When I first got my pigs home 5 months ago, they would eat a lot of their special poops.
Since they´ve been getting Oxbow hay and pellets free choice, and I give them high quality vegetables, I don´t ever see them eating their special poops anymore. I give them a small plateful of red and yellow peppers, parsley, kale, broccoli, and carrots. When I noticed them eating the special poops back in November, I was only giving them broccoli and carrots, and the overall amount of vegetables was much smaller than what I give now.
Is it possible that they get enough nutrients from their current diet that they don´t need the supplements they would otherwise get from the special poops?
Thanks.
Special Poops
The cecal pellets (special poops) are softer and lighter in color than the regular beanie poops we see around the cage. Have you seen any different looking poops around? If not, they must be eating them when you´re not looking, as they have to go somewhere!
The cecal pellets have been through the digestive system once, but there´s still nutritive value in them, so in eating them again, they´re broken down further and thus the pig is able to utilize 80% of the food it eats, leaving very little waste. A most efficient system.
The cecal pellets have been through the digestive system once, but there´s still nutritive value in them, so in eating them again, they´re broken down further and thus the pig is able to utilize 80% of the food it eats, leaving very little waste. A most efficient system.
I do see most of the bigger poops seem to be multi-colored. They sort of have a light brown stripe down the middle with darker brown/black stripes on the sides.
Do you think it´s possible that when I first got them, they were eating ALL their poops, and that´s why it seems as if they don´t eat the special ones anymore? I remember they used to reach down and eat one after another, within seconds. Sometimes they would eat up to five in a row in a very short time. Scott
Do you think it´s possible that when I first got them, they were eating ALL their poops, and that´s why it seems as if they don´t eat the special ones anymore? I remember they used to reach down and eat one after another, within seconds. Sometimes they would eat up to five in a row in a very short time. Scott
LOL, I was thinking just the opposite, but that´s because I was applying human values to my reasoning. I figured that when I first brought them home, they would be less likely to have poor manners, because they hardly knew me yet. Then after some time passed, they´d be less self-conscious, thereby decreasing their manners. But piggies are the opposite of humans in so many ways. That´s why I like them so much. 
Last edited by CenterFielderNo5 on Sun Apr 07, 2002 3:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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KarasKavies
- For the love of my girls!
I love your description of the multi-colored poops! My girls have those also. Isn´t it odd, however, that we both know that?! Again, I think we all need to get lives!
Kara
Kara
We´ll just have to install closed circuit television to monitor them when they´re not looking.
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