Diet |
| | Hay |
 | A good quality meadow or timothy hay should be available fresh at all times. It's a very important part of their diet both to keep their back teeth ground down and to regulate their digestive system. Good hay should be soft and look green in colour. It should smell fresh - not have any trace of a damp or stale smell. Also avoid hay which is dusty. In addition to what I use as bedding and for them to play in, I give a couple of handfuls of meadow hay per cage twice a day to make sure they always have fresh available to chomp on. I also give a good handful of timothy hay per cage each day for variety. Some people use hay racks to make sure some stays unsoiled which is a great idea, but mine ignore these so I don't bother! |
| Pellets and dried food |
 | You will need to feed your pig some kind of pellets or dried food. These should be given fresh every day. If you can find a plain pellet made from timothy hay that is absolutely ideal. Oxbow make one called 'Cavy Cuisine'. In the UK, you can order this from Bunny Bazaar. I used to use 'Gerty Guinea Pig Food' which is a mixed food, as my pigs refused to eat any other brand. But I am now being firm and have switched them to Oxbow - no arguments! I've never been happy that Gerty contains artificial colourings, and often picked the offending bits out. Also, the pellets are alfalfa based which isn't ideal for adult pigs and can contribute to the formation of kidney and bladder stones. All the concerns and agruments against it kept adding up and if Oxbow is what's best for piggers, then that's what they shall be having! Always select a food made specifically for guinea pigs. They contain Vitamin C which a guinea pig needs in its diet - other small animals don't, so their foods won't have it added. Also, rabbit food can contain medications which can be harmful to your piggy. Some guinea pig foods contain nuts and seeds which are too fatty for a pigger's diet. This puts stress on the liver and can and also can pose a choking hazard. Have a look at the Cyberpiggies page on brands of piggy food as it provides very good information about what's in them all, and how good they are for your piggy.
|
 | You can give an unlimited amount of dried food but I tend to just give a handful to each cage (3 pigs per cage) each day. I like to make the main part of their diet up from hays and grasses, followed by fresh veggies. Pellets are the food group mine have least of, and averaging at 3lb per pig, I don't think they are starving on this diet! If you are giving it unlimited, gauge how much they need by how much is left when you go to change it. If there is lots, put in less. If they are polishing it all off, give them a little extra. Also be careful, as when you use a mixed food, pigs can choose the bits they like best and leave the rest hoping you will change it. The food is balanced (meaning too much of certain bits and not others may not be a good thing!) so don't replace it as soon as they have eaten their favourite bits. If they really don't like many bits in the food you give them, think about changing to another brand, or best of all a plain pellet feed. |
| Water |
 | Fresh, clean water should always be available to your cavy and changed daily. This can be provided in a water bottle attached to the side of the cage, or in a water bowl. If you use a water bowl, it will need to be checked more frequently for any bedding or poops which may find their way in to the bowl. When this happens, change the water. You will need to use a heavy ceramic bowl that they cannot tip over. |
 | Some pigs love to play with water bottles so if it appears to be emptying quickly, make sure they are actually drinking it before you worry! Water bottles and bowls need to be cleaned regularly - if you use bottles, don't forget to clean the spout too which can easily be done using a q-tip. Never put vitamin c or medications in their water. It is an inaccurate method and can affect taste enough to put them off drinking. |
| Veggies |
 | I give my piggies three lots of fresh veggies a day with little extras for 'treats'! Fresh veggies should be given at least once a day. Not only do they provide lots of fresh vitamins your piggy needs, but the fibre is very good for them. Most importantly however, it makes their diet interesting - dried food and hay every day would be a bit dull! I aim for five different veggies/ fruits a day to make sure they have lots of variety. Their favourites are romaine, cucumber, carrots, cabbage, kale, broccoli, spinach, chopped celery and sweet peppers! |
 | Always introduce new foods slowly and keep a regular routine with your feeding. There are several veggies which can cause problems if given too much of, for reasons such as being high in calcium, high in water, or causing gas - but stick to the 'a little bit of a few different veggies' and you should be fine. Remove uneaten veggies and fruit after a few hours as they will spoil and may upset your pigger's tum. If your pig has problems with it's kidneys or bladder, avoid veggies high in calcium like broccoli and kale, or high in oxalic acid such as spinach and parsley, as these are implicated in the formation of stones. |
| Fruit |
 | Fruit should be given more sparingly than veggies as it is high in natural sugars. These aren't good for your piggy in large quantities and can also be a bit higher in calories for them too. However, in small quantities they are great and make your pigs diet more interesting while bringing a greater variety of nutrients to them. Remember seeds can pose a choking hazard so you may want to remove them before giving them. My pigs favourites are apple, tomato, melon, pear, grapes and oranges. Some pigs develop sores round their mouths from eating fruit - if so, stop feeding them fruit and see a vet for treatment of the sores. |
| Spiller's Readigrass |
 | After being introduced to this stuff by Wheekies, my lot are huge fans! It's richer than hay so a handful per cage each day is a lovely supplement to all their usual foods and adds variety. It's available from horse suppliers. |
| Salt and mineral wheels |
 | A good quality guinea pig pellet should provide all the salt and minerals your guinea pig needs so salt wheels are not an essential item. The plain white ones are just salt - the brown ones provide minerals too. Some people feel that giving a salt wheel is like putting salt in your food but provided your piggy is healthy and it does not use the wheel excessively, I think it's a matter of personal choice. We all need levels of salt in our bodies, and usually animals are good at regulating theirs - I know mine barely touched their salt wheel when I put one in the cage. If you have a pig who is consuming one excessively then remove it as it's certainly not good for them to be consuming high levels of salt or minerals. High consumption of salt also often leads to excessive drinking which puts unnecessary strain on the body. |
| Pet shop treats |
 | These 'treats' contain many things which aren't at all good for guinea pigs - fats, sugars, additives, seeds etc and I would not recommend buying them or giving them to your piggers. You're not spoiling a piggy by giving it foods that it isn't designed to digest - quite the contrary. If you want to treat your piggy, just give it an extra bit of it's favourite veggy, or one you can't get very often. The piggy will be just as excited and you are giving it something which is good for it and not developing its taste buds to like artificial snacks. The same goes for any other inappropriate food you may have in the house you may be wondering if they will enjoy. No need! You can choose to eat junk food and be unhealthy - they are as happy as Larry on a healthy and varied diet so why meddle with it?! Other ways of giving your piggy an extra treat are giving it some more floor time, or by spending time giving it a good long cuddle if that's what it enjoys best. |
| Poops |
 | If you see your piggy eating it's poops don't worry - it is normal! They produce two different kinds of poops and need to reingest the softer ones as they contain beneficial bacteria and b vitamins which they can't get the first time round! It is called coprophagy. If you see them reaching between their legs, they're probably awaiting a special delivery! |
| Fat piggy? |
 | If your piggy is overweight, it is rare for it to need its diet restricting. Most commonly a pig gets overweight because it does not have enough access to an area where it can exercise and really gather speed, or it is bored and overeating. See the fun and exercise sections for ideas to get your piggy moving! However, if you have tried these and still find your pigger is a little porky, try resticting pellets to maybe 3 tablespoons a day and cutting out fruit. It should still have unlimited access to fresh hay and its usual veggies. Remember to make any changes slowly so as not to upset your pig's system. |
