The Little Pet Shed
Natural Guinea Pig Care
Guinea Pig Diet Inf0
Hay
Hay should make up around 80% of a guinea pig's diet so they should have access to it 24/7.
Guinea pigs have open rooted teeth, meaning that they constantly grow. Long stranded hay is essential to a guinea pigs health as it helps to grind down both their front and back teeth.
Good quality hay is green, sweet smelling and long stranded.
You can easily buy good quality hay, for a great price, from local farms and horse suppliers.
Hay is very fibrous so it's the most important food for wearing down your guinea pig's teeth.
Guinea pigs have a thin stomach and long intestines. They should constantly be eating to keep their intestines in momentum. Grass and hay easily allow them to do this.
Forage
I nearly fill a 14l bucket with 1/3 forage and 2/3 grass daily for my six guinea pigs. This amount is a little more than enough to make sure that there is always some left over; I give them more than they need to allow them to graze throughout thr night and so that I know they have enough. This is an easily accessable amount of forage for me personally to collect, however, depending on where you live and what your lifestyle is like, this amount may not be realistic or obtainable. Forage and grasses are the most natural food to feed your guinea pigs but vegetables are also a healthy alternative. This is also not the standard guinea pig diet so lots of research is always good.
Grass makes up the majority of the forage I give my guinea pigs. It provides essential nutrients and has many of the same benefits as hay.
Narrow leaf plantain is quite common in meadows and hedgerows. My guinea pigs seem to enjoy it though some are not fussed.
Yarrow has feathery leaves and white flowers. I have read that it can help with cystitis and kidney disease.
Bramble, rasberry and blackberry leaves are high in fibre and can also help with diarrhoea.
Wide leaf plantain is best picked when the leaves are quite small as the larger leaves tend to be quite stringy.
Blackberries are very high in vitamin C, and because guinea pigs cannot produce this themselves, blackberries are a great addition to their diet.
Dandelions are loved by my guinea pigs! They are very common and their high calcium content is not really an issue as they have a high enough water content to flush out the calcium.
My guinea pigs prefer the younger hazel leaves and branches. I feed this around once a week but it can be fed in large amounts. Remember to remove the hazelnuts.
Apple leaves and branches can be grown or found. You can feed the ripe apples but only as a treat as they are high in sugar and quite acidic. The apple seeds are poisonous as they contain cyanide
Clover has been known to cause gas and is quite high in calcium so introduce it slowly and give in smaller amounts than most other forages.
Dandelion flowers are also edible and are enjoyed by my piggies!
Like blackberry leaves, strawberry leaves are known for preventing diarrhoea. As well as this they can help to regulate blood sugar.
More Forages Coming Soon!
Where Not to Get Forage
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Areas where large amounts of pesticides are used (if unsure, you can wash the forage).
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Roadsides where there is lots of car exhaust fumes.
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Directly next to paths where many dogs get walked.
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If you're unsure of identification, don't risk giving it to your guinea pigs.
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My guinea pigs are used to a large amount of forage, you will need to introduce it slowly to avoid health problems.
Vegetables
I feed around 10% (or less because of the large amount of forage they get) of my guinea pigs body weight in vegetables daily. I split this between two meals as this is better for their digestion than having a large amount all at once.
Hand feeding your guinea pigs their vegetables (especially their favourite food) is a great way to bond with your piggies and has made my pigs really tame!
Introduce vegetables slowly into your guinea pigs diet as lots of new veggies can cause diarrhoea and bloat if introduced too fast.
To make sure that your guinea pigs are getting all of the necessary vitamins and minerals, feed a variety of vegetables daily and vary the veggies you give.
Guinea pigs cannot produce their own Vitamin C so they need food that has a high Vitamin C content, such as: Bell peppers, Broccoli, Swiss chard and Dark leafy greens.
Vegetables such as Cabbage, Broccoli, Kale, and Cauliflower can cause gas and bloat if introduced too quickly or if fed too much in large quantities.
Fruit has a high sugar content so should only be fed once a week.
Fruit
Exotic fruits like mango, papaya and pomegranate cause serious indegestion and painful bloat so should be avoided.
