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It´s because I have Gerbils too., and I feed them and my guinea pig with the same food.. is it right?

2006-10-03 14:30:06 · 8 answers · asked by dolcha 3 in Pets Other - Pets

8 answers

No you need to feed a commercial grain for guinea pig they need vitamin C, if you feed any other rodent food they will not the vitamin C and will get sick with a condition called scurvy,

if you would like to add Vitamin C foods to their diet, there is really long list below, sorry

HIGH Vitamin C foods:
- Guinea pig pellets with stabilized vitamin C - alfalfa based for youngsters, pregnant & nursing sows, slim or sick pigs; timothy based for healthy, grown, chubby pigs (do not substitute rabbit or chinchilla pellets; avoid mixes with nuts, seeds or coloured bits)

- Parsley - curly or plain (high in calcium) (limited amount can cause kidney stones)
- Cilantro / Chinese Parsley / Coriander greens (capsicums (green / red peppers) are great for Vit C and only a very small amout is needed to fill the daily requirement)
- Celery leaves
- Collard greens
- Mustard greens / Leaf Mustard
- Water Cress
- Garden Cress
- Swiss Chard, Red Chard
- Beet greens
- Spinach (feed in moderation, linked to formation of kidney & bladder stones)
- Carrot tops / leaves
- Peas in pods, Pea Shoots (not dried)
- Dandelion greens
- Grass - wheat, winter rye (grown in pots from seed)
- Kale - curly or plain
- Broccoli, Broccolini (stems are liked better than flowers)
- Broccoli Rabe / Rabe / Rapini
- Cauliflower / Broccoflower
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Red Cabbage
- Tuscan Cabbage / Cavolo Nero
- Savoy Cabbage
- Kohlrabi leaves
- Bell / Sweet Peppers - red, green, yellow (not hot or chile)
- Tomato (sores around mouth can develop; leaves poisonous; artificially grown can be low in vit C)
- Tamarillo (leaves poisonous)
- Orange (caution - sores around lips can develop)
- Tangerine / Mandarin (caution - sores around lips can develop)
- Grapefruit (caution - sores around lips can develop)
- Lemon, Lime (home-grown best, otherwise feed cautiously)
- Cantaloupe Melon
- Honeydew Melon
- Currants - yellow, red or black (leaves also edible)
- Gooseberries
- Strawberries
- Kiwi Fruit
- Mango
- Guava
- Feijoa / Pineapple Guava
- Papaya / Paw Paw / Tree Melon
- Persimmon - american or oriental
- Rosehip


LOW Vitamin C foods:
- Hay - timothy, meadow, alpine and others (must always be available)
- Alfalfa - green or dried (high calcium & calories - good for youngsters, pregnant & nursing sows)

- Romaine Lettuce
- Lettuces - red, green, butter, Boston and other (avoid iceberg)
- Frisee Lettuce
- Arugula / Rocket / Roquette / Rucola
- Green Endive
- Belgian Endive
- Radicchio / Italian Chicory
- Treviso Radicchio
- Salad mix (without iceburg lettuce)
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
- Anise
- Basil
- Dill
- Mint
- Thyme
- Chives (caution, feed in moderation)
- Green Onion tops (caution, feed in moderation)
- Green Leek tops (caution, feed in moderation)
- Sweet Onions (caution, feed in moderation)
- Celery stalks (cut into small pieces)
- Corn on the cob (strings, leaves & stalks are edible too)
- Green Beans in pods / String Beans (not dried)
- Carrots (feed in moderation, vit A in carrots said to cause liver problems)
- Yam / Sweet Potato (high in vit A? - leaves edible)
- Beets
- Celery Root / Celeriac
- Kohlrabi bulbs
- Radishes (if mild)
- Turnip
- Parsnip
- Rutabaga
- Parsley root
- Cucumber (fresh only, not pickled)
- Squash - acorn, banana, butterhorn, spagetti, and others (feed in moderation)
- Zucchini
- Pumpkin
- Pineapple - fresh (sores around lips & mouth can develop)
- Apple (avoid seeds; if too tart, sores around lips & mouth can develop)
- Crabapple
- Pear
- Asian Pear
- Plum, Prune (dried high in sugar - as treat only)
- Nectarine
- Apricot
- Peach
- Cherries (remove pits)
- Cranberries (whole fruit, not concentrate or juice)
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Bilberries
- Blueberries
- Watermelon (can cause diarrhea - high water content)
- Banana (feed in great moderation - can cause constipation)
- Passion Fruit / Granadilla
- Grapes (in moderation, high in sugar)
- Figs (dried high in sugar - as treat only)
- Dates (dried high in sugar)


