What’s on the menu for the more mature guinea pig?

Did you know that thanks to better understanding by owners and developments in veterinary care, the life expectancy of pet guinea pigs has increased?

“Guinea pigs make enduring and entertaining pets for the old and young, with an average lifespan of 5 to 7 years. However, with advances in veterinary medicine and better owner education, these animals are living longer,” comments The Veterinary Nurse.

“Some have lived up to 10 years. This is not so short lived, considering some large breeds of dogs, such as Mastiffs, have an average lifespan of 8 years. As owner education improves and veterinary medicine advances, with more practices able to offer exotic pet care, it is likely that these species will continue to live into older age.”

While this is great news for guinea pig fans, it does mean that these long-lived rodents will experience various health issues typically associated with old age. So, what can we do to help them to continue to enjoy comfortable, healthy lives?

As they age, your guinea pig’s health needs change

Burgess in-house vet, Dr Suzanne Moyes MVB MRCVS, explains: “Guinea pigs are beloved pets known for their gentle nature and lively personalities. However, like all animals, as they age, their health needs change. Mature guinea pigs – typically defined as those over the age of 4 years – are more prone to certain health issues that can impact their quality of life.”

Health issues that can affect senior pigizens include:

• Joint pain or arthritis – This makes it more difficult for them to move around, and can lead to decreased activity, which can exacerbate other health problems, such as obesity and digestive issues.
• Urinary tract problems – This is a concern for guinea pigs of all ages and may become more common in older guinea pigs.
• Eye problems – Research from the University of Liverpool Vet School found that eye problems are the main reason for guinea pig vet visits, so it’s no surprise that eye problems are a concern for ageing guinea pigs.
• Brain health and vitality – Just like us, guinea pigs tend to slow down as they get older due to the cumulative effects of aging.

Dr Moyes adds: “While your vet can provide pain relief for joint pain and prescribe treatments for eye or urinary problems, diet can play an important role in managing age-related concerns, helping to maintain a healthy, comfortable life for mature guinea pigs. With around 35% of guinea pigs in the UK aged 4 or over, we realised that there is a real need to help support their specific requirements, so we’ve developed a food especially for senior piggies.”

BRAND NEW! Introducing Excel Mature Guinea Pig Nuggets with Cranberry & Mint

This high-quality recipe has been formulated by vets and small animal nutritionists. This ensures it contains just the right balance of vitamins and minerals – including essential Protected vitamin C  – to supplement your aged 4+ mature guinea pigs’ diet to help keep them happy and healthy.

The recipe features a range of beneficial ingredients that help support:

• Joints – Excel Mature Guinea Pig Nuggets with Cranberry & Mint contain glucosamine, a naturally occurring chemical that plays a key role in building cartilage – the tough connective tissue that cushions the joints. As guinea pigs get older, just like us, they produce less glucosamine, which can cause certain age-related health conditions to develop. 
• Urinary tract health – Some vets recommend the addition of certain herbs to the diet to help increase water turnover in guinea pigs to protect against urinary tract infections. Excel Mature Guinea Pig Nuggets with Cranberry & Mint have added nettle, cranberry and dandelion.
• Eyes – Excel Mature Guinea Pig Nuggets with Cranberry & Mint include marigold as a source of lutein, an antioxidant that has a particular role in supporting eye health.
• Brain health and vitality – Excel Mature Guinea Pig Nuggets with Cranberry & Mint contain specific fatty acids to help maintain cognitive function (such as learning, problem solving and attention), and postbiotics for optimal gut health, which can help to maintain vitality.
• Digestive health – Prebiotics and beneficial fibre help maintain healthy digestion.

Switching diets?

If you are currently feeding a muesli style food to your guinea pigs, you should gradually transfer your pets onto a hay and nugget-based feeding plan over a period of between 14 and 28 days. You can do this by gradually reducing the amount of muesli and increasing the proportion of nuggets until you have completely replaced the mix. Remember to follow the 5 step Excel Feeding Plan for healthy, happy guinea pigs!

