Can Piggies eat avacados?

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kokiepbmommy

Post   » Mon Sep 29, 2008 12:26 am


Our vet wants us to give Gerdie avocados since she's lost weight since her surgery and I don't see it on the list of approved fruits and veggies. Can we give it to them?

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PinkRufus
Contributor in 2020

Post   » Mon Sep 29, 2008 12:40 am


Avocados are too high in fat. It would be a better idea to fatten her back up with foods that are part of a normal guinea pig diet.

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kokiepbmommy

Post   » Mon Sep 29, 2008 12:43 am


What would be a high in fat food that they can normally eat?

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PinkRufus
Contributor in 2020

Post   » Mon Sep 29, 2008 1:13 am


High fat foods are not recommended in the cavy diet. Some people have been able to get their pigs to gain weight by giving fresh grass. Oat hay has worked for my pigs. You may want to supplement with a little Critical Care, even if she is eating on her own. Not too much though, because she does need to use her molars.

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Zoe

Post   » Mon Sep 29, 2008 2:30 am


Avocados for a guinea pig? Very high in fat. I think that's terrible idea.

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JaneDoe

Post   » Mon Sep 29, 2008 3:16 am


Interesting. I had this conversation with a shelter person Saturday. She said pigs should not have avocadoes.

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becksters
Two Time Supporter

Post   » Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:44 am


I would supplement with critical care, if you don't have critical care you can make a pellet mash out of good quality pellets and water (or unflavoured pedilyte). Pellets like Oxbow's or KM's.

I totally agree with Pinkrufus, you want her to keep eating on her own to use her molars and keep them warn down so supplementing a couple times a day will likely help, makes it more like a treat then anything.

I wouldn't personally feed any food that high in fat to a guinea pig, they shouldn't have a lot of fat or sugar for that matter.

KylePigHerder

Post   » Mon Sep 29, 2008 5:43 pm


Your vet said that? Piggies don't eat avocados, that's just silly.

Oatmeal and sunflower seeds have a nice fat content. My herds always love eating those, and I've also fed them to underweight piggies to help them out. If you're going to give your pigs sunflower seeds though, make sure that they are SHELLED, UNPROCESSED, and UNSALTED. I'm talking absolutely pristine seeds here: shelled but otherwise untouched. You might be able to find such seeds in stores like Trader Joe's and maybe Whole Foods, I'm willing to bet that you'd find such seeds in any earthy woo-woo ish grocery store.

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lisam

Post   » Mon Sep 29, 2008 5:50 pm


The best thing would be to give the pig fresh grass.

Oatmeal can cause digestive problems. Maybe because oats are a grain relatively high in "sugar"? Feed sparingly.

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Guineadaddy

Post   » Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:24 pm


I have used Melons in the past for adding a little weight, Cantalope or Watermelon are both good in moderation with a balanced diet of pellets and hay.

WICharlie

Post   » Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:41 pm


Guinea pigs should not have oatmeal or sunflower seeds. They should not have seeds at all, as they are choking hazard and guinea pigs are herbivore's not seed-eating animals.

Please go and read the Guinea Lynx Medical and Care Guide for the correct information about diet and such.

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somechick

Post   » Mon Sep 29, 2008 7:06 pm


In my experience only - I've never been able to fatten up my pigs during a period of weight loss (after surgery or illness). I handfeed if they're not eating, but I've only been able to maintain weight. It seems for me that they only gain weight when they're back to normal and eating on their own. Again, this is just my experience.

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