Advice on Feeding your Guinea Pig

What do I eat?

Apples, strawberries, tomatoes or freshly picked grass.

Unlike most animals, guinea pigs (and humans) cannot make their own vitamin C and you should add a vitamin supplement to their water. A mineral stone in the hutch will keep their teeth sharp and provide any extra nutrients they might need.

Guinea pigs eat little and often and the dry food should be available ad lib. If the bowl is frequently emptied you are probably not giving enough. Fresh food should be fed in the morning and any that is uneaten removed daily.

Feeding my Guinea pig

Choosing what food to feed your guinea pig can be difficult; there are so many different foods available, which one to choose? We've tried to make this decision less complicated by pointing out the key features and benefits of different foods:

Extruded food:

The extruded food we sell is a premium dry food that provides your guinea pig with all the goodness they need in every mouthful.

Extruded food combats selective feeding whereby your guinea pig may only eat their favourite bits out of their muesli mix and therefore miss out on the nutritional benefits of the rejected food. Extruded food includes all the same ingredients as muesli, but is mixed up, cooked and squashed into small pellets, so every pellet eaten is tasty and provides an ideal, balanced diet.

Muesli:

The traditional muesli mix incorporates the vitamins and minerals that guinea pigs need in various different ingredients e.g seeds, grains and vegetables. When you feed your guinea pig check if there is any food left over and you should be soon able to tell if your guinea pig is selective feeding and leaving certain bits every time.

If so, you could try feeding a little less food at feeding time so they eat the whole lot before being refilled, or, if it is becoming a serious problem switch to an extruded diet to ensure your guinea pig gets a balanced diet.

Supplements

Hay:

Although many foods are referred to as 'complete' none can compensate for a fresh supply of hay every day. Hay fulfils many essential functions for guinea pigs:

• Hay provides something to chew on and keep them from being bored
• Guinea pig's teeth grow continuously and can become painful if not kept short, chewing hay helps to wear your guinea pig's teeth down.
• Hay plays a vital role in guinea pigs' digestion, known as a 'long fibre' hay
  

Fresh foods

Fresh foods should be introduced gradually to young guinea pigs to vary the diet. Small amounts of apples, cabbage or kale as well as edible wild plants like dandelions, chickweed or clover may be fed but always remember to wash them first. Young guinea pigs in particular can get upset stomachs quite easily from too much green food or being allowed to eat too much grass. Beware of some fresh plants that might be poisonous for your guinea pig.

Treats

With teeth that are permanently growing guinea pigs are susceptible to dental problems, particularly overgrowth. Providing chew treats that are fun to nibble and tasty to eat will give your guinea pigs teeth a work out. There are lots of tasty treats available for your guinea pig but give in moderation and adjust your guinea pigs main food quantity if necessary.;