How Much Do You Feed Guinea Pigs – The part of guinea pig care that will affect your guinea pig’s health the most is the food they eat. Like many other small pets, guinea pigs are herbivores. They also have a sensitive digestive system that has specific nutritional and nutritional requirements to function properly. Following our recommended guinea pig diet will help your puppy maintain a healthy weight and prevent other health problems. It will also keep your piglet happy and active!
This article will give you everything you need to know about feeding your guinea pig a healthy and complete diet. We tell you what foods they should eat and how much they should eat, and recommend the best guinea pig brands. The entire article is filled with important information for guinea pig owners, but if you’re looking for in-depth information on a specific part of guinea pig food, use the content link to jump to that section.
How Much Do You Feed Guinea Pigs
To ensure your guinea pig lives a long and healthy life, make sure you provide them with a daily diet that includes the following key ingredients:
Guinea Pig Diet Guide: Complete Health And Nutrition For Cavies
Unlimited water and grass hay should always be available to your guinea pig. It is usually easiest to provide cold, fresh water with a water bottle. Do not add vitamin C or other additives to the water for guinea pigs (see the section Vitamin C for guinea pigs for more information).
Your guinea pig should be fed a high-quality pellet every day to ensure it gets the minimum of essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients. The type of pellets to be given depends on the age of the guinea pig (see next section “Guinet’s age and diet”). Fresh vegetables also help supplement your oral diet by providing essential vitamin C and other nutrients.
While guinea pigs get most of the nutrients they need from good grains and fresh vegetables, guinea pigs cannot produce their own vitamin C, making them susceptible to scurvy. You can provide them with a vitamin C supplement to ensure the consistency of their diet.
Juvenile and juvenile guinea pigs have different nutritional needs than adult guinea pigs. Young guinea pigs that are still growing should eat alfalfa-based pellets and can have alfalfa hay in addition to regular grass hay. A similar diet should be followed by pregnant and lactating women.
A Natural Life For A Guinea Pig
A guinea pig is considered “adult” when it reaches the age of six months. At this point, they should switch to an adult diet. Adult guinea pigs should have grass hay and timothy pellets at the center of their diet. Alfalfa should only be given as a side dish if your guinea pig needs it or as an occasional treat. High calcium content can cause bladder stones in older guinea pigs.
Hay is one of the most important components of a guinea pig’s diet. This is because (like water) it must always be available to taste. The digestive system of a guinea pig is in constant motion, so it should have unlimited access to good quality hay. Eating hay also requires you to slightly grind your teeth, which also helps prevent them from overgrowing. Hay is also essential to provide the essential fiber that the piglet needs.
Most grass hay has a similar nutritional value. You may find that your guinea pigs have a preferred variety. Mixture feeding is a good way to keep your guinea pig entertained and prevent boredom.
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Alfalfa hay is only recommended for young guinea pigs or pregnant or lactating mothers. It can sometimes be given as a supplement to malnourished adult piglets, but should not be given as a substitute for grass hay. Alfalfa is high in calcium, which can cause bladder stones in older guinea pigs.
What Do Guinea Pigs Eat: Hay, Pellets, Veggies, Fruit
Hay can be purchased at pet stores or ordered online. If you have storage space, buying in bulk is a great way to save money. Buying hay directly from the farm or feed store will cost less than hay from pet stores, and the hay will also be fresher. When buying hay, make sure it is fresh. It should be green and fragrant, but not musty.
You can provide the hay in a wire or wooden hay rack to keep it clean and off the coop or the floor of the coop.
Our recommendations include national brands that can be found at pet stores or ordered from Amazon. We also have several farms from which larger quantities can be ordered directly.
When buying timothy hay for guinea pigs, you can choose to “cut” the first, second or third cut. These numbered seedlings refer to the hay harvest from which they came during the growing season. In general, the second cut is the best because it has a good balance of nutrients and fiber and is more uniform. Many owners prefer third-cut timothy hay, but this is less common and may not happen at all during a bad season.
Emergency Liquid Food Recipes For Guinea Pigs
We’re big fans of Oxbow, especially because it’s easy for US owners to buy. They are one of the best brands available at many pet stores and their hay is extremely easy to order online. They offer many varieties of hay that are ideal for small animals such as guinea pigs. Their hay is grown in the USA and hand selected to ensure a good quality product.
Small Pet Select is a great online hay distributor for small animals. They only offer timothy hay and orchard grass, but both are good options for guinea pigs.
One thing that Small Pet Select does differently is that they pack and ship their hay in a cardboard box, which is a better long-term hay storage option than a plastic bag. They offer timothy hay in 1, 2 and 3 batters.
New York State-based Farmer Dave specializes in organic, high-quality pet supplies for small pet owners. His hay selection is unfortunately limited to timothy hay, but he offers them in 1st, 2nd and 3rd cuts. It also ships HUGE crates of hay, perfect for guinea pig owners with a whole house of hungry piglets. Currently offers 10 lb., 25 lb. and 35 lb.
Guinea Pig Ideal Diet
If you’re interested in buying guinea pig hay directly from the farmer, but don’t need such large quantities, check out Fay’s Hay. Also located in New York State, Alicia Fay owns a small family farm that sells hay to large animal farms in the Northeast. They now offer their delicious guinea pig grass to small pet owners as well. All of their hay is pesticide and chemical free, and naturally sun and wind dried on their farm.
They only sell a mixture of timothy hay and orchard grass that contains a small amount of clover but is available in the 1st and 2nd seedlings or in a mix of the two. Available sizes are 1 lb., 5 lb., 10 lb. and 20 pounds.
When you walk into the pet store, you are immediately bombarded with loads of guinea pig food. Nuts, seeds and colored grains are calling you. It can be overwhelming. Guinea pigs can’t eat it, so shopping will become a lot easier.
Guinea pigs should only eat plain, colorless, high-quality timothy hay pellets with vitamin C (no nuts, seeds or colored bits). When choosing a guinea pig food, look for pellets with stabilized vitamin C. Be sure to check the expiration date to ensure it’s fresh and store it in a dark, cool place to preserve the vitamin C. Avoid cereals with the main ingredient or corn and any animal by-products.
Guinea Pig Diet Tips
Each adult guinea pig should eat about 1/8 cup of pellets per day. As long as you provide enough fresh hay and enough vegetables (more on this in the next chapter), your piglets shouldn’t overeat.
Many guinea pigs are based on alfalfa. These types should only be given to guinea pigs under 6 months of age or to pregnant piglets.
Choosing the right guinea pig pellets will provide your pet with the minimum daily requirement for vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in its diet.
No wonder Oxbow is back in the article! Available at many US pet stores and easy to order online, Oxbow is also one of the best guinea pigs available. Specially formulated for adult guinea pigs, this pellet is based on timothy hay and fortified with stabilized vitamin C. It is formulated to be lower in protein, calories and calcium, making it healthier and less problematic for adult piglets. .
Best Guinea Pig Pellet Food 2021
If you have younger piglets to care for or have a pregnant or lactating mother, Oxbow makes baby guinea pig pellets. Like their adult food, these pellets are fortified with stabilized vitamin C, but the base is alfalfa.
It can be given in unlimited amounts to piglets under 6 months of age and to pregnant and lactating mothers.
If your guinea pigs turn their nose up at Oxbow, KMS Hayloft pellets are a great alternative. Although you have to order it online.
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