Feeding your guinea pig
Food Bowls
You have to choose a food bowl very carefully. You don’t want one made of materials that the guinea pig can chew, and it can’t be one that is hard to keep clean. It should also be hard to tip over so the food doesn’t go to waste or get dirty. Ceramic crocks that you can find at most pet stores are really good. It should be big enough to hold a day’s supply of food, and big enough for the guinea pig to put her head into comfortably. It shouldn’t be so big that the guinea pig has trouble reaching the bottom of the bowl, or hold so much food that the food gets stale. It should be cleaned every day to get rid of bacteria.
Food
It is important that you get the best food you can afford. Cheap food can cause health problems. Guinea pigs need a high amount of vitamin C and folic acid. You must buy food made just for guinea pigs. Rabbit food does not have these important ingredients. Do not buy a large bag at a time, and do not buy the food from stores that let the food sit on the shelves for a long time. The vitamin C goes bad within a month or so; check the expiration date on the bag.
Any food in the bowl that is not eaten by the end of the day should be tossed out, and the bowl should be cleaned to get rid of bacteria. You wouldn’t eat out of the same dirty bowl every day, right? Neither should he!
You should also give the guinea pigs fresh produce. Guinea pigs love clean (no chemicals!) clove, dandelion, yarrow, mallow, plantain and shepherd’s purse. These weeds can be found in most organic yards. They also love romaine lettuce, carrot tops, basil, broccoli, artichokes and dark leafy greens like kale. Make sure they are organic!
You can also give your guinea pig fruit, but use the fruit as treats, not as a meal. They like oranges, apples, pears, strawberries, peaches, melons and tomatoes.
Be sure to rinse off the fruits and vegetables to get all of the pesticides and herbicides off of them. Any fresh vegetables or fruits that he doesn’t eat should be thrown away before it gets moldy.
Try to avoid peanuts (can poison a piggy), lettuce (cause diarrhea), too much spinach, beet tops or cabbage (cause bladder stones), and potato leaves (poison).
Make sure that you don’t over feed the guinea pig. They can get fat and have health problems just like people. They usually eat about 4 tablespoons of pellets a day.
If you ever change the guinea pig’s diet, do it gradually. Otherwise, he can get diarrhea.
Vitamin C
Guinea pigs are the only rodents, and one of the few mammals (along with humans and some monkeys), who cannot make their own vitamin C. If you are worried about your guinea pig getting enough vitamin C, you can buy vitamin C drops that you can place in the food or water. Some guinea pigs are fussy about their water, though, and may refuse to drink their water if you put the vitamins in it. This can dehydrate the piggy, so watch them carefully. If they won’t drink the water, give them plain water and remember to provide fresh fruit.
Water
Guinea pigs need lots of clean, fresh water every day in order to stay healthy.
Water bowls are not good for guinea pigs. The bedding tends to get kicked into the bowl along with the poop and pee. It’s much better to use a water bottle that has a metal ball at the tip that will shut the water off when the guinea pig is not drinking. Otherwise, the cage will get wet and the bedding will get moldy. That can make your piggy sick. Also, the bottle should be big enough to hold a day’s supply of water, and it should be clear so that you can see whether it is full. It should be cleaned every day to get rid of bacteria.
Hay
Guinea pigs need fiber to go potty like we do. That’s why they need a constant supply of hay. Hay should be green, have a sweet smell (not moldy), and it should be made of timothy grass, not alfalfa. Alfalfa is very rich and can make your guinea pig fat.
You can buy a hay rack that keeps the hay up off the floor so it stays clean. The hay rack is metal and attaches to the side of the cage.
Food Bowls
You have to choose a food bowl very carefully. You don’t want one made of materials that the guinea pig can chew, and it can’t be one that is hard to keep clean. It should also be hard to tip over so the food doesn’t go to waste or get dirty. Ceramic crocks that you can find at most pet stores are really good. It should be big enough to hold a day’s supply of food, and big enough for the guinea pig to put her head into comfortably. It shouldn’t be so big that the guinea pig has trouble reaching the bottom of the bowl, or hold so much food that the food gets stale. It should be cleaned every day to get rid of bacteria.
Food
It is important that you get the best food you can afford. Cheap food can cause health problems. Guinea pigs need a high amount of vitamin C and folic acid. You must buy food made just for guinea pigs. Rabbit food does not have these important ingredients. Do not buy a large bag at a time, and do not buy the food from stores that let the food sit on the shelves for a long time. The vitamin C goes bad within a month or so; check the expiration date on the bag.
Any food in the bowl that is not eaten by the end of the day should be tossed out, and the bowl should be cleaned to get rid of bacteria. You wouldn’t eat out of the same dirty bowl every day, right? Neither should he!
You should also give the guinea pigs fresh produce. Guinea pigs love clean (no chemicals!) clove, dandelion, yarrow, mallow, plantain and shepherd’s purse. These weeds can be found in most organic yards. They also love romaine lettuce, carrot tops, basil, broccoli, artichokes and dark leafy greens like kale. Make sure they are organic!
You can also give your guinea pig fruit, but use the fruit as treats, not as a meal. They like oranges, apples, pears, strawberries, peaches, melons and tomatoes.
Be sure to rinse off the fruits and vegetables to get all of the pesticides and herbicides off of them. Any fresh vegetables or fruits that he doesn’t eat should be thrown away before it gets moldy.
Try to avoid peanuts (can poison a piggy), lettuce (cause diarrhea), too much spinach, beet tops or cabbage (cause bladder stones), and potato leaves (poison).
Make sure that you don’t over feed the guinea pig. They can get fat and have health problems just like people. They usually eat about 4 tablespoons of pellets a day.
If you ever change the guinea pig’s diet, do it gradually. Otherwise, he can get diarrhea.
Vitamin C
Guinea pigs are the only rodents, and one of the few mammals (along with humans and some monkeys), who cannot make their own vitamin C. If you are worried about your guinea pig getting enough vitamin C, you can buy vitamin C drops that you can place in the food or water. Some guinea pigs are fussy about their water, though, and may refuse to drink their water if you put the vitamins in it. This can dehydrate the piggy, so watch them carefully. If they won’t drink the water, give them plain water and remember to provide fresh fruit.
Water
Guinea pigs need lots of clean, fresh water every day in order to stay healthy.
Water bowls are not good for guinea pigs. The bedding tends to get kicked into the bowl along with the poop and pee. It’s much better to use a water bottle that has a metal ball at the tip that will shut the water off when the guinea pig is not drinking. Otherwise, the cage will get wet and the bedding will get moldy. That can make your piggy sick. Also, the bottle should be big enough to hold a day’s supply of water, and it should be clear so that you can see whether it is full. It should be cleaned every day to get rid of bacteria.
Hay
Guinea pigs need fiber to go potty like we do. That’s why they need a constant supply of hay. Hay should be green, have a sweet smell (not moldy), and it should be made of timothy grass, not alfalfa. Alfalfa is very rich and can make your guinea pig fat.
You can buy a hay rack that keeps the hay up off the floor so it stays clean. The hay rack is metal and attaches to the side of the cage.
