DIET | My Site

Guinea Pig Diet

Guinea pigs are herbivores, which means they eat a fully plant based diet and should NEVER be fed meat, dairy or processed human foods.

Unlimited Hay:

Guinea pigs should be free fed and have unlimited access to timothy or orchard hay 24/7. We tell adopters that if they have given hay and the piggies have eaten all of it or nearly all of it, you haven't given enough.

Unlimited hay should look like a small mountain. Additionally using a large hay bag or a small cat litter box and keeping full at all times will ensure that your piggies never run out. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND FEEDING BOTH TIMOTHY AND ORCHARD HAY!

Nursing mamas and babies under 6 months old can also have alfalfa hay BUT they must also be getting free fed timothy or orchard hay.

Not feeding hay 24/7 will lead to a number of health issues, including overgrown teeth, GI stasis, diarrhea, anorexia and heart disease. Malnutrition can lead to an early death and guinea pigs have a difficult time bouncing back from periods of malnutrition. Hay cubes or blocks are not a substitution for long strand loose hay.

We are big fans of buying hay in bulk. You can purchase 25-50 lb boxes online of Oxbow or Small Pet Select hay, or try your local feed store and purchase by the flake or bale. This can save guinea pig owners a lot of money.

Plain Timothy Based Pellets:

In addition to unlimited hay, guinea pigs should have high quality plain timothy based pellets.

Nursing mamas and babies under 6 month old should have alfalfa based pellets. You can purchase "Young Adult" guinea pig food which will have the addition of alfalfa in it.

*We understand the industry standard is 1/8 of pellets per piggy per day, however we recommend offering a full bowl of pellets. Most guinea pigs will not overeat. By feeding an 1/8 cup, which is two tablespoons of pellets, you run the risk of not feeding enough. By weighing your pig once a week, you can make an informed decision on how much pellets to feed based on your individual guinea pigs eating habits. If your piggie devours an entire bowl of pellets then you can limit the amount, but this is very rare as most guinea pigs will stick to hay being their primary source of sustenance.

Brands we recommend are Oxbow Essentials Cavy Cuisine Adult Guinea Pig Food, Oxbow Garden Select, Oxbow Organic Bounty, Sherwood Small Pet Timothy pellet, and Small Pet Select.

*Please take care not to select rabbit or rat food as the bags look similar. Guinea pigs need food formulated for their unique nutritional needs. Pellets containing seeds, nuts or other colored bits are also extremely unhealthy for guinea pigs.

*All of our adoptable guinea pigs are currently eating Oxbow Essentials Adult Guinea Pig Food.

Fresh Vegetables: Guinea pigs also need about a cup green leafy veggies each day. This provides them with a natural and fresh source of vitamin C as well as other essential nutrients. Check out our Veggie Guide for a more detailed list of recommended veggies. With this list you can learn how to build your piggies daily salads as well as avoid veggies higher in calcium which can cause painful and often deadly bladder stones.

NEVER FEED COOKED VEGETABLES!

Vitamin C: Guinea pigs cannot produce their own vitamin C. It is essential that they get it from fresh foods or supplements.

We recommend giving a vitamin C supplement to ensure piggies are getting the needed 25-50mg per day. We love the Oxbow vitamin C cookies as well as the Childlife liquid vitamin C. You can give your guinea pig 1 ML of liquid vitamin C per day from a syringe. Most guinea pigs love the liquid vitamin C because it is sweet.

If you prefer not to use the supplements and rely on fresh veggies instead, 1/4 of a bell pepper daily will provide about 20-30mg of vitamin C.

Please do not add vitamin C drops to their water bottle. This contaminates the water and the vitamin C loses it's efficacy immediately. Lack of vitamin C can lead to life threatening scurvy, hair loss, brittle teeth and tooth loss, arthritis and more.

Treats: Reminder, treats are just that, a treat to be fed once or twice a day max. Always look for hay or veggie based treats and NEVER feed yogurt drops, seeds, nuts, salt and mineral licks or treats and foods containing ANY of those ingredients.

Recommended treats include pea flakes, small bits of fresh fruits, some dried veggies and herbs, Oxbow and Kaytee timothy based fruit & veggie treats, Forage mix is also a nice treat you can sprinkle into the hay pile or feed by hand.

Small Pet Select has a variety pack of treats that are great!

Never feed yogurt drops, salt and mineral licks, seeds, nuts, or treats and foods containing any of those ingredients!!

Links To Hay, Pellets & Treats

Oxbow Essentials Guinea Pig Pellets

Small Pet Select Pellets

Small Pet Select Premium Non GMO Soy Free

Oxbow Garden Select

Sherwood Timothy Pellet

Oxbow Organic Bounty

PRO TIP! BUY YOUR HAY IN BULK! CHECK YOUR AREA FOR LOCAL FEED STORES AS THEY WILL HAVE TIMOTHY AND ORCHARD HAY BY THE FLAKE AND BALE FOR A FRACTION OF THE COST!

Guinea Dad Timothy Hay

Guinea Dad Orchard Hay

Small Pet Select Timothy

Small Pet Select Orchard

Oxbow Timothy Hay

Oxbow Orchard Hay

Bell Feed Company Orchard and Timothy Blend

Oxbow Treats

Small Pet Select Treats

Kaytee Treats

Guinea dad Pea Flakes

Small Pet Select Pea Flakes