Guinea Pig Diet - An Overview!

This video is all about the dietary habits of guinea pigs, so if you are a first time owner of pigs and want to find out about what the little furries eat, then this video is for you! :D

I talk briefly about what guinea pigs can and can't eat, what foods are best for them, what foods can be fed everyday, what foods should only be fed as an occasional treat, and how much of everything they can eat. :)

Everyday, each of your guinea pigs should have :
- UNLIMTED hay, timothy or another grass type hay is best.
- About an 1/8th of a cup of specially formulated guinea pig pellets.
- Half a cupful of safe vegetables and leafy greens. Click on this link to get a list of guinea pig safe fruit + veg... http://www.guinealynx.info/chart.html#chart
- And I didn't mention it in the video but they also need fresh water everyday!

Occasionaly guinea pigs can have :
- Fruit, it's high in sugar so should viewed purely as a treat. Give fruit in small amounts and no more than once a week!

Guinea pigs can NEVER have :
- Any meat or fish. [They are herbivores and 100% vegetarian]
- Dairy products such as milk, eggs, cheese, yoghurt.. guinea pigs are lactose intolerant so their bodies cannot digest dairy foods properly.
- Breads and cereals. Too starchy and sugary for them to digest, unhealthy.
- Spicy foods and herbs.
- Anything from the onion family (onions, garlic, leeks.. )
- Anything that is grown from a bulb.
- Rabbit food, chinchilla food, hamster food, etc.. its just not designed for guinea pigs bodies.
- Seeds and nuts. They are too fattening and also a choking hazard!
- Lots of plants from the garden are poisonous to guinea pigs, check out this list.. http://www.pimms-pages.co.uk/poisonous.asp
... The only two plants from the garden that I know are safe for guinea pigs are dandelion leaves and clover (both in very small amounts!)
- Iceburg lettuce. No nutrional value and can cause fatal diarrhoea!
- Potatoes, rhubarb and raw beans. All poisonous to guinea pigs!
- Cabbages / cauliflower aren't recommended as they are very gas-producing.
- Human food like cookies, icecream, noodles, pizza, chocoate, cake, human beverages, etc.. human food is for humans and guinea pig food is for guinea pigs. The only food that we can both eat is veg + fruit. :)

~ ~ IF YOU ARE UNSURE IF A PARTICULAR FOOD IS UNSAFE FOR GUINEA PIGS THEN ** DO NOT ** FEED IT TO THEM BEFORE RESEARCHING IT PROPERLY ! ~ ~

Also, when introducing new foods to your guinea pigs, do it slowly to avoid upsetting their delicate stomachs. :)

The video is just under 10 minutes long.. I tried my best to compromise between making a short video that had all the basic info in, and making it long enough to include a few extra facts and tips, and I didn't want to be too vague either!

If you have any questions about guinea pig diet, or care in general, then please feel free to leave a comment on this video or on my channel page, or send me a private message over Youtube!

Thanks so much for watching! Feel free to leave any comments, feedback or video requests! :) xx

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• guinea
• pig
• pigs
• cavy
• cavies
• baby
• adult
• care
• food
• good
• bad
• poisonous
• diet
• dietary
• eating
• habits
• nutrition
• what
• do
• can
• you
• they
• eat
• feed
• everyday
• every
• day
• week
• hay
• legume
• orchard
• meadow
• timothy
• alfafa
• grass
• veg
• veggies
• vegetables
• carrot
• lettuce
• cucumber
• bell
• pepper
• fruit
• fruits
• tomato
• blueberries
• strawberries
• pear
• apple
• pellets
• nuggets
• muesli
• rabbit
• chinchilla
• guidetoguineas
• guide
• to
• guineas

[xais0r]

Just got mine today for the first time ever! I'm lost about food and stuff she needs but i'm watching videos and learning. Video is great, thanks!

[guidetoguineas]

@xais0r Aw, you're very welcome! Thankyou for your comment, I'm glad you liked the video :) Hope you have fun with your new piggie, feel free to message me if you have any questions :)

[LilCritterLove]

so if i give my soon to be piggies veggies every day does that mean i still need to give them a vitamin c thing in the bottles

[guidetoguineas]

@LilCritterLove No. If you give them a good amount of veggies everyday (half a cup per pig at least!) then they will not need any extra vitamin C supplements. Bell peppers, parsley and kale have the most vitamin C in them. Make sure they get a nice variety of veggies though, so they get lots of different nutrients and won't get bored! Hope this helped :) x

[jyladar]

can you feed them cat grass. i know somewhat dumb question because CAT grass but its the only grass i saw in the store

[TheGuineaPigSisters]

Tip: Never feed your guinea pig iceberg lettuce.

Btw the video was great, thank-you! ;)

[adamsalas2009]

Where do u live

[ApprovalWarehouseNow]

can u feed your piggies green cabbage? :)

[guidetoguineas]

@spritepopy Thanks! ;) And I'm glad the video helped you! :) x

[guidetoguineas]

@oogp Thankyou! ;D x

[oogp]

@guidetoguineas I LOVE UR ACCENT :D