How to make life a little more comfortable for older guinea pigs

Burgess Pet Care’s Nutritional Advisor, Ellie Parkes, who has a master’s degree in animal nutrition and helped develop Excel Mature Guinea Pig Nuggets with Cranberry & Mint, shares her top tips.

• Plenty of hay – A diet that is 85%-90% hay has a big role in maintaining a healthy weight, reducing stress on joints to help maintain mobility. This means that your guinea pigs will be more active, another important factor in maintaining a healthy weight. As well as providing essential fibre, high quality feeding hay and fresh grass help wear down your guinea pig's continually growing teeth, keeping them in good shape.
• Fresh leafy greens – Guinea pig safe veggies such as parsley, dandelion leaves, broccoli, rocket, celery, curly kale and Swiss chard are a source of vitamin C (essential for guinea pigs as, just like us, they can’t make their own and need to get it from their diet) will help support all round health. It’s best to avoid fruit as this can be high in sugar which may result in weight gain. 
• Nutritious nuggets – Single component nuggets (each mouthful is the same which helps ensure guinea pigs eat a balanced diet) should make up about 5% of a guinea pig’s diet – that’s around one egg-cup full, per guinea pig, per day. Avoid muesli-style mixes as these have been linked to selective feeding (when a pet chooses to eat only the parts of their food they like, leaving behind the more nutritious parts), which can result in all sorts of health problems.
• Treats – Feed sparingly to avoid weight gain – and always choose nutritious, grass-based treats to avoid digestive issues.
• Water – Ensure your guinea pigs have adequate water in both drinking bottles with sipper tubes and bowls, supplied in several locations if mobility is becoming an issue.
• Housing – You may need to think about making some adaptions, such as ensuring ramps are low enough for older piggies to use comfortably to access different areas of their accommodation.
• Bedding – Two of the most common eye problems in guinea pigs are scratches and ‘hay poke’. Guinea pigs like deep piles of bedding to hide in, so using Excel Nap & Nest luxury paper bedding can help. Made from unused offcuts of teabag paper and soft on little paws, you can create deep bedding for your guinea pigs to burrow into without the risk of scratches or pokes.

The Veterinary Nurse adds: “Guinea pigs can experience a number of conditions in older age and owners should remain diligent in caring for their pets to help pick these diseases up at an early stage. Regular weighing can help with this. Yearly or 6-monthly veterinarian or nurse checks can also be advantageous. Guinea pigs often suffer from mobility problems in older age so will benefit from long-term analgesia (medication to relieve pain) and care with grooming and bathing. Changes to enclosures and soft absorbent substrate should be initiated as this will help reduce the incidence of bumblefoot.”

Guinea pigs are one of the most popular pets. Help them to live their best guinea pig lives by seeing things from a piggy perspective >> 

When it comes to guinea pigs, what’s not to love? But how much do you know about these highly social, scent-marking, mid-air spinning small furries? >>

Did you know that there are lots of small furries in rescue centres around the country that are looking for loving homes? >> 

CARE MORE Discover more about the needs of your guinea pigs with our Guinea Pig Care Guide >>

*  While it’s lovely for children to enjoy the company of guinea pigs, the responsibility for any animal’s wellbeing lies with adults. Small animals are often more complex to feed and care for than a cat or dog and require more looking after than a child can offer. *

92% of UK vets recommend the Burgess Excel small pets range

Guinea pig nuggets should be high in beneficial fibre to support your guinea pigs’ digestive health, contain vitamin C and antioxidants to support their immune system, and be fortified with vitamins and minerals to support healthy eyes, skin and coat.

All Burgess Excel small pets nuggets, feeding hay and healthy treats for guinea pigs are made using only the finest quality ingredients. And, as well as a choice of yummy Nuggets with Mint or Blackcurrant & Oregano there’s also a variety featuring Calm formula with added L-tryptophan specially for indoor guinea pigs and our brand new recipe created especially for senior guinea pigs. And don’t forget some nutritious guinea pig treats to help keep boredom at bay!

Are your guinea pigs Burgess guinea pigs? Join the Burgess Pet Club for exclusive offers and rewards.

