my guinea pig only eats hay and not normal guinea pig food...what do i do?

There are a few things here to deal with. Number one is that hay should be the bulk of the guinea pig diet, so your pig eating a lot of hay is a very good sign! Hay is very important because it will keep your pig's teeth healthy and the digestive system moving. There should always be an unlimited amount of grassy hay (like Timothy) available. If your guinea pig is young you can also add in small amounts of alfalfa hay. Adults should not get alfalfa hay as it is too high in calcium and calories for them.

Never feed a pellet that has any seeds or coloured bits mixed in. The seeds can cause them to choke and the coloured bits are not very healthy. The best food is a plain pellet that is alfalfa based (for young pigs) or timothy based for adults. A good pellet to try is Oxbow or Kleenmamas. Both sites also have hay available.

http://www.oxbowhay.com/

http://www.kmshayloft.com/

Guinea pigs should also get at least a cup of leafy green veggies each day. Good choices are lettuce (not iceberg), cilantro, parsley, kale and occasionally spinach. They should also get vegetables with plenty of vitamin C as they cannot produce their own. I give mine a chunk of bell pepper every day, he absolutely loves red pepper. Small amounts of other veggies, or occasionally fruits, can be fed as well.

Great info about healthy diets here:

http://www.guinealynx.info/diet.html

Everything you need to know about raising healthy guinea pigs can be found on Guinea Lynx. This site has helped me make my guinea pigs happy and healthy:

http://www.guinealynx.info/healthycavy.html

You may also want to *adopt* another, same sex, guinea pig to keep your pig company. Guinea pigs are very social and need a friend to keep them happy and entertained. There are many guinea pigs in shelters that need a home, so you could save a life by adopting instead of buying at a pet store. Great info about social needs of guinea pigs:

http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm

Finally, you should consider changing some things with your guinea pigs home. Hay doesn't really make good bedding as it isn't very absorbent and can quickly mold. Better choices are Carefresh, aspen or Yesterday's News. Do not use cedar or pine as they can cause respiratory damage. Also, pet store cages are very small and don't give a guinea pig enough room to run around and play. A better choice is a C&C cage as they are huge, easy to build and easy to clean. Guinea pigs need far more room than pet stores lead you to believe, they need at least 7.5 sp ft for one guinea pig. Believe me, you'll love seeing your pig run laps around the cage. Info on C&C cages:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/

Both timothy hay and alfalfa are great for guinea pigs. The best combination is timothy hay and alfalfa cubes (instead of alfalfa hay). Give a small handful of hay each day, and the alfalfa cube two to three times a week. They also love fruits and veggies, but don't feed too much of that. Guinea pigs need a lot of vitamin C, so I recommend getting the vitamin C drops. Also, make sure you change the food and water every other day. I love your guinea pig's name, by the way! Mine is named Snickers. =)

Make sure he always has hay available, this is the main part of a cavys diet, dont just 'put him a handfull' he needs it available ALL THE TIME.

You could try giving him veggies, guinea pigs need vitamin C in the form of veggies daily. He will eat his food when he feels like it but if he doesnt eat it, its not really a problem as long as he is eating plenty of hay and veggies/fruit.

Okay what i would do is Like everyone said check food bowl. Ok next take out his bowl

Then put less than an inch in maybe about a half an inch no more no less!

No hay in bowl either maybe a few vegetables, and do not disturb guinea pig until next day

Check and see if it ate everything! thats what i would do

-Lily Allen♥☻☺

Bedding is not hay. You have to have a specific type of Guinea Pig bedding. You will need to go and buy bedding such as, Carefresh (this is soft, dont get the bark-like bedding). You also need to get alfalfa hay for him to eat. Only put a handful of hay in the cage a day. Then he will eat through that and then eat his Guinea Pig food. They dont like the food with just the plain brown pellets, try the food with the colored pieces. They think these are treats and will eat the proper amount. Look for a book on Guinea Pigs at the pet store, these are VERY helpful and include info on care, grooming, socializing, etc. Good Luck!

I think if you just got him maybe you are feeding him different food then he was use to. If you wait a day or two more and see if he eats it that should be ok. After that..i would take him to the vet for a check up. Please don't buy the pellets with fruit and colours and stuff in it...if you look at the fibre/protein/vitamin C percentage...its very low and not good for them. That food is cheap and crappy. High quality Pellets are best. Hope he starts to settle in and eat his food :) good luck

he seems to think his bedding tastes good so switch to another type. also, get him interested in all sorts of pellet diets (buy 2 or 3 types) and see which one he enjoys. Also try some treats that you can buy at a pet stores.Also try some veggies like

cabbage

lettuce

celery

spinach

also, have him try some timothy hay. he really needs it.

fruit grows on woods or vines and fresh vegetables grow in the land.

Normally i would just say fruit, but i think both. I enjoy the sugariness of the fruits but i love the tart and kick the vegetables bring

i had 1 a couple of years ago and i do agree with the person before me who said to just check his bowl. also try feeding it carrots and lettuce thats what mine ate all he time he loved it. plus hay is not bedding it is a food to them!!