Guinea pig - Food and Hutch

Question
QUESTION: Hi Jules, Us again we are the new owners of 2 Guinea Pigs Matilda and Murgetrude.  We don't know how much to feed them and what the best time is to feed them.  Given the chance these 2 girls will eat constantly and let me tell you they eat very well too. Cleaning the hutch is a bit of a chore. Quite a few layers of soiled newspaper are replaced every second day put into plastic bags and then thrown straight in the bin - so we don't seem to be doing our bit for the environment when it comes to recycling.   What can we do to make it an easier and procedure.

ANSWER: Ouri,

Sorry for just now getting back to you with an answer, the internet has been down for the last few days all over town. So sorry for just now getting back to you.

Well your two girls are always going to need unlimited access to both their hay and pellets, as this provides for all their needs since they are grazing animals. For the both of them about a cup or so of fresh foods everyday is a wonderful thing as this is providing vitamins and minerals for them. The best time for that I would say is either in the morning or evenings when they are both rather active.

As for the hutch bedding, I would recommend Aspen litter bedding (can be found at pet stores). With that all you'll need to do is spot cleaning (looking for the really wet or soiled spots) remove and replace everyday if needed and then change the whole thing once a week. With aspen it is great to use in the garden to keep slugs and some other bugs away from your plants, and it also works great in a compost pile.

I hope this helps,
  Take care now,
     Jules

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: It certainly does - So is once a day for the fresh food enough they tend to  run up to the cage door and squeak like they are starving when they hear our footsteps.   Or is it just a habit now that they expect to be fed 3- 4 times a day?   Also with the dry pellets and hay - How much of this do they need daily?

Answer
Ouri,

They are squeaking and running to the door out of habit now. It is alright to give them a little treat of carrots, celery or something like that during the day, but you want the main fresh food meal to be only once and at the same time everyday so they can get into a new habit.

With the dry pellets they need about a 1/2 cup of pellets daily, the easiest thing to do there is just fill up the bowl with a 1/2 of a cup of pellets and then give them more in the morning. But don't forget to check it at least once at night to make sure they still have some. As some Guinea Pigs tend to eat just a little more then 1/2 a cup of pellets a day.

With their hay they needed it all day long, they are grazing animals and as such are use to eating it all day. It is also a big need for them, it helps keep their teeth the right length and it also keeps their digestion going as the hay is providing their daily fiber. There is no measurement on that, you just need to make sure they have hay all day long. If they run out give them more, as it is really a must for all Guinea Pigs to have access to hay all day long.

I hope this helps,
 Take care,
   Jules