All kinds of stone fruit are poisonous to guinea pigs.
Some fruits, like strawberries, rose hips, blueberries and blackberries, contain large amounts of Vitamin C and so are great for your piggies!
Fruits like orange, and kiwi are quite acidic and can irritate your guinea pigs mouth if fed too often and in large quantities.
Avoid feeding the seeds of most fruits as many of them contain poisonous cyanide.
Herbs And Plants to grow
Herbs and other plants can easily be grown in your garden or a pot, bought in supermarkets and garden centres, or found naturally growing. Many herbs have medicinal properties so can be used for helping guinea pigs with minor health problems such as digestive or circulatory issues (please go to a vet if your guinea pig is ill, don't just rely on herbs).
As I mentioned before, bramble leaves are great for diarrhoea, but also, they can help with curing rashes, stomach aches, and helping to cure UTI’s.
Chives contain a high quantity of Vitamin C. However they shouldn't be fed too often as they are quite high in sugar. A small handful a week is enough.
Lemon balm can help to stimulate digestive activity. Like mint, lemon balm has a strong smell so at first your guinea pigs may not eat it.
Rosemary provides anti-inflammation, anti-fungal, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties. So rosemary is a great suppliment to your piggies diet.
Nasturtium leaves are edible to both guinea pigs and humans! They have a peppery taste so may not be liked by some guinea pigs. I grow these in a large raised bed.
Nasturtium flowers are also edible but my guinea pigs like the leaves more as they have a subtler taste.
Flat leaf parsley is rich in antioxidants and promotes heart health and protects against rheumatoid arthritis. As well as this it's full of Vitamin C.
Carrot tops are one of the many leftovers that you can feed your guinea pigs. I grow carrots in a raised bed with the nasturtiums and pick a few tops from various plants.
Corn husks have a similar texture and nutritional value as hay/grass so can be fed very often. The corn kernals are high in sugar so can be fed occasionally.
There are many other plants that can easily be grown in pots or in your garden. You can find these in my 'Guinea Pig Food List'
Food List Coming Soon!
(Spring/Summer)
Why i Don't Feed Pellets
When giving guinea pigs a balanced diet of hay, grasses and forage, vegetables and fruit, pellets are not necessary as part of your guinea pigs daily food. Pellets are especially unnecessary during the warmer months as there is lots of easily accessable grass and forage. However if you feel it's necessary during winter to give your guinea pigs enough energy then they can be a small addition to their diet.
I do not intend to make guinea pig owners feel bad for giving pellets, this is just information from the research I have done. Personally I find it very interesting and have learnt a lot about guinea pig's digestive systems.
Lots of pellets can have a negative impact on guinea pigs. Guinea pigs need to constantly have food going through their intestines to keep them in momentum. This is because their intestines have very little peristalsis (muscle constriction and relaxation that moves food through the intestines). When guinea pigs are fed pellets, they feel full very quickly and stop eating for a period of time, preventing intestinal movement and this stops them eating hay (Which is essential for the abrasion of their teeth).
As well as this, most commercial pellets swell when in a guinea pigs stomach (because of the stomach liquids). This can be seen by putting pellets in water and leaving them for just a few minutes.
Guinea pigs only have a thin stomach, so this swelling can cause large amounts of pressure on the other internal organs.
Also, most pellets are very artifical and can be quite fattening. Although they are healthier than guinea pig mueslis, pellets are heat pressed and so lose all of the natural Vitamins and Minerals, meaning that artifical ones are added. Finally, pellets haven't got a high fibre content, meaning that they don't actually grind down their teeth.
The only time I do feed pellets to my guinea pigs is if they are unwell and have lost weight or stopped eating. When this happens, I syringe feed them ground up pellets mixed with water (about a 1:2 ratio pellets:water). Please go to the vet if your guinea pig has lost weight or stopped eating!
As well as this, I feed 'Nature's touch Guinea Pig Food' during the colder months to keep my guinea pigs weight up and give them enough energy to keep warm.
Crushed Burgess Excel Pellets
Small pet medical syringe