what do you feed your guinea pigs?

[sticky102]

hi just wandering what everyone feed there pigs or what you think is the best food. i have 4. 3 females 1 male(seperated) we origanaly got 2 but one of the girls had 2 babies so now we got 4 well anyway my pigs like kaytee the best my one dosen't like these little green things they put in it but she like the rest i also feed them kaytee hay. sometimes i'll get them little treat like things but they usualy don't like them very much but i have found one thing that they love.......VITAMINS!! they love those little things but i can only feed them to them once a day

guinea pigs rule!!!

[Pepsidoodle]

Hi Sticky. I have one gp. Peach pit. I bought her the good Oxbow I think it is but she hated it so now she is eating good old Hartz gp food (pellets only alphalfa based) and the Hartz timothy hay also. I give her lots of green leaf lettuce, oranges, cucumber, tomatoe, fresh corn and peas, carrot and apple 2 to 3 times a day. She is very spoiled. I also pick her grass and am growing her a garden so I can slow down on the trips to the grocery store. Haha.

4 gp's! Thats a lot of pigness! I just adore them too.

[sticky102]

luckuly she didn'yt have 8!!!

[kathryn]

I feed mine mostly lettuce. I sometimes give them carrots. They also love hay,alfalfa,piggy food,and a vitamin.

[Naturalpet]

Hi, I have 5 GPs and they absolotly adore lettece. They like timothy hay and they like speical Guinea Pig Muesli (you get that in some pet shops)

[Windwatcher]

Before my guinea pig passed on I got this great advice from the vet. "Cabbage or Kale, everyday because guinea pigs, like humans cannot store vitamin C, so they need it every day". Cabbage is cheap and a small head lasts a pretty long time. :)

I also gave Inca some carrots, broccoli, pumpkin, clovers, dandelions, squash, melon, corn, ect. Just a little bit of something every day.

Lisa

[zig zag zoey]

well my guinea pigs passed away 2 years ago but i usto feed them lettes and gp pellits...thay were spoiled thay got everything thay could have but mostly that.

[Cutepeach]

Guinea Pigs can't produce vitamin C so they need a good timothy based diet if over 1 year old. If they are under one they should be fed alfalfa based diets. Oxbow has great food for guinea pigs. Some of the other foods out there use dyes so you gotta be careful of that for sure. Guinea Pigs should always have water and timothy hay. Alfalfa should only be given as a treat as it doesn't have as much nutrience as the timothy hay and a growing pig needs the nutrience.

As for veggies and fruits about a cup per pound of guinea pig is recommended per day. Try to mix it up and don't feed to much of some things. My piggie is spoiled and won't eat a lot of things.

However veggies high in vit. C would be dandelions (which are a diaretic and good if your piggie is constapated), spinach (but don't feed to much as it's also got a lot of calcium), cuccumbers, peppers, romaine, bok choy, peas, pumpkin, parsley, carrots, celery, corn on the cob (this includes the silk too). You should never feed regular lettace cause it contains to much water and sugar for a guinea pig and not enough vit. C

Fruits that are great are apples (cut off of the core), grapes (in moderation cause they contain a lot of sugar), kiwi, strawberries, oranges.

I am very knowledgable about guinea pigs so please feel free to email me if you have any questions; and I also know of many websites great formums for just guinea pig slaves to learn more.

[HyperGuineas]

Hi!First post yay.
I think it depends on the pig on what's best.I feed mine Cobayes pellets and fill the bowl up whenever it's empty,but when they get older many guinea pigs get sort of greedy so you have to limit their diet.I can't remember how much you give them then.Two teaspoons per pig morning and evening,I think,but don't take my word for it.
I give the girls four leaves of cabbage daily and every other day some carrots or something.But it mostly differs with every pig,depending on age and stuff.

