This is one of my first posts looking at other types of animals. To me, Guinea Pigs have similar needs to horses. They need constant access to water and good forage. My hutch for my guinea pigs has 2 levels. The bottom level gives them access to grass. However, they are still very timid and haven’t really ventured down there yet! Therefore I give them constant access to hay. They have hay in the sheltered area of their hutch to eat and hide in. They also have hay in a hideyhole and hay cart on the bottom level for when they venture down there.
Like horses, there are lots of feed types available. Feed types are usually mixes or nuggets. After a bit of research, I found that mixes tend to be more palatable. However, they have less in them than nugget based food. Therefore, I chose nuggets for the Pig Twins.
The biggest (and possibly only) difference between Guinea Pigs and a horses diet is fresh fruit and veg. Most sources suggest feeding fresh food to your pigs 2-3 times a day. This is because guinea pigs are unable to produce their own vitamins, therefore need to get all of these from their food.
After a lot of research into what fresh foods are best for your guinea pigs, here is my list of foods to use regularly and as treats. I will not include everything, just some of the most common ones. If it is not on my list, please research before feeding!
Feed Often
- broccoli
- celery
- carrot
- cucumber
- fennel
- parsnip
- pepper (red or green)
- dandelion
- chamomile
- coriander
- dill
- cauliflower
- corn on the cob
- kale
- peas
- parsley
- basil
Feed less often as a treat
- various types of lettuce (can cause diarrhoea)
- spinach
- tomato
- courgette
- apple
- banana
- kiwi
- grape
- melon
- pear
- strawberry
- sage
- mango
- orange
- asparagus
Do Not Feed
- garlic
- onion
- potato
- avocado
- rhubarb
For more information on suitable food, visit this page. At the bottom there is a colour coded list of foods suitable for guinea pigs and how often then can be fed!
Last Updated on 07/08/2018
