How to feed a guinea pig at home: food and a list of foods that can and cannot be included in the diet

If a guinea pig has appeared in the house, the owner should create comfortable conditions for her, which include arranging a cozy cage and choosing the right food. What do guinea pigs eat at home, what foods can they be fed, and what is contraindicated for these rodents?

Guinea pig nutrition: general rules and recommendations

Proper feeding of fluffy pets is the key to their health and well-being. The main task of the owner is to make sure that the rodent’s diet is varied and balanced, and also contains all the vitamins and microelements necessary for the animal.

But every owner should know that the choice of quality pet food is only one of the conditions for proper feeding of a guinea pig.

After all, there are a number of certain rules that must be observed in order to provide the animal with the most comfortable conditions of detention.

Compliance

One of the basic rules that must be observed when feeding these animals is in no case to overfeed them. Guinea pigs have an indefatigable appetite. If you give them food more than the prescribed norm, the animals gain weight. This is fraught with obesity, which leads to the development of health problems (for example, heart and liver disease).

Mode

It is advisable to establish a certain feeding regimen, giving the pet food at the same time.

Feed change

A sudden change in food can harm the health of the animal, so you should properly change the food that the pet is used to. If the owner decides to change the brand of food, then the new food is introduced into the guinea pig’s menu gradually, adding it in small portions to the animal’s usual diet.

New products

The same goes for new products. For the first time offering a pet a piece of fruit or vegetable, after that it is necessary to observe the well-being of the animal for some time. If symptoms such as constipation or diarrhea appear, the new product is completely excluded from the diet of the rodent.

food quality

Food for animals should be of high quality and fresh. It is unacceptable to feed pets with rotten or moldy food.

Availability of water

Guinea pigs do not drink much water, getting enough of the necessary fluids from succulent and green foods. Interestingly, in summer, animals consume more water than in winter. But, despite the time of year, there should always be fresh clean water in their cage so that the pet can drink whenever it wants.

Cleanliness of dishes

An important condition for feeding fluffy animals is the cleanliness of the dishes. Feeders and drinking bowls should be regularly washed and cleaned of food residues so that the animal does not have a digestive system disorder due to the use of stale, rotten food.

Important: it is absolutely impossible to leave a guinea pig without food even for one day. If the animal starves for eighteen hours, its digestive system ceases to function, which leads to the death of the rodent.

Two approaches to feeding guinea pigs

As for the selection of the diet of furry rodents, the opinions of owners and breeders are undressed.

Some believe that dry food containing grains and pressed granules from cereals and grass is contraindicated for guinea pigs, since hay, grass and succulent food should be the basis of their menu.

Adherents of dry food claim that ready-made food from well-known manufacturers contains all the necessary elements and ingredients for animals, and in limited quantities, cereals are even useful for them.

In fact, these two options have both advantages and disadvantages, so each owner must decide for himself which type of feeding to give preference.

Option 1: Grain Free Diet

The main part of this diet is hay and fresh grass. As an additional food, fans of grain-free feeding give guinea pigs pieces of vegetables and fruits and berries twice a day.

What to consider when choosing this type of feeding:

1. The pet’s menu should be varied, so every day, juicy food should include five types of vegetables and fruits. For example, slices of zucchini, carrots, peppers, apples, and raspberries can be given to guinea pigs on the same day. And on the second feed with slices of pumpkin, turnip, cucumber, pear and blueberry.
2. Vegetables and fruits must be organic. It is unacceptable to give pets products treated with chemicals.
3. Uneaten slices of vegetables and fruits must be immediately removed from the cage. Otherwise, the process of decay begins in them and, having eaten such a product, the pig may be poisoned.

Among the advantages is the fact that the owner will not need to spend money on the purchase of ready-made grain or granular mixtures.

If we talk about the shortcomings, then the owner will have to make sure that there are several types of fresh fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator all year round, and in winter this is quite problematic and cost the owner a round sum.

