What Do Guinea Pigs Eat? How one can Give Them a Healthful Meals plan

On essentially the most elementary diploma, guinea pigs are herbivores. That signifies that they solely eat fruits and veggies—no dairy, eggs, meat, or bugs for these little guys. Latest hay and modern leafy greens should make up the vast majority of your guinea pig’s meals routine.

Research all about feeding guinea pigs, along with meals that they shouldn’t eat.

Vitamin C

Guinea pigs can’t formulate their very personal vitamin C, making them weak to scurvy. Guinea pig pellets should embody vitamin C to keep up your pet healthful.

On widespread, guinea pigs need 10 to twenty mg of vitamin C per day. However, talk about to your veterinarian do you have to aren’t sure about how rather a lot your pet needs, notably within the occasion that they’re ill, youthful, outdated, pregnant, or nursing—you want to be sure you current them with the appropriate amount for his or her distinctive needs.

Hay

Guinea pig enamel are always rising. It’s important to supply your guinea pig one factor fibrous to chew on. That’s the place hay is great important. There are two sorts of hay that guinea pigs can eat: grass and leguminous. Laborious pellets alone gained’t do the trick.

For hay, a mix of timothy, orchard, and oat is best. Some alfalfa hay is appropriate nevertheless it absolutely incorporates an extreme quantity of calcium to be the precept part of your pet’s meals routine.

Guinea pig hay should be saved in a cool, dry place to stay away from mould or mildew.

Industrial Meals plan

Most pet dad and mother will determine to feed their guinea pigs store-bought pellets and hay. You need to positively purchase pellets that are notably formulated for guinea pigs.

Complement your guinea pig’s hay with a small amount of high-quality pellets. Go for plain pellets fairly than a mix, as this prevents your guinea pig from merely choosing out the tasty bits and ignoring the healthful ones.

Greens

Latest veggies are good treats and dietary dietary supplements in your guinea pig, and you could give your pet about ½ to 1 cup of varied greens daily. You need to use these as extra-special decisions to help bond alongside along with your guinea pig, or as treats for teaching.

Good modern greens to feed your guinea pig embody:

• Inexperienced peppers
• Parsley
• Inexperienced and crimson leaf lettuce
• Romaine lettuce
• Cauliflower
• Cilantro
• Broccoli
• Carrots and carrot tops
• Beet greens

Always you will need to clear up any uneaten modern meals on the end of the day to steer clear of mould or rot.

Fruits

Like greens, fruits are moreover nutritious treats to produce your guinea pig. Among the many best modern fruits for them embody:

• Bananas
• Blueberries
• Cantaloupe
• Strawberries
• Tomatoes (solely the ripened fruit, not the stem or leaves)
• Watermelon
• Apples
• Pears
• Kiwi

Present your guinea pig further greens than fruits. They could love fruits, nevertheless they’re like candy for guinea pigs. Moreover, the extreme amount of sugar in fruit could set off excessive diarrhea.

What To not Feed Guinea Pigs

Not all fruits and veggies are safe for guinea pigs to eat. You need to positively steer clear of feeding your guinea pig:

• Avocados
• Chives
• Coconuts
• Garlic
• Grapes
• Onions
• Raisins

These meals are actually dangerous for lots of pets, and often pop up on lists of toxic meals for canine, parrots, and cats.

Always steer clear of feeding your guinea pig sweet or salty human “junk meals,” even when not one of many substances are toxic. Since guinea pigs can’t eat garlic or onions, loads of our cooked meals is off-limits as properly.

Meals that are extreme in starch, carbohydrates, and fat should even be prevented. Examples embody:

• Seeds
• Nuts
• Beans
• Peas
• Cereals
• Oats

It’s sometimes best to remain to feeding your guinea pig a meals routine of hay and high-quality pellets, with occasional treats of latest fruits and veggies.

When Must I Feed My Guinea Pig?

Like most herbivores, guinea pigs are primarily grazers. They munch on hay and veggies all day. Which suggests it’s important to keep up modern hay accessible constantly.

It’s best to dump out your guinea pig’s meals and water each single day, clear the bowls, and fill them with modern meals and water.

Why Do Guinea Pigs Eat Their Poop?

You might catch your guinea pig consuming their very personal poop, nevertheless don’t be alarmed. Guinea pigs actually produce two a number of sorts of feces. One is tender and nutritious, and the guinea pigs re-ingest this to get further nutritional vitamins (rabbits do the an identical issue).

The other sort of poop is more durable and is produced after the meals has been digested twice. That’s the poop that you just simply clear up when you clear your guinea pig’s cage.

Concepts for Feeding Your Guinea Pig

Sooner than bringing residence a guinea pig, discover out about their dietary needs and the meals they should and shouldn’t eat. Bear in mind that some meals will probably be fed in small portions whereas others shouldn’t be given to guinea pigs the least bit.

When feeding your guinea pig modern vegatables and fruits, wash them completely earlier to giving them to your pet. And take into accout to remove any produce that they don’t eat sooner than it spoils of their cage.

Always have modern, clear water accessible in your guinea pig to drink.

Within the occasion you uncover that your guinea pig’s urge for meals modifications or there are modifications of their feces, search the recommendation of a veterinarian, as your pet might have a effectively being downside that should be dealt with.