What do Guinea Pigs eat?
Guinea Pigs food staples are as follows:
- As much Timothy Hay as they want
- 1/8 cup of a good nutrient-dense pellet like Oxbow
- A cup of fresh piggie-safe vegetables daily
- Fresh clean water
Oxbow hay and pellets are the best in my opinion. To save money I buy from Chewy.com online and use their autoship. They have a more expensive Oxbow pellet, but the Essentials is what I use and costs a little less. One piggie only needs around 1/8 cup of pellets a day if they are getting enough fresh veggie nutrients and it’s best to give them plain pellets in a bowl without anything else, so they learn to eat it without processed stuff.
The main veggie I give daily is romaine lettuce. Bell peppers are also wonderful for them, we grow them in the garden when it’s warm. You can give them kale, red and green leaf lettuces, mustard or turnip greens, cabbage, cilantro, and parsley.
To save money or just to have a fun activity you can forage for fresh veggies too, but do your research and make sure it’s safe with no herbicides or insecticides used on or near it. But foraging is a great way to give your piggies variety and has excellent health benefits.
Some things to remember: don’t trespass, don’t pick things from the side of the road (it gets sprayed and contaminated), don’t pick where pets go, and only take small amounts of fresh growth leaving the main plant to grow some more. Only pick what you can easily identify as piggie-safe.
Forage for free food!
Fresh grass
Cleavers (sticky weed)
Common Groundsel
Chickweed
Shepards Purse
Red Clover
Snacks / Treats are great to give them a couple of times a week at most. Some of the ones I choose are cucumbers, tomatoes, or baby carrots. You can also give them each a seedless grape, a sliver of apple, a little strawberry, or a couple of blueberries. I still remember giving CocoPuff a grape one time, she sniffed it, bit into it from my hand, and squealed. It was so adorable! But these are best given once a week or so during a lap or floor time.
Resources
https://www.guineapiggles.co.uk/foraging-free-food/
https://www.guineapigmagazine.com/what-weeds-can-you-feed-to-guinea-pigs/
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