Feeding your piggies
This section covers ...
Pellet Food.
Hay and Forage.
Treats.
Vegetables.
Unlike many animals, guinea pigs can't produce their own vitamin c. This is why it is especially important to get the perfect balance in a guinea pigs daily diet especially from there vegetables.
Unlimited pellets should be available until your guinea pigs weekly growth rate is slowing down between 5-9 months old, then reduce the amount very gradually to the half to handful (Max. 40g)
This type of feed is the most recommended for guinea pigs, each pellet has equal amount of nutrition and they are easily digestible for piggies.
The most well known brand for this style of nugget is "Burgess", they can come in a range of flavours from black current to oregano to mint. |
This type of food is usually not a highly recommended feed for guinea pigs. Each individual piece holds a different nutrient, and the different taste from each piece can often result in something known as "selective feeding" this is where piggies only eaten certain bits of the feed leading to piggies not getting all the nutrients they require.
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Hay and forage.
Up to 80% of a piggy's diet should be hay; you can always use it to further insulate the sleeping area,
Not giving guinea pigs unlimited Timothy Hay around the clock is a big mistake. Many people don't seem to know that guinea pigs NEED hay. Many people buy the hay they find at the pet store, the most commonly found packaged hay is Alfalfa hay. Many people buy Alfalfa hay because that is what the pet store people told them to buy. Alfalfa hay should only be given to pregnant mothers and growing babies. Alfalfa hay has too much calcium and other nutrients which can cause bladder stones in guinea pigs. Timothy hay helps their digestive system and is the best way to help keep their molars ground down and healthy.
If you want to read more about how to serve your hay, go to our blog and read about all new hay bags!
If you want to read more about how to serve your hay, go to our blog and read about all new hay bags!
Treats.
Some treats available in pet stores often aren't safe for guinea pigs or are often very high in fats and sugars. Some treats seem to be more catered to the owners and what people think they would like if they were guinea pigs. For example highly coloured more attractive looking things are often stuffed with colours and additives that aren't good for a healthy guinea pig diet ! Due to the high sugar content in most fruits these make a great additional treat for piggies, although they must be fed in moderation, Apples, oranges (with the peel), grapes and bananas are all favorites that your guinea pig will love. When you serve your pet fruit, make sure that it is cut up in small pieces and that you take whatever they don't eat out of the cage. Or maybe a cheaper alternative could just be a bowl of some yummy green grass or maybe give your guinea pig a dandelion !
A guide to guinea pig vegetables.
Guinea pigs require 50g or 1 cupful of mixed veg per piggy per day, heres a selection of veg you can offer your piggies.
High Vitamin C veg: - Beet greens - Bell / Sweet Peppers - red, green, yellow - Broccoli- Brussels Sprouts - Cabbage- Cantaloupe Melon - Carrot tops / leaves - Cauliflower - Cavolo Nero - Celery leaves - Chinese Parsley - Cilantro - Collard greens - Corriander greens - Currants - yellow, red or black - Dandelion greens - Feijoa / Pineapple Guava - Garden Cress- Gooseberries - Grapefruit - Grass - wheat, winter rye - Guava - Honeydew Melon - Kale - curly or plain - Kiwi Fruit - Kohlrabi leaves - Leaf Mustard - Mandarin - Mango - Mustard greens - Papaya / Paw Paw / Tree Melon - Parsley - curly or plain - Peas in pods - Pea Shoots - Persimmon - american or oriental - Red Cabbage - Rosehip - Savoy Cabbage - Spinach - Strawberries - Swiss Chard, Red Chard - Tamarillo (leaves poisonous) - Tangerine - Tomato (leaves poisonous) - Tuscan Cabbage - Orange - Water Cress |
Low Vitamin C veg: - Anise - Apricot - Apple - Artichoke - Arugula / Rocket / Roquette / Rucola - Asian Pear - Asparagus - Banana - Basil - Bean Sprouts - Beets - Belgian Endive - Bilberries - Blackberries - Blueberries - Carrots - Celery Root / Celeriac - Celery stalks - Cherries (remove pits) - Chives - Corn on the cob - Cranberries - Cucumber (not pickled) - Dates - Dill - Figs - Frisee Lettuce - Grapes - Green Endive - Green Beans in pods / String Beans - Kohlrabi bulbs - Lettuces - red, green, butter, Boston and other - Mint - Nectarine - Parsley root - Parsnip - Passion Fruit / Granadilla - Peach - Pear - Pineapple - Pumpkin - Radicchio / Italian Chicory - Radishes (if mild) - Raspberries - Romaine Lettuce - Squash - Swede - Sweet Onions - Treviso Radicchio - Thyme - Turnip - Watermelon - Yam / Sweet Potato - Zucchini |
Danger Veggies ! - Avocado - Beetroot leaves and roots. - Coconut - Dry beans and peas - Garlic or pungent onions - Horseradish - Hot Peppers / Chiles / Paprikas - Hot herbs and spices - Iceburg Lettuce this won't kill your guinea pig if you give him or her a little piece, but it has virtually no nutritional value, is quite fibrous and watery. It's been known to give guinea pigs diarrhea. - Jams, jellies and fruit preserves - Peanut butter, cakes, cookies, baked goods - Pickled veggies - Potatoes - Rhubarb - Seeds - Taro - Teas, coffee, colas - Tomato leaves & stalks - Milk and milk products - Mushrooms - Nuts - Flowers - Fried, cooked and otherwise prepared foods - Fruit juices - Wild grasses, plants and herbs that you are unsure of, or that look different from ones you know |
With thanks to The Guinea Pig Forum.