Vegetables

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RubySimon

Post   » Fri Mar 10, 2023 2:13 pm


So, took Luke to the vet for a check up. I had to change vets because my favorite vets left the old practice and I was not happy with the way the new owners were running things. For example, I called to make an appointment for my almost 20 year old cat because she was limping. I said it was not urgent, that the end of the week or beginning of the following week would probably be ok since she was not in dire straits. The woman I spoke to told me it would be a month before they could get me in. WTH??? I had a discussion with her and her response was that because they had so many new clients, they were very busy. Again, WTH???? I have been a client there since the inception of that practice and NEVER had that happen before. Now I know routine things are pushed out but this was not something I felt comfortable going 4 weeks with. There were many other things, but that was the straw that broke the camels back. Anyway, I digress. So, this new exotics vet does not recommend veggies for pigs or rabbits. Her reasoning was that they will keep the hay consumption down. She made a point of saying that in the wild pigs and rabbits don't normally dine on garden variety veggies. Especially guinea pigs. It does make sense. But I have always heard/read that they need veggies. This vet feels good quality pellets and hay are all they need and if I want to give vegs as a tiny tiny treat, that is ok as long as they are the proper ones.

So, just looking to see what opinions are out there. Do I go with what I have been told for years? Of follow this vet's protocol? I am a bit confused. I really probably did feed too big a quantity of vegs, so I did cut it way down. But she is talking like a tablespoon of greens (she said the equivalent of that if I were to chop them). That just makes me concerned since the quality of the hay I have been getting now stinks. I have no less than 6 types of hay and a lot of them are awful. The rabbit hemorrhagic disease out west is causing the hayfields issues. And where I live in the Northeast, the drought made the hay crop terrible this year.

What to do??????????

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Mar 10, 2023 11:04 pm


Read this whole page and all the diet info:
https://www.guinealynx.info/fave.html

Pellets and hay are not a natural diet either. A natural diet would be much more complex. Fresh vegs serve a purpose. With humans, for example, it is recommended to get vitamins and minerals from a food, not only a supplement. Pellets have vitamin and mineral additives to satisfy minimum daily requirements.

Variety is healthy. Vegs are better than fruit (fruit, on the other hand, CAN be used as a "treat").

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Sat Mar 11, 2023 1:16 am


I had a vet tell me basically the same thing, that they don't need fresh veggies, just hay and pellets, for a complete diet. That may be true, but I see a lot of research out there recommending small amounts of fresh veggies and herbs for vitamin C and micronutrients.

RubySimon

Post   » Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:39 am


Thanks. I will go with my gut. I feel the same way. I do think the hay/pellet only diet would be lacking in especially vitamin C. I am VERY stingy with fruit and things like carrots. And, as I said, I do think I might have over done it with the amount of greens I was feeding. I have read the lists with the veggies on her and found it very helpful to avoid ones that might not be as good as others. I will continue to give them some veggies.
Appreciate the feedback. I really was not feeling comfortable cutting that stuff out completely.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sat Mar 11, 2023 1:59 pm


Guinea pigs are totally domesticated. There are very few wild ones and most of those are probably ones who were abandoned and managed to survive. That said, they eat fresh vegetation in the wild, not hay and pellets. Hay should be the staple of a guinea pig's diet though because all of the nutrients get locked in when it's harvested and put in bales. You still can't leave out the fresh veggies, especially the leafy greens. I'd question any vet who would say that.

RubySimon

Post   » Sun Mar 12, 2023 8:20 am


She was actually talking about wild guinea pigs in South America. Where they originated. To a degree, the discussion made sense, but in other regards, I did not agree. I was not about to argue in the exam room. So, I will keep the way I was, and hope everyone stays healthy. It is hard having to change vets, especially when I had such a great working relationship with the other one. I have a fantastic relationship with my horse vet too. So, forging a new working relationship is difficult and I don't think it will be what I had with the other ones.

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