If you found this interesting, you may also like:

WHAT’S IN SEASON? How to choose safe winter veggies for your small pets.

HOW TO GROOM YOUR GUINEA PIGS Whether you have sleek, short-haired piggies or glamorous long-haired cavy companions, all guinea pigs require regular grooming. From the brush and browse, ear clean, dental check and nail trim to the grease gland wipe, discover more about the essentials of guinea pig grooming with our 5-step guide.

HOW TO HANDLE SMALL PETS Small pets need very careful handling. What’s more, gentle handling helps to build trust between you and your small pet chums, enabling them to thrive and enjoy their interactions with you.

WHAT’S THE BEST BEDDING FOR SMALL PETS? Whichever small pets you have, each has different requirements when it comes to creating a cosy, safe snoozing space. Discover how to make the best bedding choices for your small furry friends – which is extra important during the colder months of the year.

WHAT PUTS YOUR SMALL PETS IN A GOOD MOOD? Along with socialising with their same species companion and interacting with their favourite human, our survey reveals the best thing you can to do to give your small furries a happiness boost…

CAN GUINEA PIGS EAT BANANAS? Can guinea pigs eat apples? Can guinea pigs eat grapes? Can guinea pigs eat celery? What about strawberries, tomatoes, courgettes and cucumbers? What fresh foods should you never give to your guinea pigs?

INTRODUCING A NEW GUINEA PIG FRIEND A solo guinea pig is not likely to be a very happy guinea pig. These chatty cavies need at least one other piggy for company. However, introducing one guinea pig to another has to be done very carefully.

HOW DO YOU CREATE AN IDEAL HOME FOR YOUR INDOOR GUINEA PIGS? Traditionally thought of as outdoor pets, more and more people prefer to keep their guinea pig friends indoors  – and there are lots of good reasons why. Yet however cosy and stylish your indoor piggies’ home is, it also needs to meet all their health and wellbeing requirements.

LOST IN TRANSLATION? GUINEA PIG SPEAK EXPLAINED Guinea pigs generally have plenty to say, using around 11 different noises to communicate how they’re feeling. Getting to know what the various piggy sounds means will help you understand your pets better – and can also help you identify when they’re happy and excited or fearful and unwell.

RABBITS AND GUINEA PIGS – IS INDOORS OR OUTDOORS BEST? Is the outdoor life better for bunnies and guinea pigs, or will these small pets have a more enriching time if they’re kept indoors? 

GUINEA PIG Q&A Are guinea pigs good pets for children? How long do guinea pigs live? What do guinea pigs like to do? What should you feed guinea pigs? How can you tell if your guinea pigs are happy? We’ve all the answers to these questions and more.

COST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO LOOK AFTER YOUR SMALL PETS From creating DIY boredom breakers to upcycling old furniture and unwanted items from around the house into interesting features for your pets’ environment, here are 8 great ideas for you to try out.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR GUINEAS AND BUNNIES FROM PESKY PARASITES When it comes to protecting our gorgeous small pets from mites, fleas, flies, ticks and mosquitoes – and any other irritating and unwelcome pests – a four-pronged attack is the best approach.

GET TO KNOW YOUR GUINEA PIGS BETTER These chatty cavies make super pets but, just like us, there are all sorts of guinea pig types, and each have their own likes and dislikes and distinct personalities.

HELPING YOUR SMALL PETS GET SET FOR WINTER As the mercury dips and cold, wet, wintry weather takes hold, it’s essential to keep your small furries warm and cosy.

THINGS TO MAKE AND DO When it comes to enriching toys for your pets to brighten up the dreary days of winter, why not get crafty and do it yourself?

WILD AT HEART Inside every pampered small pet is the desire to exhibit their innate, hardwired, natural behaviours which reveal their wild origins. It’s the reason why bunnies want to dig and burrow, guinea pigs like to keep a watchful eye on what’s going on from a safe hiding place, hamsters stuff food in their cheek pouches and chinchillas prefer to sleep hunched up. Find out more about the natural and fascinating behaviours of some of our favourite small furries.