What pellets should i feed my guinea pig

A fortified pellet helps you make sure your pet is getting all of the vitamins and minerals required for a healthy diet. Guinea pigs love fresh vegetables, but consider them a treat. These should not be offered in larger amounts because they are too watery and lack the nutrient density of the pelleted diets. Furthermore, many guinea pigs develop a preference for veggies over pellets if they are offered in large quantity.

Guinea pigs, unlike most other mammals, cannot make vitamin C and must get their daily requirement from their diet. Many guinea pig pellets contain vitamin C, but it is recommended to offer additional vegetable sources to ensure your guinea pig meets its daily requirement. Loaded with artificial sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup, fructose or sucrose, they provide little nutritional value and lots of empty calories.

Commercial treats are unnecessary and a waste of money. Your pig will be perfectly happy with high quality pellets and hay and treats of fruits and vegetables.

Sign up to receive our exclusive e-book full of training techniques, problem-solving and important information about caring for your pet. The glues and adhesives that hold mineral and salt wheels together may be harmful. Opt for a ceramic food dish rather than a plastic one. Ceramic dishes are sturdy, chew-resistant and difficult to overturn. They're also durable and shouldn't need to be replaced unless they become cracked or chipped.

Look for a wide, shallow bowl. Many guinea pigs like to place their front feet on the rim of their food bowl when they eat and this design will lessen the chances that the bowl and your pig!

Place the food bowl in an area of the cage that's far away from your guinea pig's bathroom area. Pellets fed to guinea pigs of any age should be free from "junk" like nuts, seeds, etc. Pet stores sell many treats for guinea pigs. The honey sticks, seed sticks, yogurt drops, gummy vitamin C chews, and other sweet treats sold at pet stores aren't good for guinea pigs. They contain too much sugar and too many calories.

Don't provide them. If you want to provide a treat, any of the Oxbow Simple Rewards are fine when provided in moderation. Oxbow Simple Rewards contain no added sugar or fattening ingredients like seeds and nuts. Vitamin C is important to the health of guinea pigs. Guinea pigs unfortunately do not make their own vitamin C and rely on getting it from their diet.

The pellets, vegetables, and fruits guinea pigs consume contain vitamin C. It is a good idea to provide guinea pigs with supplemental vitamin C, especially older guinea pigs who often don't absorb nutrients as well and sick guinea pigs who need the vitamin C for recovery.

Vitamin C supplements: Hyland Baby tab: They are a soft quick-dissolve tab with a nice lemon flavor that most guinea pigs like. They need to go right in the mouth so you need a cooperative guinea pig. One tablet per guinea pig. Liquid C: Not the kind from the pet store but the kind from the human health food store. It is administered orally by a syringe. Some people are concerned about the sweetener.

The sweetener covers up the bitter taste of vitamin C. Without it, you likely wouldn't get your guinea pigs to take liquid C. If they do not have an areas where they can graze safely for example, free roaming in a safe enclosure , then offering cut grass is another alternative however, they should not be fed lawn trimmings, as these can cause digestive upsets. When you harvest grass to feed to your guinea pigs you need to make sure it is safe. Just as with hay, Lucerne alfalfa should not be given fresh and clover should be avoided where possible and not given in large quantities.

It is important that guinea pigs are introduced to a variety of different and healthy foods from a young age, as they may not try or accept new foods later in life. Please note that it is normal for guinea pigs to eat their soft, nitrogen-rich faeces that are derived from their caecum after they pass them coprophagy.

This does not indicate any kind of dietary deficiency or abnormality and guinea pigs should be allowed to do this. Guinea pigs should not be fed Lucerne alfalfa or Clover hay, as these are too high in protein and calcium. The hay that you feed should be available 24 hours a day and of good quality; dry, sweet smelling, and not contain any mold, mildew or fungus.

This is paramount in providing a complete diet and encourages the guinea pigs to chew for long periods of time.