Lettuce

Question
We just adopted our first guinea pig. She loves lettuce and we are wondering how much we should give her. She will eat as much as we give her and still want more. Is there a limit to how much she can have? The information we found on the Internet is not clear.

Thank you.

Answer
It's good that she loves lettuce, but there does need to be a limit. Her main diet should be guinea pig pellets. Be sure you buy the kind without the little colored things in them. Those are nothing more than eye candy for the owners.

Romaine lettuce is a better choice than Iceberg. There's nothing wrong with Iceberg lettuce and you sometimes read that someone has even said it is dangerous. Absolutely untrue. The problem with Iceberg is that it's mostly water. That's terrific when you're traveling with your pig and don't want to hang a water bottle that may leak all over the place. That's when Iceberg excels as a water replacement.

Romaine has more nutrients and is better as a supplement. But about 1/2 of a big leaf is plenty for one pig daily. You can also offer some parsley instead of lettuce. It has the most Vit C in it and is a very good choice. A piece of carrot, about 1 in long is also good for them. It offers something hard to chew on that helps keep the teeth worn.

Now here's the limitation:  just give one of those things a day, not all of them. You want her to eat her pellets because that's where her basic nutrition comes from. Giving her too many other things might keep her from wanting to eat what is best for her.

During this warm weather my pigs LOVE watermelon. And here's the best part: you eat the good juicy pink part and give the rind to the pig. Mine go nuts for it. But again, just a small piece. You can cut up pieces and keep them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, then give her a piece everyday if you like. When I give mine all a chunk of watermelon there isn't enough left to even see that it was ever there.

Fruits and vegetables have a lot of water in them and are good replacements if you're ever in a situation where you can't hang a water bottle. Keep that in mind if you're going on a trip and taking her with you.

I hope this helps you get an idea of what she should have. And if you are able I just love to see pictures.  You're in for a real treat with a guinea pig in your life. They interact with their humans and quickly learn the sound of your voice. They will squeal with delight when you come into the room (especially if you're bringing treats). So enjoy her, she will make a wonderful friend.