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Guinea Pigs
Guinea Pigs
Guinea Pig Hay & Grass
Hay
Grass or hay contains a large amount of fibre which is vital for your guinea pigs digestive system whist also promoting good dental health. Guinea pigs teeth constantly grow and as such require large amounts to keep teeth trimmed. Not providing unlimited fresh hay or grass their teeth will over grow causing dental disorders, reduce eating and lead to deadly digestive issues.
Fresh hay or grass must be provided in unlimited quantities, available at all times and not be provided in compressed formats such as biscuits, pellets etc.
Types of hay:
Timothy hay (Burgess UK brand provides this, which we have in stock),oat hay, teff hay and orchard grass.
Caution:
Alfalfa (Lucerne) is not so much a hay but rather a legume, which contains a large amount of calcium, providing this to adult guinea pigs can lead to bladder stones, bladder sludge and other issues.
Alfalfa (Lucerne) can be provided in addition to hay to pregnant, nursing guinea pigs who need the calcium for bone development of their babies, or to the baby guinea pigs younger than 6 months of age.
Allergies:
Please test that you don’t have allergies to hay before getting a guinea pig, this is one of the main reasons that guinea pigs are dumped, re-homed or sent to shelters.
If you are unsure whether you have allergies to grass hay, buy a bag of grass hay (Timothy, teff and oat) and keep it open in your home to test for any reaction.
Guinea Pig Pellets
Pellets
Guinea pigs should never be fed muesli mixes as they cannot properly digest corn, peas and seeds. These types of mixes are low in fibre and will lead to dental issues, deadly digestive disorders and a nutritional deficiency. Feeding these mixes will shorten the life span of your guinea pig.
Avoid cheap based pellets as these contain a large amount of alfalfa (Lucerne) which can cause bladder stones and other issues due to the high calcium content.
Feed your guinea pig non muesli mixes such as Burgess Excel nuggets, oxbow guinea pig food. These can be fed daily and in addition to hay and grass.
Feeding:
1/8 cup per guinea pig per day.
For pregnant, nursing or guinea pigs younger than 6 months of age, pellets should be available all day due guinea pigs requiring the extra calcium for development.
*Please note that these are guidelines. If you have questions about your pet’s daily feeding regimen, please contact your veterinarian for more specific feeding information.