What Do Guinea Pigs Eat

Guinea pigs or whose are rodents from South America that live between 4 and 8 years. They require little care, sleep a lot and are very affectionate, making them an ideal pet for a house with children or little time to spend on them. If you are considering bringing one into your life, you may be wondering, what do guinea pigs eat?

Guinea pigs are herbivorous animals. That is, their diet consists solely of plant foods. They can eat practically all the vegetables and fruits that we can find in the market, but we are going to break down the needs of their diet and what foods we can not feed our guinea pigs.

Before, we must bear in mind that all the food that we give to our guinea pigs must be raw. They cannot eat canned or processed foods, as well as oil, sauces, sugar or salt. You will love fresh, raw and well washed food. There is no need to season it.

The organism of a guinea pig

One of the characteristics of the body of guinea pigs is that they are not capable of synthesizing vitamin C by themselves, so all the vitamin C they need must be obtained through food.

When we plan our meals guinea pigs, we must consider that should be based on foods high in vitamin C. A deficiency of this vitamin can cause major health problems, such as tooth decay, diarrhea, skin lesions, severe colds or even death.

Another characteristic of guinea pigs is that their intestine does not move by itself: these rodents digest by ingesting new foods that push the rest. It is very important, therefore, that he always has food available in his cage (even if it is hay), as he is constantly eating.

What guinea pigs eat: essential foods, always in their cage

There are three types of food that our guinea pig should always have in its cage:

• Fresh water in a drinking fountain, always clean and available. Young guinea pigs may drink little water, but they should always have it within reach.
• Hay. Hay is essential in a guinea pig’s diet. It helps to wear down the teeth, which are always growing, facilitates digestion and provides the fiber necessary for digestions to end well. There are many types of hay on the market: plain hay, alfalfa hay, flower hay … Let your pet decide which one he likes best.
• Foods high in vitamin C. As we mentioned, this kind of food is essential for a healthy guinea pig. Which are? Red bell peppers, green bell peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, cherries (remove the bones!), Brussels sprouts, and green leafy vegetables (chard, spinach, turnip greens, etc.) are foods that are high in vitamin C and that your guinea pig should consume at least once a day.

Occasional foods guinea pigs eat

As a general rule, guinea pigs eat fruits and vegetables ; your diet is not limited only to foods high in vitamin C. In addition, there are many other vegetables that you may like, such as carrots, broccoli, celery, green beans … As well as fruit: apple, peach, plum, melon or watermelon. There are tons of foods available that your guinea pig might love!

A separate case are lettuce and parsley. Both tend to like them very much, but we must give them in moderation.

They generally love lettuce, but it can be indigestible for some guinea pigs and could cause diarrhea. If it feels bad, try swapping it for endive. In addition, lettuce is composed mostly of water, and has very few nutrients, so we should not abuse it and provide our guinea pig with richer foods.

Parsley is a very high vitamin C food and tends to drive guinea pigs crazy, but be careful! Parsley can be toxic. It is practically impossible for people to get parsley poisoning, but guinea pigs weigh a lot less and can be dangerous. Normally, it is recommended to give parsley to guinea pigs once or twice every two weeks.

I think and treats that guinea pigs eat

You can supplement their diet with feed or specific cereal bars for guinea pigs. The feed must specify that it is suitable for them, since the hamster or rabbit will malnourish them.

We can add a handful of daily feed to our guinea pig’s diet. They like crunchy foods, and this will help them wear down and keep their teeth healthy. But with the wide variety of vegetables that we have available for them, we should not make it the basis of their diet.

In addition, in pet stores we can find other complementary products that guinea pigs eat, such as cereal bars, treats and sweets such as dehydrated fruit or mixed nuts. We must bear in mind that, as the name suggests, they are trinkets and not food, and must therefore be provided in moderation and only from time to time.

We can also occasionally offer you pieces of stale bread, especially the crust, to wear down your teeth.

Forbidden food

Despite being herbivorous and being able to eat almost all the fruits and vegetables available in the markets, there are a few exceptions that we must take into account that they cannot eat :

• Potatoes.
• Onion or garlic
• Spicy vegetables. Chilli peppers, hot chili peppers …
• Citrus Orange or mandarin oranges have a lot of vitamin C, but they can cause heartburn or gas.
• Beets or fruits with high sugar content: Sugar is not good for guinea pigs, so we better avoid it.
• Fruit seeds such as apples or grapes: like parsley, in humans we would need an exorbitant amount of them to get intoxicated, but for guinea pigs they are dangerous.
• Eggs, dairy products, etc. We can only give them fruits and vegetables, nothing that comes from animals.

If we want our guinea pig to be healthy and happy, we must start with a varied and balanced diet that covers all its fiber and vitamin C needs. We have many options on the market to try what your favorite foods are and ensure that you never get bored of the same flavors.

Main image source: Diego Delso