Rat
Rescue :: Feeding
your guinea pig the correct diet
Feeding your guinea pig the correct diet
Guineas love to eat and as soon as it is feeding time they will
start ‘wheeking’ at you to tell you to get a move on and get
their breakfast/lunch/ dinner/snack!
If yours are indoor piggies, they can be in another part of
the house, but as soon as that fridge door opens or you rustle
a plastic shopping bag, they will start wheeking at you, demanding
some cucumber!
You may be surprised to learn that an ideal diet for a piggie
should consist of 70% good quality hay such as Timothy Hay;
5% commercial guinea pig food and 25% fresh fruit and vegetables.
This almost mimics the diet that your guinea pig’s ancestors
would have had in the wild and will help keep your piggie in
the optimum of health.
The diet you feed your guinea pig is of the utmost importance.
Feed them incorrectly and they could face obesity, severe dental
problems and death.
Dietary fibre
While there are a number of dried guinea pig foods on the market,
do try and limit your piggies’ intake to about one large handful
of food every other day per guinea. While these commercial foods
provide all the right nutrients, they do not have enough dietary
fibre.
A lack of dietary fibre in the diet can not only lead to obesity,
but to nasty dental problems, both of which can shorten your
guinea pig’s life considerably.
Dust-free hay provides lots of dietary fibre and your guinea
should always have plenty of fresh hay daily. Ideally it should
be kept in a hayrack to avoid the hay getting contaminated by
faeces on the floor of their hutch or cage.
Always feed your guineas good quality hay. Timothy Hay is ideal.
Dried grass products, available from equestrian centres or pet
shops, are also packed with dietary fibre and piggies love it!
If your guinea starts to chew his fur and the vet has checked
him out for mites, it could be because he is not getting enough
fibre in his diet.
Teeth
Going back to trying to mimic what guinea pigs would eat in
the wild, they'd be continually gnawing all day which would
wear their teeth down. Like chinchillas and degus, guinea pigs
have open rooted back teeth. They grow continually and so need
to be worn down.
If the upper back teeth down aren’t worn down adequately, they
grow up into the skull. The root can puncture the sinuses, causing
respiratory problems or it can grow towards the eyeball, causing
eye infections.
The lower molars also grow downwards through the jawbone. Painful
abscesses can form.
Both sets of molars will also continue growing into the mouth
and it can get to the stage where your guinea is unable to shut
his mouth. He will not be able to eat or swallow properly. (Try
swallowing with your mouth open and you will see how hard it
is).
Guineas with this problem may show signs of having a continually
wet chin. This is caused by excessive saliva known as ‘slobbers’
(see pic). Your guinea will also lose weight quite dramatically
as he will be unable to eat properly. Other symptoms include
chronic wasting and small or no faeces. If the guineas grind
their teeth, this could be a sign that they are in a great deal
of pain.
An x-ray of the skull is usually the only way to determine
if your guinea is suffering from this and sadly the long-term
prognosis is not good.
Dried foods
A diet consisting purely of dried food is not healthy. As these
dried foods are full of protein, excessive feeding can cause
kidney stones, leading to kidney failure.
Also, never buy rabbit food to feed your guinea pigs. Some commercial
rabbit foods contain pellets that are toxic to guinea pigs.
Also, guinea pigs need vitamin C and rabbit foods do not contain
sufficient vitamin C for them.
Vitamin C
Piggies cannot make their own vitamin C and will have problems
if they don’t get enough. They can get scurvy, a weakened immune
system and an alkaline imbalance in their kidneys.
While fresh foods can provide it, it is always a good idea
to supplement their diet with it, especially if they are ill
as vitamin C helps the immune system.
You can do this by putting a quarter of a soluble vitamin C
1000mg tablet (for humans) into your guineas’ water bottle once
a week to keep them healthy. They love the taste too!
As Vitamin C is a mild acid, it can react with a lot of metals
and is subsequently destroyed. If you use vitamin C in a water
bottle, ensure that the spout is made of stainless steel.
You can also get commercial vitamin drops from pet shops.
Guinea pigs who are old, sick, pregnant or feeding young guineas
will need more vitamin C than a healthy adult guinea pig. You
vet may prescribe some vitamin C tablets that can be crushed
over their food.
What to feed
Apart from loads of hay and a tiny bit of dried food, guineas
love fruit, vegetables and other plants.
Obviously, grass is great. If you have a guinea pig, you don’t
need a lawn mower! However, never put your guinea on wet grass
as this can cause him to catch a cold. And never put him on
grass that has been treated with anything (e.g. weed killer
or lawn treatments). This will be toxic to your guinea pig and
he could die.
Foods that are good to feed include cucumber, melon, cabbage,
carrots (including leaves), cauliflower (including leaves),
celery, broccoli, parsley, green and red bell peppers, and strawberry
leaves
Go easy on apples as they can cause mouth ulcers and blistering
around the mouth due to the acid in them.
Avoid tomato, tomato leaves and potatoes which are poisonous
to guineas,
lettuce (which can cause diarrhoea which can lead to death),
and obviously, meat, cakes, biscuits, chocolate and dairy products.
If you feed your guineas dandelions ensure that the dandelions
have not been picked from an area near the roadside – otherwise
your guinea can be poisoned by exhaust toxins.
The best of health
Now that you know the correct diet for your guinea pig, there
are other ways to ensure that he is kept in the best of health.
First of all, using digital kitchen scales, weigh your piggies
once a month and keep a note of their weight. Seeing them every
day, you will not notice any weight loss, which can be the first
sign of illness.
Make sure that you have twice yearly veterinary checks ups
that include a dental check.
Wet chins, small or absent faeces and weight loss need immediate
treatment, so see your vet as soon as possible.