Option 2: feeding with cereal or granular mixtures

The most optimal option for the daily diet of animals, according to adherents of grain nutrition: 50% of high-quality hay, 20% of dry and succulent food and 10% of vegetable green food.

What you should know when choosing this type of food:

• dry mixes should be bought only from trusted manufacturers. Cheap food contains a lot of cereals and dried sweet fruits, which are harmful to the health of the animal;
• dry food for a guinea pig is given no more than a tablespoon per day and be sure to supplement the diet with juicy food;
• if the animal is not accustomed to dry food, then the pet should be accustomed to it gradually, starting with half a teaspoon per serving;
• such food is quite high-calorie, so it is not advisable to feed rodents that move little with dry mixtures.

The advantage of grain feed is that it is solid, therefore it helps the animal grind down its teeth.

If we talk about the cons, then quality food is quite expensive. Also, the disadvantage is that such food can be difficult to find in a pet store and often have to be ordered on Internet sites.

How many times a day to feed a guinea pig

Many inexperienced owners often fatten their pets so much that they then have to be kept on a strict diet. Therefore, the owners must know how much food to give the guinea pig, and how much should be a single serving of food.

With grain feeding

Grain or granular mixtures of adult pets are fed no more than twice a day. A single serving of food should be half a tablespoon. A feeder with dry food in the cage of the animal should be constantly. After all, guinea pigs rarely eat food without a trace at a time, leaving treats in reserve. Therefore, the feeder with half-eaten food is not removed so that the pet can eat when he wants.

In addition to the main dry food, the animals are given pieces of fruits and vegetables once a day, but in small quantities, for example, a slice of carrots, beets and apples are included in one serving.

Dry food is suitable for feeding young active and active guinea pigs. Animals that have a small cage or that move little, ready-made mixtures are given in limited quantities. It is also not advisable to feed dry food to elderly rodents.

Important: it is desirable to establish such a diet: in the first half of the day, you can feed the guinea pig with a juicy food consisting of vegetables and fruits, and in the afternoon give her grain mixtures.

With grain-free feeding

If you feed the guinea pig only with juicy food, then the pet is given such food twice a day, supplementing the menu with two more types of vegetables. The volume of a daily portion of juicy food should be 20-30% of the pet’s body weight. For example, if a pig weighs one kilogram, then it is given approximately two hundred to three hundred grams of vegetables per day.

As for additional food, bundles of fresh hay should always be in the animal’s cage. And in the summer, pigs are fed every day with fresh herbs (grass, leaves and stems of plants) and young tree branches. In winter, pets are offered sprouted green shoots of seeds and cereals.

Nutrition during pregnancy

For guinea pigs during pregnancy and lactation, the dosage of feed is doubled, giving the expectant or nursing mother more green and juicy food. But it is not recommended to give parsley, sage, seeds and a large amount of dry food to pets during such a crucial period.

Varieties of food for guinea pigs

In natural habitats, guinea pigs feed mainly on food of plant origin: fresh grass, hay, leaves and roots of plants, tree bark and berries.

Therefore, when starting a small animal, the owner should study the information on how to feed a guinea pig at home, and how to properly make a diet for fluffy pets.

Food for guinea pigs is divided into five types.

solid dry food

These are cereal or granular mixtures consisting of cereals and legumes, herbal granules, plant seeds, dry fruits and vegetables, and nuts. The pet store has a wide range of dry food for guinea pigs, but if necessary, you can prepare it yourself.

Hay

The same important element of nutrition for guinea pigs as grain feed. Hay is bought in a specialized store or harvested with your own hands.

Green food

Fresh grass, garden greens and the leaves of young green plants should be included in the diet of furry rodents.

juicy food

These are some varieties of berries, fruits and vegetables.

Treats

As a treat, the pet is offered fresh tree branches, nuts, dried fruits and fresh berries. You can also occasionally treat the rodent with fruit crackers, which are sold at the pet store.

Dry food

Solid dry food is essential for guinea pigs. Indeed, thanks to the use of grains, animals not only receive nutrients, but also grind down their teeth, which grow throughout their life.

