Back to main index

Recommended Reading

Guinealynx fruit and vegetable charts and calcium/phosphorus level information CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE to download our Free Guinea Pig Safe Fruit, Vegetable, Herb and Plant List.

Safe Fruit and Veg Table!

The below table includes guinea pig taste scale with 1 being not often enjoyed 10 being a guinea pigs favorite food. This scale is only an indication some guinea pigs may vary on the yum scale with the fruit and veg they do and don't enjoy .

Unsafe fruit and Veg!

Washed or Brushed Potatoes

Wild mushrooms and berries

Onion

Shallots

Avocado

Rhubarb

Safe herbs and plants list!

Unsafe herbs and plants!

Deadly Nightshade
Azalea
Bird of Paradise
Oleander
Buttercup
Any type of BULB plant
Clematis
Foxglove
Daffodil
St Johns Wort
Morning Glory
Fig
Hemlock
Holly
Feverfew
Ivy
Lily
Wisteria
Onion Weed
 

A guinea pigs DAILY diet needs to consist of the following:

Fresh vegetables/fruit.

Hay and/or Grass in constant supply.

A good quality guinea pig grain mix (no seeds and the more chaff/chopped hay the better).

Water
 

Guinea pigs are strict herbivores and should not be fed dairy or meat products or bread. The excess calcium, phosphorus, preservatives, magnesium and potassium in dairy products is not needed in a balanced guinea pig diet and can cause skin problems, ketosis, acidosis and vitamin A or D toxicity.

Tip! Guinea pigs need a well balanced diet that doesn't vary greatly from day to day. Sudden changes in  diet can cause digestive upset. A balanced diet fed the same each day ( minor changes in some of the fruit/veg fed is fine ) will promote good digestion and gut function. If you want to introduce new foods into your guinea pigs diet a gradual change is needed.

Below is detailed information on the DAILY requirements needed for a satisfactory diet.

Supplements
Please note that supplements should not be given to guinea pigs in replacement of an adequate normal daily diet. Their are varying opinions but it is believed that if excess vitamin C supplements are administered even though the guinea pig is receiving enough their their normal diet, that the guinea pig may develop deficiency easier if the extra supplement is removed in the future so the best way to make sure your guinea pig is getting enough vitamin c is to feed fresh vegetables/fruit daily. If a guinea pig is unwell or pregnant they can benefit with vitamin C supplements added in powder or liquid form to their feed, 3ml Vit C liquid administered orally via 1ml syringe, or to their water although again it isn't necessary if their diet is adequate. Supplements added to water lose their vitamin content rapidly and you can never be sure exactly how much the animal is receiving so if it is to be administered in water it will need to be re-administered each day. Multivitamins are not recommended for guinea pigs at all so if a supplement must be fed pure vitamin c is best.

Fruit and Veg

It is recommended to give your guinea pig 1 cupful of vegetables/fruit a day and that one of the vegetables /fruit to be that of high Vitamin C content.

Guinea pigs need a minimum of 50mg of Vitamin C per kilo a day. If pregnant or unwell your guinea pig will need 80mg per kilo per day.

To find out if your guinea pig is getting enough Vitamin C each day, visit the following website link to use the Brisbane Birds and Exotics Online Guinea Pig Vitamin C Calculator: http://bbevs.com.au/gpcalc.html

Guinea pigs cannot store Vitamin C in their bodies and because of this they must have Vitamin C added to their diet DAILY in order to stay healthy and avoid developing scurvy ( Vitamin C deficiency ). Vitamin C comes from a fresh selection of vegetables and fruits and also grass. A ' variety ' of vegetables fed daily is the key. Grass is a natural source of Vitamin C so if you have a fresh supply on hand grass is great to feed at least a few times a week.  It is best to feed more vegetables than fruit in a guinea pigs diet and vegetables high in vitamin C are recommended to feed on a regular basis. Some vegetables high in vitamin C include capsicum, broccoli, chocko, tomato and parsley. When feeding your guinea pig their fruit and veg be sure to keep in mind that like people some guinea pigs will not necessarily like everything they're given and some guinea pigs can be picky. If you persist they may eventually take to the food although some will always remain picky. Guinea pigs can be picky with citrus fruits and stone fruits and due to the high acidity in citrus fruits it's best to limit your guinea pigs intake to a minimum.

NOTE: When picking grass make sure it is not in an area where it may have been sprayed with chemicals. Something that can never be stressed enough is to not overfeed iceberg lettuce or cabbage.  These particular vegetables are cheap and the guinea pigs love the taste but not all that tastes good is the best for the health of your guinea pig. Cabbage and Iceberg lettuce have a high water content and are low in nutrition and can cause bloat, stomach upset, gas and diarrhea if fed in excess. Feeding a small amount on the rare occasion is fine.

