What Do Guinea Pigs Eat

When considering how much and how often to feed your guinea pigs, it’s a good idea to follow a feeding plan. Your guinea pigs’ food chart should feature:

• 85% – 90% unlimited grazed grass (not grass cuttings) or high quality feeding hay (not bedding hay, which may have poor nutritional value). As a guide, provide each piggy with at least their own body size in fresh feeding hay every day.
• A small handful of guinea pig-safe leafy greens, vegetables and herbs – around a teacup-sized amount a day per guinea pig. Greens and veg high in vitamin C are especially good.
• Pelleted guinea pig food – around one egg cup a day per guinea pig. Guinea pig nuggets help ensure your piggies get all the vital vitamins and minerals they need. You can split their daily ration between morning and evening feeds.

You can also include some yummy, healthy guinea pig treats to add enrichment. These are great for hand feeding, helping you to build your bond with your guinea pig pals.

Your guinea pigs must also have access to plenty of fresh water at all times, supplied in pet drinking bottles which feature a solid sipper tube.

Wondering what to feed guinea pigs when it comes to veg? There are all sorts of safe veggies including:

• Baby corn on cob
• Bell peppers
• Carrot tops
• Cauliflower leaves and stalks
• Celery leaves
• Courgette (and flowers)
• Green beans
• Peas (leaves and pods)
• Rocket
• Savoy cabbage
• Spring greens
• Watercress
• Tomato – but NOT the leaves/vine as these are poisonous.

PDSA provide a comprehensive list of recommended vegetables.

Guinea pigs don’t naturally eat fruit, but you can give small amounts as an occasional treat. Fruit is high in sugar, which can cause obesity.

Grapes, for example, have a very high sugar content – and can also be a choking hazard. If you do decide to feed your guinea pigs grapes, choose only seedless varieties and offer them just a couple, sliced in two, once or twice a week.

Safe fruits for guinea pigs include:

• Apple (not the pips because they’re poisonous)
• Banana
• Blueberry
• Cherry
• Kiwi
• Melon
• Pear
• Plum
• Squash
• Strawberry

Fresh forage – from wildflowers to herbs which you can grow in your garden ­– will add variety to your guinea pigs’ diet. Safe herbs include basil, coriander, dill, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme.

Can guinea pigs eat dandelion?

Yes! Wild plants you can forage for include dandelion leaves, plantain, Herb-Robert and cow parsley.

The short answer is no. Food designed for rabbits does not contain the required level of vitamin C that guinea pigs need. Guinea pigs that are fed rabbit food can develop scurvy, which is a serious disease caused by vitamin C deficiency.

There are a few foods that guinea pigs shouldn’t be given. These include:

• Guinea pig muesli – Muesli-based guinea pig diets encourage selective feeding, where they eat high starch/sugar components of the muesli while rejecting the more fibrous pellets. This means they won’t be getting all the nutrition they need.
• Sweet treats – Colourful guinea pig treats are often very high in sugar, and bad for your guinea pigs’ teeth and tummy.
• Human food – High carb bread, pasta and crackers can cause digestive problems. Chocolate and dairy products are particularly dangerous and citrus fruit can upset their sensitive tummies.
• Grass cuttings– Guinea pigs should be given unlimited access to steadily graze on fresh grass, just as they would in the wild. But a pile of grass cuttings can be very harmful to if included in a guinea pigs’ diet.
• Toxic flowers – Avoid buttercups, daffodils, poppies and tulips.
• Unsuitable fruit and veg– Vegetables to avoid, as they are poisonous to guinea pigs, include potatoes and potato skin, onion and related vegetables, garlic, mushrooms, chives and avocado. Light-coloured lettuce varieties are high in water, have very little nutritional value and will just give your guinea pigs the runs. Also steer clear of rhubarb – it’s poisonous to animals if eaten raw.
• Nuts and seeds– All nuts are high in fat not fibre and will give your guinea pigs extremely uncomfortable indigestion.

If you’re not sure whether something’s safe for your guinea pigs to eat, it’s best avoided.