Guinea Pig Care and Diet

What to Feed Your Guinea Pig

Large, unlimited amounts of fresh hay should be offered daily. Young guineas should be introduced to hay as soon as they can eat on their own. Mixed grass hay or Timothy hay is preferred because it is lower in calories and calcium than alfalfa. It is also higher in fiber

¼ cup per day of pellets (no added dried anything!) for adult guinea pigs. Unlimited pellets for guinea pigs younger than 6 months

We recommend Oxbow Cavy Cuisine and Western Timothy.

TRY TO FEED 3 VEGETABLE SERVINGS PER DAY. BE SURE ONE IS SOME TYPE OF LEAFY GREEN. PLEASE, NO MORE THAN 1 SERVING OF ANY GIVEN VEGETABLE!!

A variety is necessary in order to obtain the necessary nutrients, with one each day that contains Vitamin A. Add one vegetable to the diet at a time. Eliminate if it causes soft stools or diarrhea.

Limit fruits to 1-2 tablespoons per 2 lbs. of body weight (none if dieting) from the list below of high fiber fruits. USE FRUIT ONLY ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK. Sugary fruits such as bananas and grapes should be used only sparingly. Guineas have a sweet tooth and if left to their own devices will devour sugary foods to the exclusion of healthful ones.

This is an excellent site for vitamin content of vegetables: http://www.guineapigcages.com/food/Veggie-and-Fruit-Charts.pdf

(!)=Use no more than twice a week. High in either oxalates or goitrogens and may be toxic in accumulated quantities over a period of time.
(*)=Use no more than twice a week.

Vegetables:

Alfalfa, radish & clover sprouts
Basil
Beet greens (tops)*
Bok choy
Broccoli (mostly leaves/stems)* - 1 FLORET & STEM
Brussels Sprouts - 1 Sprout
Carrot - 1 to 2 baby carrots or equivalent
Carrot tops*
Celery – 2 INCHES, cut in 1 inch pieces
Chard (red or green)* - 1 LEAF
Cilantro – 6 - 8 STEMS AND LEAVES
Clover – 10
Collard greens* - 1 LEAF
Cucumber – 1 SLICE
Dandelion greens and flowers (no pesticides)* - 6 LARGE OR 10 SMALL
Endive*
Escarole
Green peppers – 1 SLICE
Kale (!)* - 1 LEAF
Mint
Mustard greens* - 1 LEAF
Parsley* - 6 - 8 STEMS AND LEAVES
Pea pods (the flat edible kind)*
Peppermint leaves
Radichio – ½ CUP
Radish tops – 3 LEAVES
Raspberry leaves
Romaine lettuce (no iceberg or light colored leaf) or red/green leaf - 2 LEAVES
Watercress*
Wheat grass

Fruits - 1 CUBIC INCH:

Apple
Blueberries
Papaya
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries
Melon
Orange (including peel)
Tomato

Absolutely NO Chocolate (Poisonous!!!), cookies, crackers, breakfast cereals, bread, pasta, yogurt drops or other "human treats." There is research to suggest these items may contribute to fatal cases of enterotoxaemia, a toxic overgrowth of "bad" bacteria in the intestinal tract.