The composition of grain mixtures includes grass granules, grains of oats, barley, corn, millet, wheat and peas. Commercial dry food may also contain cereal flakes, dried fruits and nuts.

If the finished food is over or the store does not have the right brand, you can prepare dry food for a fluffy animal on your own. For this purpose, you should purchase high-quality cereal grains and mix them. It should be borne in mind that guinea pigs love to eat oats most of all, so it should make up half of the entire grain mixture. It is also advisable to add some dried vegetables and fruits and raw sunflower seeds to the feed.

Hay

Hay is one of the most important food items for guinea pigs. Rodents feed on dried grass, as it is necessary for the normal functioning of their digestive system. Therefore, a bundle of fresh straw should be present daily in the animal’s cage. The hay not eaten by the animal is removed in the evening, as substances harmful to its body can develop in it.

You can buy hay at a pet store, or you can make your own. When buying ready-made straw for a pet, the owner needs to carefully examine it. If the hay is damp, has mold on it, and an unpleasant odor emanates from it, the purchase should be discarded.

When harvesting hay yourself, it is worth remembering that you cannot mow grass near highways and industrial plants. Before putting fresh straw into the cage of a rodent, it is dried for a month.

Important: it is best to harvest hay from cereals and legumes. Dried stalks of alfalfa, nettle and plantain are also useful for the rodent.

Vegetable feed

Fresh greens contain fiber and all the vitamins and elements necessary for guinea pigs, so vegetable food is very useful for these rodents.

Various herbs, leaves, stems and green shoots of plants are given to animals all year round. In the spring, burdock, wormwood and dandelion leaves are harvested. In the summer, you can supplement your pet’s diet with alfalfa, clover, nettle, sage and chamomile, as well as fresh lettuce and spinach. In late autumn and winter, when fresh grass is not available, you can plant parsley and dill seeds or grains of barley, wheat and oats in a pot. Sprouted shoots of plants are washed and fed to animals.

But not all herbs are good for animals, and some are even poisonous to them. You can not feed a guinea pig with celandine, fern, marsh wild rosemary, belladonna and thistle.

You should also not often give your pets dandelion and wormwood leaves.

Juicy forages

Once a day, a juicy food in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables should be included in the guinea pig’s diet. Before you treat your pet with a vegetable or fruit slice, the products are washed and peeled.

Experts recommend giving furry pets vegetables every day, and treat them to fruits three to four times a week, as they contain a lot of fructose and sugar, which are harmful to animal health.

Guinea pigs can eat dried fruits and vegetables. Animals eat dried carrots, apples, raisins and dried apricots with pleasure.

Important: only fresh vegetables are suitable for feeding rodents; pigs should not eat them boiled.

Treats for guinea pigs

Like any other pet, a guinea pig loves treats, but it is not recommended to indulge in treats often.

Several times a week, rodents can be offered fresh raspberries, currants, blueberries and strawberries. From fruits, apples, pears, bananas are most useful for animals.

In summer, as a treat, the animals are given fresh tree branches (apple, pear, willow, birch, ash and maple). Sprigs of plums, apricots, cherries and sweet cherries are given to pets in limited quantities. Do not feed pigs branches of oak and coniferous trees.

Citrus and exotic fruits such as papaya, kiwi or persimmon are given to animals extremely rarely and in limited quantities.

As for nuts and seeds, you can occasionally pamper your pet with them, but only if he leads an active and mobile lifestyle. It is undesirable to give such a delicacy to sedentary animals, since the frequent use of nuts leads to obesity.

Products that are contraindicated for guinea pigs

There are a number of foods that absolutely cannot be fed to a guinea pig.

List of foods that rodents are prohibited:

• chocolate, sweets, lollipops;
• mushrooms;
• dairy;
• meat;
• a fish;
• sausages and smoked meats;
• eggs;
• pasta;
• rice;
• porridge;
• chestnuts and acorns;
• pickled vegetables;
• all varieties of bulbous plants;
• indoor flowers;
• bakery products, including crackers;
• potatoes, both boiled and raw;
• all kinds of seasonings and spices;
• honey.

