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A balanced diet is necessary to maintain a healthy guinea pig.
Guinea Pigs DO NOT produce Vitamin C so suppliments are a MUST.
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Guinea pigs are herbivores
meaning they eat only grasses, vegetables and fruit. Provide twice daily an assortment of foods (4 or 5 types) such as carrots, peas, apples, green peppers, spinach, kale, pears, dandelion leaves, clover, plantain, cucumbers, corn, celery, melons, oranges, beet tops and parsley. Food preferences vary from guinea pig to guinea pig. Also, guinea pigs tend to become habituated to certain foods from a young age so provide a variety of foods and continue over time to reintroduce foods previously ignored. Do not feed lettuce, cabbage, beans, potatoes, rhubarb or chocolate to guinea pigs (or rabbits), the latter three can be toxic.
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Your guinea pigs diet should be supplemented with
pelleted commercial feed. Fresh pellets are vital to guinea pigs because they are enriched with vitamin C which guinea pigs (like humans) cannot synthesize. Purchase fresh pellets in small quantities, never keeping pellets on hand for more than a month. Place the food in heavy plastic or ceramic bowls that will not easily tip.
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Hay, Fruits and Vegetables
Hay is important for your guinea pig, because it ads fiber to the diet. Hay should be fed daily and in abundance. Compressed bales of hay can be purchased at pet stores or purchased directly from farmers or from country feed stores.
If your guinea pig is not fed enough fruits or vegetables or if the pellets are not fresh, he or she may become deficient in Vitamin C.
Click here for vitamin information.
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