Nutritional Advice
The wild guinea pig lives on a diet of grasses and leaves and has developed a specialized gut which is adapted for this high fibre and coarse diet. The large intestine contains bacteria which break down the grass fibre to make it digestible. The guinea pig passes the fibre through the gut twice to make sure all the nutrients are absorbed. This means that they produce and eat a special kind of faeces (poop) which many owners do not ever see as their guinea pig eats them directly from their bottom. These faeces are dark, sticky and smelly, and are called caecotropes.
Because of this specialised gut and the constantly growing teeth the adult needs a high fibre, restricted carbohydrate, restricted protein and virtually no fat diet to stay healthy.
Vitamin C.
Guinea pigs are unique amongst our small pets, as like us, they cannot make their own vitamin C and must get it in their diet. We recommend 50 mg per adult guinea pig per day if there are no vegetables in thier diet, and 25 mg/day for those receiving good amounts of vegetables.
We recommend oral sources of Vitamin C such as Oxbow “Daily C” tablets.
Adding drops to the water is not recommended for several reasons:
- It may make the water taste sour, and the guinea pig drink less.
- The vitamin C will break down in the bottle, in contact with water and light.
- It is difficult to know how much Vitamin C the guinea pig has had in a day.
We recommend that the healthy adult guinea pig be given a limited amount of fresh pellets twice a day, each time around 1/2 a soup spoon full.
The pellets may claim to be enriched with vitamin C but as the vitamin C is very fragile it does not last long and therefore the pellets cannot be relied upon to have the correct amount of vitamin C necessary.
We strongly recommend TIMOTHY hay (first cut, or high fibre). Orchard grass, botanical & mountain hay are also good choices as they are high fibre, low protein hays. Alfalfa hay is too rich, too much protein and calcium.
Your guinea pig must have 24 hour access to loose hay (not cubes).
Check the hay is a good quality hay, it should have a fresh sweet smell and not smell dusty or mouldy.
Hay varies in colour according to the weather conditions and can be cream, yellow, green or light brown. As long as the hay smells fresh and nice then the color is not important.
An occasional insect may be found, and this is quite natural, but if it is crawling with insects then please throw the remainder of the hay away.
Young (under 6 months), pregnant, sick or old (over 6 years) guinea pigs should be given more pellets. It is best to seek veterinary advice on the exact quantity.
They may also be offered a proportion of alfalfa hay as it is a richer hay, with more protein and calcium.
Fresh vegetables.
These are an important source of vitamins, and most pigs love them. Most will start squeaking as soon as you open the fridge!
Around 1-2 rice bowls of vegetables should be given every day. It is best to feed at least 3 different vegetables every day and to rotate through the list. Sticking with one or two vegetables may lead to dietary imbalances or problems, even if these are your guinea pig’s favourites.
Choi Sum, pak choi, chinese lettuce, romaine lettuce, bell peppers, broccoli leaves, carrots, parsley, spinach and yau mak choi are all good choices. Make sure they are fresh and wash thoroughly. Like all new foods, introduce them slowly, start with a little and work up.
Fruit.
A few small pieces are acceptable twice a week – perhaps 1/2 a teaspoonful. Do not give larger amounts in an attempt to supply vitamin C.
Guinea pig snacks and sweeties, seeds, nuts and biscuits are very unhealthy and should not be given.
Be careful where you buy your guinea pig food. Either buy it from a busy guinea pig pet shop or from our retail shop. You must buy from a supplier that sells a lot of food to ensure the foods will be fresher. We keep all our hay in air conditioning to ensure it is fresh. We recommend the shop you buy from does the same.
Remember any diet changes MUST be slow and gentle. Upsetting the gut causes bacterial imbalances and may kill your guinea pig. Please take up to 1 week to gradually introduce a new vegetable or brand of hay or a new brand of pellets.