What is The Best Guinea Pig Feed

There are so many things that you could use for guinea pig feed.  However, there is some suggestions and restrictions on what you should give to your animals.  After all, you do want to keep them optimally healthy.  Here are a few tips on what you should include in your cavy’s diet to make it as healthy as possible.

The most common diet for guinea pigs is a quarter cup of commercially available  food pellets per day for most adult guinea pigs.  These pellets must have vitamin C added as they are unable to produce it themselves.   You will want to serve less to young guinea pigs of course.  One of the other key staples of any guinea pig diet is the unlimited amount of fresh hay.  This should be provided to the guinea pig in its cage, and should not be limited.  The amount that you give your pig will allow it to grow as well as feed itself throughout the day.  There are certain types of hay that are better than others.  For example, mixed grass hay or Timothy Hay is best.  Alfalfa or lurcerne hay is too high in calcium for adult guinea pigs but is suitable for young or pregnant piggies.

Another important part of any diet for your piggy is green and leafy vegetables.  You can serve them kale, spinach, or other leafy green vegetables.  It is important to feed them about 1 cup of vegetables a day, including leafy greens.  Carrot and tomato are also good as they are high in Vitamin C.   This will vary based upon the season and the preferences of your individual cavy.  The variety is necessary for several reasons.  One reason is that your animal needs to have a variety of minerals and nutrients.  The varied nature of the greens will help them get everything they need.  Also, some vegetables interact better than others with your animals.  Do not give them vegetables that make their stool too loose.

Fruits are a very tricky topic for your guinea pig.  After all, you want to give them a wide range of delicious food, but you do not want to make them sick!  The best trick is to limit fruits to only a small serving, for example a slice of apple or a segment of orange daily.  Excessive fruit can cause loose stools and make your piggy sick.

Now that you know what to give your piggy, here is a list of things that could make your piggy extremely sick.  For example, do not feed your guinea pig any chocolate, cookies, crackers, bread, or other human food that is not included above.  It could cause them to become ill and have constipation or some other issue.  Instead, simply serve your animal the foods that we have listed above.  An unlimited supply of fresh Timothy hay, and select vegetables.  The combination of these foods will allow your guinea pig to live a long and healthy life.  Making your guinea pig happy through a variety of food is quite easy!