feeding guinea pigs

Question
hi, i have just bought 2 female guinea pigs. Please tell me how much they eat and the correct food to be feeding them . Thank you

Answer
Hi Helen,

I'm going to give you a list of veggies that most guinea pigs enjoy, and an idea of portion size for a fully-grown piggy. Your girls won't need that munch until they're about 6 months old, but it varies from piggy to piggy how much they eat whilst growing up! The portion size is for if that's the only veg you're giving your piggy; if you mix two veggies together you'll need half-portions of each, if you mix three then third-portions, etc. These portions are for one guinea pig, so you'll need to double them! Always give veggies raw; guinea pigs like crunchy food, and cooking them will remove most of the vitamins that your piggy needs.

Favourite veggies:
* Carrot - half an average sized one (remove the ends).
* Red Pepper (some also like orange or yellow, not many like green) - half a large one, with seeds and stalk removed.
* Celery - one stick (ALWAYS cut this up small or your piggy will choke on the threads).
* Dark cabbage - one medium-sized leaf.
* Cucumber - a quarter of a large-ish one.
* Brocolli - three florets.

Guinea pigs also like fruit, but stick to one or two portions a week, as too much fruit will give your piggy mouth ulcers due to the acidity:
* Apple - half a large apple (core and stalk removed).
* Pear - the round bit (hard bit at the bottom removed).
* Grapes - eight seedless green ones.

Fresh parsley is happily munched on by most guinea pigs, and is a natural conditioner; so feed in moderation, but do feed! Dandelion leaves are loved by piggies too; feed this is moderation as well, as they are a diuretic and a laxative, but little and often is good. Spinach is also a favourite of many guinea pigs and is very high in vitamin c, but you should only feed about 2-3 leaves per week.

There are other foods that guinea pigs will eat - and you can try them on most fruit and vegetables. They don't tend to like mushy foods though as they make them messy! To be on the safe side though, it's probably best you stick to this list until you've done some reading.

Don't cut the food up small (other than celery). Guinea pigs' teeth (like rabits') grow constantly, so they need to keep them filed down, or a trip to the vet is necessary; teeth-trimming is painful for a piggy, and can be very dangerous. To avoid your girls ever needing this make sure they have things to gnaw their teeth down on in their cage. You can buy stuff for guinea pigs to chew on at pet shops, like natural safe-treated wooden blocks, tubes made of vegetable parchment (also fun to play in), salt licks, and mineral stones.

Here's a daily food diary for your girls:
- One portion of fresh veggies each for "breakfast" and re-fill the water bottle.
- One portion of fresh veggies each for "tea".
- A piggy-sized portion of hay, and a sprinkling of dried mix (such as Gerty Guinea Pig) per piggy at bedtime.

Hay is an essential part of a guinea pig's diet. Without it, your girls will not be able to digest their food properly. Some owners advise that you give a guinea pig a constant supply of hay, but I find that when I try this my piggies get very fat, so I make sure they have plenty at the end of each day. The dried mix is also important, as it contains vitamins to make sure your piggies have a balanced diet, and piggies love crunching on it. I sometimes give my piggies one of the brightly-coloured bits as a treat during the day!

If you have any other questions about how to look after your new pets ... just ask!

Jenny.