5 Foods Your Guinea Pig Loves

You’ve brought your new pet home, and you want to provide him with the best possible mealtimes. What foods are not only good for him but guaranteed guinea pig favourites?

Take a look at this list of 5 foods your guinea pig loves.

1.    Grass and Hay.

For starters, you must be aware that grass and hay are cousins, but you can’t assume that a yard full of grass will yield a bale full of hay. Grass is a plant that grows from a seedling with just one leave sprouting from it. Hay is any of the plants, whether they grow from seeds or legumes, dried and stored to be used as animal feed.  Look for a hay made from grass that has more leaf than stem to it.

Biscuit the Guinea Pig Eating Some Grass

Timothy grass is one of the most popular grasses or hays used for guinea pigs. The leaf of this plant grows into a roll rather than a fold. Your guinea pig should have timothy grass on a daily basis. It helps him with digestion by providing fibre to his diet, and it also keeps his teeth from over-growing.

Alfalfa is much loved by all guinea pigs but it’s not really good for older pets. It comes from a legume and its tiny sprouting leaves and flowers give it a more feathery appearance than a typical type of grass-based hay. You’ve got to be careful about giving your piggy too much of it, however, as it has a higher calcium content than other hays. You don’t want your pet to develop stones! As a hay, give it to your younger pets only once per week.

Try Oaten Hay if Timothy Hay is not available in your country.

2.    Sweet Peppers (Capsicum).

We recommend both green and red peppers for your guinea pig.

Seeds are not recommended as they can be a choking hazard

Photo by Dominik on Flickr

Your pet loves the taste of them, and they are both high in Vitamin C. Since guinea pigs cannot manufacture Vitamin C within the body, it’s vital for them to get it in their daily diet.

Red peppers actually have twice as much Vitamin C as green peppers. Surprisingly, there’s less of this antioxidant vitamin in yellow and orange peppers, so stick with the green and red.

3.    Pellets.

Your pig should eat about two ounces of pellets per day—plain, please.

Biscuit having a snooze next to grain bowl

The kind with nuts and raisins provide too much of a good thing, and you really can’t track how much calcium, iron, protein, and fibre he’s getting.

The raisins, in addition, bring added sugar to the diet. Just get plain pellets and he’ll be perfectly happy. Take note whether the pellets are made from alfalfa; if so, you should probably hold back on any other feeding of alfalfa during the week.

It’s worth repeating that alfalfa should be minimized in the diet of older pets. Once they have their first birthday, switch them to timothy pellets.

4.    Carrots.

The great thing about carrots is that your pet can eat both the orange root and the green leaves. You can give him one about every other day. Carrots are full of beta-carotene, also known as Vitamin A, and they are very good for your guinea pig. Just remember, moderation is the key!

5.    Apples.

Your guinea pig might whisper to you that apples are his favourite fruit. He can enjoy a small piece daily, sliced off the core, although he cannot eat the seeds.

Guinea Pig Eating Apple

He will also enjoy a strawberry or a bit of orange occasionally, although too much citrus fruit is hard on him.

Never give him dried fruit, as the natural sugars can become concentrated during the dehydrating process, which is not good for your guinea pig.

It’s impossible to come up with just one list of the five foods your guinea pig will love the most. Besides these five favourite foods, they also love dark leafy vegetables and cherry tomatoes.

But guinea pigs, like people, have their own tastes and preferences!

Parsley – NomNomNom (High in Calcium, so feed a small amount)

While your pet should have plain pellets and hay on a daily basis, and we never met a piggy that disliked peppers, be certain to try a variety of fruits and vegetables to discover his personal preferences.

You’ll find a big list of Guinea Pig Foods Here. Feel free to lettuce know (mind the pun) your experience with certain foods.

GuineaPigCare.com.au