Are you wondering how to create the perfect meal plan for your guinea pig? What is crucial for larger rodents and what is better to avoid? Everything about guinea pig nutritional requirements can be found in the following interview with the breeder Andrea Kroftová.
Let's start with a more general and basic question. Why is hay so important for guinea pigs?
Guinea pigs are herbivores, therefore hay is an essential building block of their diet. Hay has two main functions. First, it's used to grind the ever-growing teeth - they grow up to 1.5 mm a week. Second, it's a source of fibre, which is important for fermentation processes during digestion. In case of deficiency in fibre, the movement in a guinea pig's bowels slows down and the peristalsis comes to a stop.
What about the dosage?
In order for the fluff ball to thrive, there must be constant access to loose hay. It's best to keep it in a hay rack. To give you an idea, an adult guinea pig eats up to 150 grams of hay for every kilogram of its weight a day.
So what should an ideal diet plan for the small furry ball look like?
Apart from good-quality hay, there should be fresh water, which we mustn't forget about. Water in a bowl gets dirty quite quickly, therefore we use water bottles, which we refill every day.
Guinea pigs also need fresh grass and vegetables. We don't have to force them to eat it as they love both of them. However, do be careful what vegetables you give them. They definitely mustn't be spoiled or frozen and always wash them before serving. Root vegetables such as carrots, celeriac, parsnips or beet are ideal. Unsuitable ones are those that are too watery or cause bloating.
During the green season, vegetables can be fully replaced by grass. The amount is important as well and it shouldn't replace the amount of consumed hay. Everything that the animal is offered should follow the golden hygiene rule: whatever they don't eat in one day should be thrown out.
What, besides vegetables, can the owner treat his pet with?
Fruit can also be used as a treat. To make the diet more varied we can also add a small amount of fresh or dried herbs such as dill, basil or mint. I don't recommend overdoing it with feed mixes in the form of pellets. One teaspoon a day is ideal. Guinea pigs are quite picky and can end up eating too much starch and protein, and not enough fibre, and suddenly we have a problem. When choosing a mix, it's important to read the ingredients, and other than fibre and protein we should also look at the content of calcium, phosphorus and natural (stabilised) vitamin C. Packaging in a protective atmosphere and transparent foil goes without saying. Also woody branches such as apple, pear or currents I can only recommend as a treat.
Is it necessary to adapt the nutrition to the guinea pig's life stages?
Every animal has its specific needs in different stages of its life and they also change according to the environment in which we keep it. Outdoor guinea pigs require more food than their friends who are of the same age but live indoors. A growing individual needs more protein and calcium than an adult one. Also pregnant or lactating females need to gain more weight. In this case, however, we must monitor the pellet intake and the content of protein and sugar. They increase the risk of toxaemia.
Can I use food supplements as an extra treat for my pet?
Vitamin C intake in feed is essential for guinea pigs as they cannot synthetize it. In order for its body to work correctly, a guinea pig needs approx. 10-20 milligrams for every kilogram of its weight. Guinea pigs in stressful situations, growing, sick or lactating females need an increased dosage of vitamin C. If necessary, we can use multivitamin drops for guinea pigs as a supplement. If the guinea pig doesn't have the possibility of an outdoor enclosure and natural sunlight, adding vitamin D is recommended.
Did you know that the domestic cat which is now kept as a pet all over the world, is probably a domesticated form of the wild cat, specifically of its subspecies the African wildcat, European wildcat and Asiatic wildcat?
Apart from regular care for the fur and dog’s teeth we should include also the inspection and cleaning of the eyes and ear inspection in the list of everyday tasks. Even though the cats are rather known for cleanliness, it’s important also for a...
Cat is a perfect tool for hunting. It owes it to the dozens of years of evolution. While in dogs, their physical signs have been emphasised or suppressed, cats got to keep, apart from several exceptions, their main anatomical features unchanged. In...
According to various statistics, the number of cats in our country is increasing. Not only dogs, but also cats belong to increasingly more common pets. So, it can happen to us more often, that we'll meet an abandoned cat in the street and we're...
Some dogs take the arrival of a new family member in a hard way. Previously, we described how to prepare them for this situation already before the baby even arrives home and today, we will take a look at the introduction itself.
It's no longer a strange thing when a municipality sets up a dog park or a dog playground. Due to frequent regulation of off-leash movement of dogs, this should, however, often be obligatory. Do you know how to behave in such places so that you...
Another possible sport at which you can play with your dog and exercise with them at the same time, is the Dog Puller. You can practice it with all the dog breeds, no matter the size or age.
Nowadays, cats are increasingly more often becoming members of our households. Cat toilets producers are adapting to this trend as well. They can provide cats with a greater comfort in their daily need. From the perspective of the owners, the producers...
Vacation time is finally here and many of us are planning where they will be headed this year. If you decide to go for an adventure by car and to take your dog friend with you as well, a bit of advice might come in handy on how to provide safety for...
Of course that we won’t talk about how to teach a dog the swimming technique. We want to talk about how to teach the dog to get used to water and how to make swimming a positive experience for it. Since not every one of them trusts water and some are...
If you’re planning to bring a new addition home and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a kitten or an adult cat, it is necessary to prepare the flat for it as well. Do you know what will the animal need and what you shouldn’t forget about or how to choose...
No matter how thorough we are with the prevention, a situation might come up when a dog or a cat will get to a poisonous thing, whether it’s by our inattention or it's somebody else’s fault. That’s why it’s not off-topic to prepare yourself for the...
