amount depends on the
individual piggie. Too much pellets and not enough hay can lead to
overweight piggies. I hope that helps. Good luck! :-)

Renee, Mary and Molly, Patches, Kate and Dora, Flash