High quality, balanced diet will keep your guinea pigs healthy and happy. That’s why many people are worried if they are feeding their piggies the right food on daily basis.
So what’s the right food for guinea pigs? Or even better- what’s the good combination of nutrients that will make your furry friends stay in good shape.
Guinea pig’s daily diet should be consist of high-quality hay ( 80%), specially designed pellets, and fresh vegetables along with herbs and some fruits( 20%). Of course don’t forget water, as for any other living being, it’s irreplaceable and absolutely necessary for guinea pigs.
Poor quality food and dis-balance in piggies’ diet may cause diarrhea or obesity as well as more serious diseases of heart, kidneys, or liver.
Table of Contents
What Should I Feed My Guinea Pigs In The Morning?
Guinea pigs love routine so you might notice how loud and vocal can be in the morning when they expect their breakfast.
Before we start talking about piggies’ morning meal let me say a few words about hay.
How Often Should I Give Hay To My Guinea Pigs?
Your guinea pigs should always have an unlimited amount of fresh, quality hay at their disposal. Hay is an essential element of their diet and without it, piggies’ digestive system would suffer, they would get overgrown teeth.
Bottom line, without hay, most probably piggies would become seriously ill. If you would like to find out more about what happens if your piggy doesn’t eat hay, do read our article ”Why Won’t My Guinea Pig Eat Hay? ( Cause and How To Fix It).
You should always bear in mind that hay you feed your piggies should be fresh, green in color ( not yellowish or brown), dry ( if you notice any wetness, that hay is not good) without any dust or mold.
Also, pay special attention to buy the second and third cut of Timothy hay ( not the first cut).
Hay should always be placed above the floor level, as if piggies pee on it, they won’t eat it, so it will become bedding and not food. So every morning, when you do the cage spot cleaning, add some fresh hay to the hay rack and mix it all a little bit just to make hay more aromatic and appealing for piggies.
It’s Breakfast Time!
Guinea pigs love to eat. That’s why you may notice how impatient they are while you prepare their food. They know that something good is going to happen.
I have spoken with so many guinea pig’s owners about breakfast and the food they feed their piggies in the morning. There is a certain difference between types of food though.
Some people prefer to feed their pets with pellets while others don’t think pellets are necessary. I have also checked some professionals like vets, guinea pigs rescue centers and official organizations such as the Human Society Of The United States (follow link to check their article) and I must say, majority of them accept high-quality pellets as a very important part of guinea pig’s daily diet.
People that feed their piggies with pellets, serve them in the morning. The Official rule of thumb is to feed your adult guinea pig with 1/8 cup of pellets or one handful of pellets per day.
Remove all uneaten pellets after an hour or so. If you leave them in the cage, piggies can pee on it, and then they certainly won’t eat it.
Pellets you buy for your piggies should be specially designed for them but still, not all pellets you can find on the market are good. You need to read the label carefully and find out what’s in there.
High-quality pellets (nuggets) should have vitamin C added. They should have high fiber content, low fat and to contain some proteins ( adult guinea pigs need a diet with around 16-18% of protein).
The pellets should be plain – without any seeds or dried fruit. They should be made of grass hay. Even if you provide only high- quality pellets to your piggies, these are no substitute for hay.
If you feed your piggies with large amounts of pellets then it should, they could experience dental and digestive problems as well as weight gain.
So many guinea pigs’ owners feed their pets with pellets in the morning. Some of them add some veggies like cucumbers while others give their pets veggies only breakfast ( without pellets) .
Some general rule is that your guinea pig should eat vegetables equivalent to at least 10% of his body weight. So if we have an adult guinea pig that weighs around 30-35 Oz (900-1000 gr), he should eat around 3 Oz ( about 100gr) or so of veggies per day.
You can split this daily amount of veggies into half if you want to give vegetables for both morning and evening meals. When we say 3 Oz of veggies, I mean also herbs, leafy greens and some small pieces of fruit.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, note that if your piggies eat their veggies in 5 minutes, you haven’t given them enough. They should eat a portion in 8-10 minutes.
Always mix the vegetables, serve at least two different types of vegetables or leafy greens. Bear in mind that the food you are giving to your pet should contain vitamin C, as they are capable to produce it on their own.
Adult guinea pigs need 30-50 mg of vitamin C per day and if you think they don’t get it through the food, you can give them vitamin C supplements (the liquid form is the best, with a syringe).
How Should The Evening Meal For My Guinea Pigs Should Look Like?
Guinea pigs usually have two main meals, one in the morning and another one in the evening. In the meanwhile, they can graze hay or you can give them some small snack. That could be a tiny piece of fruit or some savory green leaf or herb.
Evening meal consists of greens and veggies mainly. If you feed your piggies with veggies in the morning as well, then in the evening you can give them the rest of the daily portion.
Don’t forget to wash thoroughly all veggies, herbs, fruits you give to your piggies. All veggies should be cut into smaller pieces and some people remove seeds from the pepper for example as they considered choking hazards.
What Vegetables, Leafy greens, and Fruits Should I Feed My Guinea Pigs Daily?
Guinea pigs like variety. As mentioned before, you should feed your piggies with at least two different types of veggies at one meal. Many people mix three or four types.
