WHAT SHOULD I FEED MY GUINEA PIG?

Guinea pigs are grazing animals. They need lots of fibre and lots of vitamin C so their main diet should be sweet dry hay and lots of grass, the tougher the better. Good hay should be always available. Buy from www.westwaleswillows.co.uk also from www.vetbed.co.uk or www.planetguinea.co.uk
You can also add fresh vegetables such as spring greens, broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower leaves, carrot, parsnip, swede, beetroot, apple, pear, dandelion, vetch, shepherd's purse, plantain, and groundsel.
High protein diets are not good for them. Some guinea pigs pick out the richest bit of a mix and will not eat the rest up. So feed pellets, rather than mix, choosing those with the least protein and most fibre. Burgess Supa Excell, Allen and Page, Selective and Cavy Cuisine are good pellet foods but should only be a small part of their diet. Hay and grass should be at least three quarters of the diet. If you find it difficult to find green food for them in the winter, add some Vitamin C to their water. Clean fresh water from a feeding bottle must be always available. Digestive or bowel problems may be helped by Bio Lapis probiotics or Pro Fibre – www.nelsonvet.co.uk Ask your vet before buying.

WHAT FOOD IS BAD FOR GUINEA PIGS?

Avoid food with artificial colouring. Sunset yellow colouring it can give guinea pigs health problems. So avoid anything highly coloured.
Never feed them rabbit food – it doesn’t have enough vitamin C in it and sometimes it contains additives which are bad for them. Guinea pig pelleted food is better than mix, to stop selective feeding. If you must feed mix, make sure the bowl is completely emptied before adding new food. Human foods such as white bread and biscuits are bad for them. Chocolate may be fatal. Sticky treats sold in pet shops are also bad for them particularly those that have artificial colouring. Never feed anything sold loose in large sacks – it may be of poor quality and contaminated with fungus etc. Lettuce should only be fed as an occasional treat. Apple can cause mouth sores from acidity.

WHAT CAN I FEED AS TREATS?

Forage feasts, compressed Lucerne sold by Burgess, are good for guinea pigs and are sold in pet shops or consult www.burgesssupafeeds.co.uk . Oxbow hay cakes or Nature’s Treat are sold on www.petlifeonline.co.uk. Or use fresh vegetables as treats. Don’t feed the sticky treats sold in pet shops.
You can now buy seeds specifically selected to grow for your guineas. Planet Guinea sell a range of grass and herbage seeds. Plant a Guinea Pig Garden with Timothy/Orchard grass plus guinea friendly herbage, or grow Organic Cereal Grass, inside or out, for 'quick grass' withing 20 days it is ready to eat. A natural, healthy and nutritious 'treat' for your guineas. See www.planetguinea.co.uk

DO MY GUINEA PIGS NEED THINGS TO CHEW?

Chewing conditions their teeth. As well as sweet hay, they will benefit from chewing on branches of apple, willow, beech or hazel. You can usually find willow or hazel in hedges. Make sure you wash them, and scrape off any lichen, before giving them to your guinea pig. Do not use branches from any tree which has fruit with stones. Do not give evergreen or coniferous or any tree branch which might be poisonous. Willow toys sold for rabbits are fun for them to chew – www.westwaleswillows.co.uk Planet Guinea also sells good hay www.planetguinea.co.uk