[Jennicat]

Guinea pigs need unlimited timothy hay, 1 cup of fresh vegetables per day, per pig, and 1/8 to 1/4 cup of pellets every day. Adult guinea pigs should not have unlimited pellets because it will contribute to bladder stones. Also, most pet store foods (including Hartz and Kaytee) contain ethoxyquin, a cancer causing preservative. You need a plain, pelleted food with no seeds or colored bits. Mazuri makes a pretty good guinea pig food, but Oxbow is one of the best on the market.

For veggies, they should have mostly green and leafy. Romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, escarole, endive, every color of bell pepper and cilantro are good every day vegetables. Things that are heavier in calcium like parsley and kale are better given 1-2 times a week, and anything sweet like fruit or carrots should be limited to 1-2 times a week to help prevent diabetes.

Your pig should only have alfalfa hay if they are under 6 months old. After 6 months, they need a grass based hay to prevent formation of bladder stones. (Grass hay can be timothy, orchardgrass, bermuda, etc)

Also, HyperGuineas, pigs should NOT get cabbage. It makes them gassy and can cause them to bloat and die or become blocked from the gas. Iceburg lettuce should also NOT be fed under any circumstances.

[freelancing]

In my opinion, Hartz makes utter garbage. I do not trust a company that makes a product that can kill your pets. You need to copiously look over every item in the ingredients. I remember seeing a bag of "rabbit food" from Hartz at the store - I was horrified to see it had seeds and animal byproducts inside. Seeds can kill your rabbit, and animal protein for a vegetarian? Same thing goes for cavies... if you want to cause gastro stasis or other problems in your rodent, lagamorph or cavy feed them Hartz. Also note that Hartz sells bedding litter made of aromatic woods. Pine and cedar shavings cause liver cancer in rodentia, lagamorphs and cavies (guinea pigs). I simply have no faith in a company like Hartz that continues to make products the know will kill pets. They are more concerned with making a dollar.

I order my bunny supplies from Oxbow (http://www.oxbowhay.com) and I have some air-tight drums I keep the hay and Timothy pellets in to keep them fresh. Read the info on Oxbow's site - they do their research and make sure you have the right diet for every stage in your pet's life. They make good stuff.

[lynx5158]

My pigs were always fat lol they loved to eat!

Mainly they got pellets, handful of alfalfa or timothy hay (tried to alternate everyother day or so), lettuce, carrots, other veggies. Once a week or so they got grapes, melon, etc as a treat :)

[Pepsidoodle]

I have been dealing with Hartz over a problem I had some months ago. They have been cordial and helpful. I have had a few gp's in my lifetime and most of the time I fed them Hartz Pellets. I had one pig live to the ripe old age of 8 and 2 of my pigs lived to be 6. Having a life expectency of 5 that is pretty good. I am pretty positive Hartz doesn't put the bad preservative in their food anymore. I agree the grade of it isn't the best but I wouldn't call it garbage. Just my opinion.

Just an FYI. If your greens are turning yellow or very wilted do not give them to your little piggies. That can cause bloat as well.

[Jennicat]

According to their website, they do still use ethoxyquin. Of course, they also still sell the flea and tick drops that kill cats and dogs, so I'm not surprised. I'm glad that your pigs are long lived, but sometimes genetics just overcomes improper diet.

We took in two pigs last year that were living together in a 3 square foot cage, one male, and one female. The female had had litters until she no longer could. The male was extremely ill. He was so fat he couldn't get into the pellet bowl any more (since they only ate pellets, and no hay, and no veggies except as a treat). The cage hadn't been cleaned in months and was filthy. The male's genitals had prolapsed, and were filled with abscess splinters.

Nobody I know of would even imagine that was good care, but both of those pigs were 6 years old. The male passed after half a year with us, but the female is still alive and well. :)

[Pepsidoodle]

My gp's recieve very good care. They get variety of things and are kept very clean. I get yelled for "coddling" them. I have always taken good care of my gp's. Like I said they won't eat the Oxbow. I am offended by your implication that I don't give proper care to my quinea pigs. You do not live with me. How would you know just by my saying I feed them Hartz? There are others beside yourself who are well read and acquainted with guinea pigs. Myself included.

