Treats For Guinea Pigs

Guinea pig treats should be given to your pets occasionally and alongside their regular, healthy guinea pig food. Feed them by hand to help build your bond or place a few treats in their hutch or in their hay. The Excel Feeding Plan provides a guide to make sure your guinea pigs get exactly the right amount of nutrients they need. As well as treats, it includes quality hay, nuggets and leafy greens.

The Excel Feeding plan

Following our Excel feeding plan will ensure that your guinea pigs get the correct balance of fibre, vitamins and minerals. 85-90% of a guinea pig’s diet should be high-quality, dust-extracted feeding hay or fresh grass. This should be supplemented with a small portion of Excel nuggets, the occasional Excel Nature Guinea Pig Treat, a small handful of fresh greens and plenty of fresh water.

Guinea pigs are herbivores who live on a plant-based diet. However, we like to call them ‘fibrevores’ as fibre is by far the most important part of their diet and is essential for their gut and dental health.

When looking for healthy treats that guinea pigs love, make sure to choose snacks that are full of fibre and nutrients. It’s best to select treats that have been specially made for guinea pigs such as our Excel range. This ensures you’re not giving your pets anything that’s unsafe or unhealthy.

Guinea pigs should be provided with fresh, safe, leafy greens as part of their healthy diet.

According to the PDSA, vegetables that are safe to feed your guinea pigs include:

• Watercress
• Bell peppers
• Carrot tops
• Cauliflower leaves
• Peas
• Parsnips
• Lettuce
• Green beans

Vegetables and specially made guinea pig snacks are the ideal choice for treats but you can give your pets some small pieces of fruit every so often. However, it’s important not to give them too much due to the high sugar content. You can feed your guinea pigs the following kinds of fruit:

• Banana
• Melon
• Pear
• Strawberry
• Blueberry
• Cherry
• Kiwi
• Plum

Giving your guinea pigs a few herbs as a treat is a safe way to add some variety and maintain a balanced diet. Try adding some basil, coriander, dill, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage or thyme. Guinea pigs are natural foragers and these are the types of herbs they would have come across in the wild.

Try our Excel Wildflower Forage guinea pig treats or Luscious Leaves for a delicious and natural snack.

To keep your small animals healthy and safe, you should avoid given them anything that’s likely to cause issues with their tummy or teeth. The following don’t make good snacks for guinea pigs:

• Human food including chocolate and sweets
• Sweet guinea pig treats (these are often brightly coloured)
• Muesli-based guinea pig food
• Nuts or seeds
• Some flowers including buttercups, daffodils, poppies and tulips

Because we work alongside our in-house vet, Dr Suzanne Moyes, we understand the nutritional needs of guinea pigs and ensure all our treats are designed with their health and welfare in mind.

The best snacks for guinea pigs are those that are 100% natural, contain lots of fibre and encourage foraging behaviour. At Burgess, we make sure all our small animal treats taste delicious, are completely natural and free from artificial colours and flavours.