what do guinea pigs like to eat?

Question

can you give me a good viriety of thing that guinea pigs like to eat?
a good diet of things they can eat every day?
treats that are safe?
and what not to give them?
and if you know of any good websites?
thank you

Answer 1

Grass is the guinea pig's natural diet. Their molars are particularly suited for grinding plant matter, and grow continuously throughout the animal's life. Most grass-eating mammals are quite large and have a long digestive tract; while guinea pigs have much longer colons than most rodents, they must also supplement their diet by practicing coprophagy, the eating of their own feces. However, they do not consume their feces indiscriminately. They produce special soft pellets, called cecotropes, which recycle B vitamins, fiber, and bacteria required for proper digestion The cecotropes (or caecal pellets) are eaten directly from the anus, unless the guinea pig is pregnant or obese. They share this behaviour with rabbits. In older boars (the condition is rarer in young ones), the muscles which allow the softer pellets to be expelled from the anus for consumption can become weak. This creates a condition known as anal impaction, which prevents the boar from redigesting cecotropes, though harder pellets may pass through the impacted mass. The condition may be temporarily alleviated by carefully expelling the impacted feces.

Guinea pigs benefit from feeding on fresh grass hay, such as timothy hay, in addition to food pellets which are often based from timothy. Alfalfa is also a popular food choice; most guinea pigs will eat large amounts of alfalfa when offered it, though there exists some controversy over the feeding of alfalfa to adult guinea pigs. Some pet owners and veterinary organizations have advised that, as a legume rather than a grass hay, alfalfa consumed in large amounts may lead to obesity, as well as bladder stones due to excess calcium, in any but pregnant and very young guinea pigs.However, published scientific sources mention alfalfa as a source for replenishment of protein, amino acids and fiber.

Like humans, but unlike most other mammals, guinea pigs cannot synthesize their own vitamin C and must obtain this vital nutrient from food. If guinea pigs do not ingest enough vitamin C, they can suffer from scurvy and ultimately die. Guinea pigs require about 10 mg of vitamin C daily (20 mg if pregnant), which can be obtained through fresh, raw fruits and vegetables (such as apple, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, celery, and spinach) or through dietary supplements. Healthy diets for guinea pigs require a complex balance of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and hydrogen ions; adequate amounts of vitamins E, A, and D are also necessary. Imbalanced diets have been associated with muscular dystrophy, metastatic calcification, difficulties with pregnancy, vitamin deficiencies, and teeth problems.Guinea pigs tend to be fickle eaters when it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables, having learned early in life what is and is not appropriate to consume, and their habits are difficult to change after maturity.They do not respond well to sudden changes in diet; they may stop eating and starve rather than accepting new food types. A constant supply of hay or other food is generally recommended, as guinea pigs feed continuously and may develop habits such as chewing on their own hair if food is not present.Guinea pigs will also chew on cloth, paper, plastic, and rubber.

A number of plants are poisonous to guinea pigs, including bracken, bryony, buttercup, charlock, deadly nightshade, foxglove, hellebore, hemlock, lily of the valley, mayweed, monkshood, privet, ragwort, rhubarb, speedwell, toadflax and wild celery. Additionally, any plant which grows from a bulb (e.g., tulip and onion) is normally considered poisonous

Answer 2

Guinea pigs need a good quality pellet, no seeds or colorful stuff in it. The best are Oxbow or Kleenmama (available online). They also need a constant supply of grass hay- Timothy Hay.
Guinea pigs should have at least a cup of vegetables daily. A variety of certain veggies will ensure that they get the vitamins and nutrients they need.
Some GOOD veggies include: Red or green leaf lettuce (no iceburg), Romaine lettuce, endive, Bell pepper (red has more vit.C), parsley, cilantro, escarole, tomato, baby carrots (one per day), clean grass.
Some veggies are ok in MODERATION: fruits, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts and cauliflower as they may cause gas.
Do NOT feed: Iceburg lettuce, potatoes, mushrooms

You also need to give Vitamin C. Do not put it in their water. It weakens the vitamins and you can't accurately monitor how much they are getting. Use Vitamin C drops or the chewable tablets. My boys love the tablets, they are a daily treat.

DO not use mineral or salt wheels or commericial guinea pig treats. They are not good for them at all. If you want to give treats, give a piece of parsley throughout the day. You'll pigs will love it.

Answer 3

They need an unlimited amount of hay (Timothy, Orchard, Bluegrass) every day as well as fresh water every day. They also need a good fortfied pellet w/out all the crappy colored pieces in it. AND they need a good variety of vegetables. Some good vegetables are lettuces (no iceberg-it can cause diarrhea) like red lettuce, green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce; green/red/yellow peppers, cilantro, cucumber, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, greens (like collard or mustard), parsley, celery (cut up into very small pieces), and apple (1-2x per day). I hope this helps. You can get more information from these sources Guinea Pig Cages and Guinea Lynx. Good luck!

Answer 4

Timothy hay, guinea pig pellets, carrots, tomato, oranges, dark leafy greens, bell peppers. And I do add childrens pediatric Vitamin C to the water bottle. Vitamin C will break down in water, but your pigs will drink enough to get some every day. Most Vitamin C liquids come as 500mg/teaspoon. Just add 100mg or 1cc (about 1/4 tsp) to 16 ounce water bottle a day. Make sure to make it up fresh daily and keep the water bottle and sipper tube very clean with a bottle brush.

Answer 5

Hello,

My guinea pig Kushboo loves Timothy Hay, the previous poster is right they should be given as much of that as they want. Almost all Guinea pigs love lettuce as well---but---be careful Iceberg is *poisonous* to them so the green leaf sorts are the best.

Kushboo also enjoys:
-apples
-baby and regular carrots
-cilantro
-spinach
-cabbage (not too much!)
-parsley.

I hope this helps :)

Answer 6

they must have a daily supply of hay.
they must have a supply of dry food - pellets or guinea pig muesli
greens - cabbage, broccoli, celery, cucumber, curly kale etc
lettuce - only as a treat as it has no nutritional value and is very watery so makes their excrement messier
carrot
fruit - grapes, oranges, bananas, plums, pears, tomatoes
apples - not all guinea pigs can have these as some have weak lip membranes that can be damaged by the acid, causing scabby lips that need treatment.
baby corn - our guinea pigs go mad for this
herbs - you can buy bags of herb mixes in some pet shops

for treats just find a food that they really like and only feed that to them as a treat when you handle them. most guinea pigs don't like the shop-bought processed 'treats' - ours refused to eat anything we bought.

don't give them human food as this can be poisonous - it can cause bad bacteria in the gut. so no chocolate or anything like that - even if they do like it.

Answer 7

They like to eat alot of timothy hay. which should be given so there teeth can wear down and not overgrow otherwise they cant eat. baby carrots cause they are the right size for there stomachs should be given like once or twice a day but not alot also apples. NEVER give them beans they are poisonous to them. and a salt lick its wears down there teeth and they get the salt they need.

Answer 8

my "guinea" loves to eat lettuce or anything green really lol . just make sure that you guinea gets a vitamin to satisfy its dietary needs i would suggest buying them at petco

Answer 9

my guineas (Sweetpea & Ginger) really love apples
& they go through timothy hay like nobody's business, but i think it's because they're herbavores & they only eat plants.

i give them oranges occasionally, but they're not too crazy about them.

Answer 10

Mine likes to eat alfalfa, they are light and tasty and full of vitamin a, d, e, and c.