Here's what your guinea pigs need for a good diet. Good-quality hay should make up most of your guinea pigs' diet, and they should always have it available to them. They should have fresh grass as often as possible too, ideally every day. They naturally graze, eating only grass, herbs and some other plants such as dandelion or groundsel for long periods, both day and night. Also, their teeth are always growing, and eating hay helps wear them down to keep them at the correct length and shape.
The wrong diet can cause serious dental disease. Never feed your guinea pigs lawnmower clippings, which will upset their digestive systems and make them ill. Guinea pigs have special dietary needs and must get enough Vitamin C, so give them a fresh portion of grass-based guinea-pig pellets each day, as per the manufacturer's instructions. These provide essential Vitamin C, which is destroyed with exposure to air. Fruit is considered a treat.
Provide a variety of vegetables. A variety is necessary in order to obtain the necessary nutrients, with one each day that contains Vitamin A. Add one vegetable to the diet at a time. Eliminate if it causes soft stools or diarrhea. High in either oxalates or goitrogens and may be toxic in accumulated quantities over a period of time.
Limit fruits to tablespoons per 2 lbs. Sugary fruits such as bananas and grapes should be used only sparingly. Guineas have a sweet tooth and if left to their own devices will devour sugary foods to the exclusion of healthful ones.
Guinea pigs require grass hay. Grass hay must be made available at all times to keep your guinea pigs healthy. Grass hay provides the fiber guinea pigs need for digestion and helps grind their constantly growing teeth. Without grass hay, guinea pigs teeth may become too long, which may hinder eating and cause other problems.
What kind of hay to provide? Alfalfa contains a large amount of calcium. A diet containing a large amount of calcium can cause stones to form in a guinea pig. Stones are painful and often require surgery to remove. To reduce the likelihood of a stone forming, guinea pigs should be provided with unlimited mixed grass e.
Alfalfa hay may be provided in addition to mixed grass to pregnant or nursing guinea pigs, who need the extra calcium for the development of their pups, or to guinea pigs younger than 6 months, who need the extra calcium for development.
This chewing helps to wear down their continuously growing teeth and is very important in maintaining dental and gastrointestinal health. Some examples of these include dark leafed lettuce varieties such as rocket, dandelion greens, snow peas, and herbs such as marjoram, borage, marigold, nasturtium, rosemary, parsley, coriander, basil, and dill.
Other foods that are good to fed guinea pigs a few times a week include broccoli, cabbage, endive, carrot tops, Brussels sprouts, kale, silver beet, mint, and fruits such as apples but with no seeds , mango, and papaya. Provide your guinea pigs with a dietary source of Vitamin C because like humans , guinea pigs cannot synthesise Vitamin C from other food substances. Vitamin C rich foods such as leafy green veggies and capsicums green, orange, and red should be fed to your guinea pigs daily.
Foods like carrots, kiwifruit, berries, and pineapple are also great as a source of Vitamin C and a tasty treat for your guinea pigs but only feed them a few times a week, not every day, as these foods have quite a high sugar content. Make sure that you source grass, herbs, fruits, and vegetables that have not been sprayed by any chemicals, as these could harm your guinea pigs. Lawnmower clippings should never be fed to your guinea pigs as these can cause gastrointestinal blockages and make your guinea pigs very sick.
Although many contain adequate levels of Vitamin C when fresh, this is only when the food is very fresh and within just a few months these foods no longer contain Vitamin C. These greens are going to be packed with essential micronutrients and antioxidants with very low amounts of starches and sugars.
So, our 2-pound piggie could get about 2 tablespoons of root veggies in addition to their greens to total 1 cup. It is important that you gradually introduce your guinea pig to new veggies to avoid overwhelming their digestive tract and upsetting their gut. While there are many veggies specifically recommended for guinea pigs, a quick transition to even the most appropriate food can cause some upset in an animal not used to consuming it. There are many resources available to research the specific benefits of certain veggies, but here we will list some piggie-approved options.
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