[Gpdd] HEALTH: Feeding calcium-rich foods after birthing

[Penny Charlesworth]

Joanie,

Have you read Ann's website page about pregnancy? If not, here is the link.

http://piggyville.com/index.php?id=4#Youngsters__Guinea_Pigs_not_kids_4

I have always kept my pregnant mums on their normal diet other than offer
raspberry leaves in their third trimester and the dish of brown bread and
milk to which some people object but if it was good enough for Peter it is
OK by me.

So they stick to their regular diet both before and after the birth. I keep
giving the dish of milky bread until the babes are weaned.

Piggy babes learn what is safe to eat from copying their mums so I offer as
wide a range of veggies as possible so they do not grow up to be finicky
feeders. They have fresh grass every day and tasty weeds in season. Just cut
the veggies up smaller for the babes. They grow so quickly that it is not
long before they are tackling adult sized pieces of veg and dragging away
whole slices from the dish.

It is only recently that alfalfa hay has been available in the UK and then
it comes in small and very expensive bags at the pet shop. My herd has
always thrived on meadow hay from the farm, bought by the bale so I will
leave it to our US friends to advise on alfalfa.

I hope that Maggie is eating up well.

Penny and the Piggyfriends.