Hay/Roughage
Hay and/or grass is the most essential part of a guinea pigs diet. It needs to be in constant supply. Fresh Hay/Grass aids in good digestion and the fiber and roughage is essential for guinea pigs to grind their teeth on and chew on. Guinea pigs back teeth grow constantly and need to be grinding and chewing all the time to be worn down. If guinea pigs teeth are not worn down enough then a condition can result called back teeth Malocclusion. This is where the back teeth become overgrown sometimes growing into the guinea pigs gums and causing a lot of pain and abscesses and infection as a result. This problem can only be resolved by seeking veterinary attention and the guinea pig will need to go under a general anesthetic to get it's back teeth trimmed. A vet that specialises in small animals will have special rodent instruments designed for trimming and viewing the back teeth.
RECOMMENDED READING: Cavy Teeth - Guinea lynx Website
There are many types of hay that you can purchase for your guinea pig including wheaten, oaten, barley, timothy, Lucerne and grassy hays. These can be bought from your local produce store for around $10 a large bail. Smaller bags of timothy hay and Lucerne hay can usually be bought from your local vet or pet store and online through EBAY.

RECOMMENDED READING: Hay - Guinea lynx Website.

Guinea pigs love their grass!!! Grass grass and more grass! Guinea pigs enjoy thistle in particular milk thistle which is a  very healthy supplement for a guinea pig to munch on. A Guinea pigs favorite grass includes clover, buffalo grass, oat grass, dandelion and a variety of fresh herbs are also favoured. Tip! If you don't have grass readily available for your guinea pig fresh hay will usually suffice although as a handy tip sometimes people will fill a shopping bagful of fresh grass from a reserve or area where no chemicals are sprayed. You can then store this bag in the fridge or a dry and dark place and then take out a handful every day or two to feed to your guinea pig. This option can be particularly helpful if you are unable to find hay available to purchase near you.

Grain Mix
A good quality grain/pellet mix can be harder to find than one may think and depending on the mix depends how much your guinea pig should receive and whether they should receive one at all. A handful of guinea pig mix a day that is high in chaff(chopped up hay) approx 70% and with only a small amount of grains approx 30%, should be fine whereby if the mix consists of  just grains it is recommended to only feed a couple of tablespoons a day. Many store bought feeds are not recommended to feed at all as they tend to lack in nutrients, can be dry and can contain mostly seeds and not enough fiber/hay. The longer store bought feeds sit on the shelves the less nutrients they will contain and most also do not have a use by date.

Avoid buying mixes from big chain supermarkets. These mixes are inadequate for guinea pigs and most of the time contain unhealthy seeds and little to no chaff/hay at all.

A guinea pig mix should have a minimum of 16% crude protein and the fiber content in the mix should be high and higher than the protein level.  A guinea pig mix should contain little to no sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are very high in unhealthy fats and are not recommended to feed to your guinea pig regularly.

Where can I buy a good guinea pig mix and what is a good mix? Fresh guinea pig mixes can be bought in made up bags from your local produce store for a couple of dollars and some Pet Supply Stores also sell a good mix. Your local Produce mix will usually contain very fresh grains ( not seeds ) mixed with a higher content of fiber/lucerne chaff than for example say the mixes often found on the shelves of supermarkets. There are a number of good horse mixes readily available to purchase from produce stores as well which are high chaff with no seed. Muesli based feeds for horses are usually safe to feed to guinea pigs and are very palatable and contain oats, lupins, barley, chaff, soybean meal and other heathy grains. Recommended horse feeds many guinea pig owners use to make their own mix feeding in small amounts on it's own or they mix the grains with ' chaff ' ( chopped up hay ) to bring the fiber content up, include the Barastoc range (Barastoc Workhorse, Gold cup and Completo mixes ). Some Pet Stores have good guinea pig mixes. Pet Cafe stores sell a fantastic guinea pig mix and PetBarn also sells a good mix. Mixes with dried vegetables and fruits in them are fine although on a nutritional level a lot of the fruit will have lost its nutritional content. The Australian Cavy Sanctuary also create and sell a fantastic mix through our shelters.

Feeding Pellets instead of a Grain Mix: Guinea Pig 'Pellets' are another good option especially if you are unable to find a decent grain mix for your guinea pig/s. The OXBOW Hay Company are a world re-known for their quality Oxbow guinea pig pellets (Cavy Cuisine), hay and other healthy treats. Please visit EBAY or google Oxbow to find further information on their products and to find a distributer near you.

Tip! When looking for a good mix or treat for your guinea pigs it is best to steer clear of anything with artificial colours and flavours.

Water
Fresh water should be readily available to your guinea pig at all times. Guinea pigs like most other mammals need water to keep them dehydrated and for survival. Your guinea pigs water bottle or bowl will need to be cleaned out regularly to avoid harmful bacteria building up. Whether you choose to use water bottles or ceramic water bowls is personal choice. These can be purchased from your local pet shop, produce store, online small animal supply stores and bargains stores such as crazy Clarks and the warehouse. Plastic bowls are not recommended as guinea pigs tend to knock them over.