[Jennicat]

My gp's recieve very good care. They get variety of things and are kept very clean. I get yelled for "coddling" them. I have always taken good care of my gp's. Like I said they won't eat the Oxbow. I am offended by your implication that I don't give proper care to my quinea pigs. You do not live with me. How would you know just by my saying I feed them Hartz? There are others beside yourself who are well read and acquainted with guinea pigs. Myself included.

I'm sorry I offended you, my intent was not to suggest that you don't take good care of your animals, just that there are more factors in a pig living a long time besides excellent care. There are a lot of pig owners who give excellent care, but feed the lower quality foods because they can't find anything else. I personally wouldn't (I'd go a pelletless diet over feeding Hartz or Kaytee because of the preservatives and sometimes animal products), but that's everyone's personal choice. :) I also never claimed that no one else was well read or acquainted with guinea pigs, I'm not sure where you came up with that conclusion.

[buster-birdi]

i feed my guinea pig and rabbit, 'guinea pig and rabbit mix' i also mix pellats in and they have hay in their cage that they eat. I also feed them carrots, lettuce, strawberries and alfalfa sprouts.

[nanajo]

My gp's recieve very good care. They get variety of things and are kept very clean. I get yelled for "coddling" them. I have always taken good care of my gp's. Like I said they won't eat the Oxbow. I am offended by your implication that I don't give proper care to my quinea pigs. You do not live with me. How would you know just by my saying I feed them Hartz? There are others beside yourself who are well read and acquainted with guinea pigs. Myself included.

Hi pepsi
from the sound of it you do in fact take great care of your babies. Oxbow is often turned down by cavies. My daughters cavies hate the stuff. We have always used hartz for our cavies and bunnies etc. There has never been a problem with them and they live ripe old ages.

word of warning though and i know someone posted here saying that they could have this but DONT DO IT.

CABBAGE IS FATAL TO RABBITS AND CAVIES. IT CAUSES BLOAT AND INCREASES CHANCES OF EXTREMELY AGONIZING DEATH. dont do it. Give them 2 vitamin C tablets and cavie vitamins in their water bottle each time that you change it. Give them their pellets and alfalfa crass or cubes, provide alfalfa grass for bedding as well. Give them broccoli etc but DONT GIVE CABBAGE

[Jennicat]

Just as an addition, vitamin C in the water is not recommended. Vitamin C is highly sensitive to light and heat, and within about 2 hours of putting that stuff in the water, all the vitamin C has deteriorated. Fresh veggies are the best choice for providing vitamin C, as vitamin C tablets have begun to be implicated in the formation of bladder stones. I personally do not give the tablets unless they are sick, for additional vitamin C.

[nanajo]

According to their website, they do still use ethoxyquin. Of course, they also still sell the flea and tick drops that kill cats and dogs, so I'm not surprised. I'm glad that your pigs are long lived, but sometimes genetics just overcomes improper diet.

We took in two pigs last year that were living together in a 3 square foot cage, one male, and one female. The female had had litters until she no longer could. The male was extremely ill. He was so fat he couldn't get into the pellet bowl any more (since they only ate pellets, and no hay, and no veggies except as a treat). The cage hadn't been cleaned in months and was filthy. The male's genitals had prolapsed, and were filled with abscess splinters.

Nobody I know of would even imagine that was good care, but both of those pigs were 6 years old. The male passed after half a year with us, but the female is still alive and well. :)
dear god who would do something like that? but then again why am i asking? i see far too much of it within the courts and it drives me nuts. People want these animals but most of the time they do not want the responsibility to care for them properly. Its ridiculous, sad and unnecessary. What makes it worse is that some people ahve rabbits, piggies, rats, hamsters etc etc and cant handle them and ask why their animal has sores on the feet etc yet if they stoped to think about it, they would know the truth.