Important: if you feed a rodent with one of the prohibited foods, this can lead to the death of the animal. Therefore, the owner should be careful not to let any of the above ingredients enter his cage.

Table of allowed and prohibited products

Before giving a pet this or that product, you should carefully study what guinea pigs can and can cause irreparable harm to their health.

Industrial feed for guinea pigs: classification and rating

Manufacturers of ready-made feeds for rodents also produce food for guinea pigs. It comes in three types: basic grain-free and granular.

The main food consists of grass pellets, grains of cereal plants, dried fruits, dried vegetables, seeds and nuts. Among the brands that make such food are Mealberry, Versel-Laga, Vitakraft, JRFarm, Biosfera and Zoomir.

Versel-Laga’s CaviaComplete is considered the best pelleted food. The main component of a grain-free diet is quality hay. Here the palm is firmly held by the Vitakraft trademark.

When choosing a dry prepared food, the owner should also pay attention to the following criteria:

• the main part of the nutrition should be granules from herbs, and not grains and other ingredients. Grass-free food intended for rats or hamsters is not worth buying as it has no nutritional value for guinea pigs;
• if the owner decides to opt for a pelleted food rather than a grain mix, then he should choose a food with medium-sized granules. Too large granules are uncomfortable for guinea pigs to eat;
• do not forget the expiration date. Stitched food can provoke food poisoning in a rodent.

Overview and table of the most popular ready-made guinea pig foods

Before giving preference to a certain brand of ready-made food, the owner needs to study its composition, as well as the advantages and disadvantages characteristic of each type of food.

Mealberry’s “LittleOne” Standard Grain Blend

Considered one of the best food for guinea pigs. It contains nourishing herbal granules, oat, wheat and barley grains, dried carrot and apple slices and vegetable seeds. The food is enriched with vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal functioning of the digestive system of rodents.

Food called “Crispy Muesli Guinea Pigs” manufactured by Versel-Laga

Contains dried herbs, herbal granules, cereal grains and dried vegetables. It also contains vitamin C and beneficial minerals.

MenuVital by Vitakraft

The basis of the feed are grains of oats and barley. Contains this nutrition and alfalfa herbal granules, Yucca extract, dried vegetables and vegetable fats.

JR Farm Classik

Produces a good food for guinea pigs, containing cereals and bean flakes, dried carrots, a mixture of meadow herbs (clover, burdock, plantain, yarrow), mint and parsley. It contains minerals and ascorbic acid.

Ready-made grain mix “Zveryushki” from the trading company Zoomir

It is made from seeds, dried vegetables and berries, herbal granules, cereal flakes and carob. It also includes a complex of vitamins and beneficial trace elements.

Ready mix “Vaka Lux” from the manufacturer Biosphere

The composition of the mixture includes vegetable flakes, granulated feed, herbal granules, cereals and dried vegetables.

CaviaComplete food from Versel-Laga Corporation

Considered the best guinea pig granulated food. Its granules are made from grass, seeds, vegetables and fruits. It is also enriched with minerals and vitamins.

Ready hay “VitaVerde” from the trademark Vitakraft

Gained popularity among owners of furry rodents, as it is a high-quality dry straw that guinea pig eats with pleasure.

According to the reviews of the owners and breeders of guinea pigs, the rating of the most popular feeds is as follows:

Rating of the best food for guinea pigs

Important: all guinea pigs have different taste preferences. A capricious pet may not like even the best and most expensive food, which most of his relatives eat with pleasure. If the rodent refuses to eat or leaves most of the food untouched, it should be changed to another brand.

Not only health, but also the life of a fluffy pet depends on properly selected food and a balanced diet. Therefore, the issue of feeding should be approached with all responsibility and not risk the health of the rodent by treating it with forbidden delicacies and products of dubious quality.

Video: guinea pig food review