EDIBLE wild grasses, plants and herbs:
(make sure you know what you are picking! be sure to pick from places free of contaminants such as pesticides , exhaust fumes or animal urine ; pick plants that are healthy looking, without insect damage, fungus spots, breakage, or wilting)
- Grass (common grasses are edible, avoid ornamental grasses)
- Clover (Trifollium repens or Trifolium pratense)
- Dandelion (Teraxacum officinale) - pick leaves, stems, flowers (even root OK)
- Anise (Pimpinella anisum)
- Blackberry leaves (Rubus plicatus) - pick young & tender leaves and shoots
- Calendula (Calendula officinalis) - leaves and flowers
- Caraway (Carum carvi)
- Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis)
- Chickweed (Stellaria media)
- Cleavers / Stickyweed / Goosegrass / Bedstraw (Galium aparine)
- Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)
- Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaeae) - berries, leaves in moderation
- Cow Parsley (Anthiscus sylvestris)
- Dog Rose (Rosa canina) - ripe fruits
- Duckweed (Lemna minor) - aquatic
- Fennel (Foeniculum capillaceum)
- Field Violet / Wild Pansy (Viola tricolor)
- Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)
- Lemon Mint / Melissa (Melissa officinalis)
- Linden / Lime Tree (Tilia cordata or Tilia platyphyllos) - flowers with pale yellow leaflets
- Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)
- Pepermint (Mentha piperita)
- Plantain (Plantago major or Plantago lanceolata)
- Raspberry leaves (Rubus idaeus) - pick young & tender leaves and shoots
- Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
- Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)
- Silverweed (Potentilla anserina)
- Vetch (Vicia x)
- Yarrow (Achllea millefolium)
- Whortleberry / Heidelberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) - berries, leaves in moderation
- Wild Chamomile (Matricaria chammomilla)
- Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) - berries and leaves

AVOID Danger foods:
- Iceburg Lettuce (low nutrition, high water)
- Hot Peppers / Chiles / Paprikas
- Hot herbs and spices
- Pickled veggies (dills, capers, sour krauts)
- Garlic or pungent onions (will not poison pigs, )
- Tomato leaves & stalks (poisonous)
- Tomatillo leaves & stalks (poisonous)
- Rhubarb (poisonous)
- Seeds (choking hazard)
- Dry beans and peas
- Nuts (too high in fat)
- Avocado (too high in fat)
- Coconut (too high in fat)
- Horseradish (leaves probably ok, root too pungent)
- Mushrooms
- Potatoes (poisonous if green or sprouted) - sweet potatoes / yams are ok
- Taro (dangerous if eaten raw / unprepared)
- Jams, jellies and fruit preserves (too high in sugar)
- Fruit juices (sugar-free, or unsweetened juices are OK)
- Teas, coffee, colas
- Fried, cooked and otherwise prepared foods
- Peanut butter, cakes, cookies, baked goods
- Milk and milk products
- Wild grasses, plants and herbs that you are unsure of, or that look different from ones you know
- Flowers (commercially grown decorative plants contain preservatives & pesticide


Other Fruit and Vegetables:

- Acerola- West Indian, Pitanga, Surinam, Sour, Sweet
- Babaco
- Borage
- Breadfruit
- Burdock
- Cardoon
- Cassava / Yucca Root
- Catus
- Chayota
- Cherimoya
- Custard apple
- Dock
- Eggplant
- Fern bracken - Fiddlehead Fern shoots
- Ginger
- Jujube (high vit C)
- Kailan
- Kiwano
- Komatsuna
- Kumquat
- Lemon Grass
- Longan
- Loquat
- Mizuna
- Okra
- Opuntia Cactus
- Oregano
- Plantain banana (needs cooking, high starch)
- Pomegranate
- Quince
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Sakata
- Salsify / Oyster plant
- Sapodilla
- Sorrel
- Soy beans and soy products (too high in protein?)
- Star fruit
- Sugar Cane (too high in sugar?)
- Tapioca (too high in starch & calories?)
- Yucca

2006-10-03 14:36:20 · answer #1 · answered by pinkpiggies336 4 · 0 2

Guinea pigs should ONLY be fed guinea pig diet, because they require vitamin C in their diet, and no other rodents do. It would be better to feed your gerbils gerbil food, but if you HAVE to feed them both the same thing, go with the guinea pig pellets, or your pigs will end up with vitamin C deficiency which can be fatal. Good luck!

2006-10-03 21:32:48 · answer #2 · answered by Robin 6 · 1 0

Guinea Pigs- Guinea Pig Food

Gerbils-Gerbil Food

They each have spacific heath needs.

2006-10-03 21:34:48 · answer #3 · answered by danceinggirl61 2 · 1 0

NO. Guinea Pigs have a much more complicated diet than Gerbils.

2006-10-04 00:40:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Absolutely not ! Guinea pigs have special food that has vitamin C added. Because they cannot produce this themselves, it is added into their food, without it they can get many different diseases. In the wild they get it naturally through the things they find to eat, in captivity they need to have it added to their food. The foods are too different to fit the nutritional requirements for both pets, you really should feed them breed specific foods.

2006-10-04 14:16:04 · answer #5 · answered by Kristy R 1 · 0 0

Gerbils need more dry food with higher protein content like nuts, sunflower seeds, assorted bird seed, and even a few bits of dry dog food. Guinea pigs prefer fresh greens like lettuce, escarole, or kale with fresh vegetables like carrots with pelleted hay. They don't do so well at eating nuts and seeds.

2006-10-03 21:36:43 · answer #6 · answered by twistedmouse 3 · 0 0

I never feed my guinea pig anything but specific guinea pig foods. They're sensitive to their food type and human diseases. Make sure they get all their nutrition.

2006-10-03 21:40:17 · answer #7 · answered by sakira_starwolf 6 · 0 0

No. Guinea pigs need a special food along with timothy hay and veggies.

2006-10-03 21:34:07 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

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