For example, it’s very well known that piggies adore Romaine lettuce. Not just that, they also like:
- Red and Green lettuce
- Butter lettuce
- White and Red Endive
The one you should avoid is Iceberg lettuce, don’t give it to your piggies
Guinea pigs also like cucumbers. You don’t have to peel it, just cut it into smaller pieces ( 1 inch thick ) and serve it. Cucumbers don’t have many nutritional values but have high water content and therefore perfect for hot summer days when you are looking for ways to keep your piggies cool.
Or if you have to transfer your piggies from point A to point B and won’t give them water in the car, cucumber is great food. However don’t overfeed them with it, as large portions may cause diarrhea.
Zucchini is another great vegetable for your piggies. Unlike cumbers, zucchini skin is something that piggies usually don’t like so it’s better to remove it ( together with thick stem and seeds ).
Cut it into smaller bite-size cubes and serve it. It’s a low sugar vegetable with good fiber content and rich in vitamin A.
Sweet bell pepper is a great source of vitamin C your piggies need so much. You can serve either green, yellow, or red. People usually take one bell pepper and cut in 4 equal pieces. One piece for every guinea pig per day. If the pepper is extremely large then one pepper can eat up to 8 piggies.
Carrots are also veggies that most piggies’ owners feed their pets on daily basis. Be careful with carrot though, it’s high in sugar so serve it in small portions. Avoid baby carrots as they have even higher sugar content than regular carrots.
Baby corn – piggies love it! You can give them one or two pieces of sweetcorn every day. It has high fiber content, what exactly one guinea pig needs.
Fruits are generally high in sugar that is why you shouldn’t give large portions of it every day. But at the same time, fruits contain a variety of vitamins so they should be on your piggies’ menu.
Some small piece of apple or banana as a treat would be just fine. Piggies will also eat small cuts of oranges or seedless grapes. All kinds of berries – blueberries, strawberries, blackberries as well as watermelon or kiwi could be a nice, healthy treat to your furry friends.
The Food That Shouldn’t Be on Guinea Pig’s Daily Menu
Coriander, Parsley, Kale, Basil, Dill, Fennel – all very tasty and fairly safe plants and herbs for your piggies.
Since all of the listed plants contain high levels of calcium and some of them contain oxalic acids, they shouldn’t be on your pet’s everyday menu. You can feed your piggies with them three times a week though.
Broccoli, celery, tomato, dandelion are also food that you shouldn’t feed your piggies on regular basis.
Celery and broccoli are high in oxalate ( same as spinach, beet, chard, or green beans).
Dandelion is high in calcium and calcium buildup may develop bladder or kidney stones in piggies.
Tomato is usually too acidic for piggies but occasionally you can feed your pets with either regular tomato or grape or cherry tomato. Piggies love all sorts of them. Avoid tomato stem and leaves though.
The food you should never give to your guinea pig :
- garlic
- onion
- leek
- chive
- potato
- hot/chili peppers
- avocado
- chocolate
- popcorn
- all nuts seeds
- coffee, alcohol or tea
- animal products ( meat, eggs, dairy products, fish)
Do My Guinea Pigs Need Commercial Treats, Multivitamin, and Mineral, Salt Spools?
Commercial treats are usually full of sugar or different sugar replacements and empty calories. They don’t have significant nutritional values so better to skip them. It’s better for your pets as well as for your budget.
Some people like to spend their money on multivitamins and mineral, salt spools. They think they provide something good for their pets and the truth is that if your guinea pigs have a balanced and high-quality diet rich in fibers, vitamin C, and other nutrients they need, there is no reason to buy all these things.
Spools might be a great distraction for your piggies, as they would lick anything with some flavor that is available but generally, it’s a waste of money. And not just that, glues and adhesives used in these spools may be harmful to your furry pals.
What About Water?
Last but not least ( not at all!) – the water. Water is essential for all living beings so guinea pigs are not an exception. It is super important to keep your piggies hydrated throughout the day.
Tap water is safe as long as it is safe for humans. If not, then filter or bottled water would be a better solution. You should refill the water bottle every day with fresh water and always check how much water your piggies drank.
The big truth is that the amount of water each piggy will drink depends on the piggy itself. Some piggies do drink a lot while others take necessary water from the veggies they eat. But as you know your piggies, you can notice any change in drinking habits which could indicate some problem.
You should clean the water bottle on regular basis. Some people forget that not only the bottle should be washed thoroughly but also the nozzle could hide many microorganisms that should be removed.
For the nozzle, you can use the ear sticks. You will be surprised when you push it inside and take it out with a lot of green stuff on it.
Conclusion
You should feed guinea pigs twice a day. In the morning they should have dry food on the menu along with some small pieces of veggies. For the evening meal, you can serve them more vegetables, some herbs, and occasionally small pieces of fruit.
Guinea pigs love variety, always feed them with at least two different sorts of veggies.
Always serve the fresh food to your piggies and remove any leftovers. Uneaten pellets should be removed after an hour or so and veggies should also be removed after a couple of hours the most to avoid spoiling and bacteria buildup.
Although guinea pigs will stop eating when they are full, they still may become obese, especially if you provide a poor diet, high in carbohydrates and sugars.
So bear in mind that you don’t need any fancy and expensive supplements and commercial treats for piggies, you just need good quality hay, pellets, and safe sorts of veggies to keep your piggies healthy and happy. And clean, freshwater, of course.
