Guinea pigs have unique personalities and part of this is what they like to eat! Not only is a varied diet key to ensure your guinea pig is getting all the nutrients it needs, providing a variety of food can be a fun way of enriching their life and ensuring they remain happy and interested!
However, introducing new food to your guinea pig does need to be done carefully, so keep reading to find out how to do this safely.
What Should You Feed Guinea Pigs?
Your guinea pig’s daily diet should mimic what they would eat in the wild. We recommend it be made up of:
- Hay. Around 85-90% of their diet should be hay and grass.
- Fresh vegetables. A mugful of fresh vegetables each day is recommended to make sure they get enough nutrients and vitamins such as vitamin C.
- Pellets. Pellets supplement other vitamins and minerals that guinea pigs need but might not otherwise get. However, this should only be a small amount each day, around one tablespoon.
- Water. Guinea pigs should always be able to access fresh drinking water.
For more information on our recommendations on guinea pig diets and what foods are guinea pig safe, check out our guide on what to feed your guinea pig.
What Happens If You Introduce New Food Too Quickly?
As herbivores, guinea pigs have very sensitive digestive systems and therefore introducing new foods too suddenly can disrupt this. It may lead to stomach upset, diarrhea or even cause your guinea pig to stop eating altogether.
However, don’t be put off changing or varying their diet. It just needs to be done in the correct way by introducing new foods gradually and slowly.
How to Introduce New Hay To Your Guinea Pig
- Choose a hay.
- There are a number of different types of hay on offer to guinea pigs, including timothy hay, oats hay, meadow hay, orchard hay and bermuda hay. Hay is a vital source of fibre for a guinea pig so it is important to choose the one that they like the most, whilst still providing all the nutrients they need.
- Timothy hay is the most popular type of hay amongst guinea pigs and guinea pig owners and is widely stocked by businesses. So, while it does not matter which hay you choose to begin with, it may be a good place to start; if, like most piggies, your guinea pig falls in love with timothy hay you will save yourself time and money.
- Give your guinea pig a large amount of the hay.
- Rather than placing a small handful of your chosen hay in one corner, distribute piles of it throughout the enclosure to encourage your guinea pig to try it out.
- Mix it in gradually.
- If your guinea pig was originally having a different type of hay before, it is a good idea to gradually mix in the new type of hay with the old. This ensures it is not a shock to the digestive system and encourages them to try the new hay.
How to Introduce New Pellets To Your Guinea Pig
You may find that a different brand of guinea pig pellets provides a better range of nutrients for your guinea pig, or you may need to switch to a different kind because of the price point or purchasability of your current pellet mix.
For whatever reason, if you need to change the kind of pellets your guinea pig is consuming, we recommend doing this gradually, bit by bit.
- First, fill your guinea pig’s food dish with 75% of their regular food and add 25% of the new kind. Mix the two kinds of pellets together before giving it to your guinea pig to ensure they are consuming the new food in small amounts at first.
- After 2-3 days of this, increase the ratio to 50:50 of old and new pellet.
- Continue following this gradual method over a couple of weeks until you have completely switched over to the new kind of pellet.
How to Introduce New Fruits and Vegetables To Your Guinea Pig
One of the most fun parts of being a piggie parent is introducing them to new fruits and vegetables and finding out which ones they like the best! Follow these steps to do this safely.
- Check which fruits and vegetables are safe for guinea pigs.
- Some of the most popular fruits and vegetables among guinea pigs are celery leaves, carrot tops, apples and bananas. Fruits and vegetables which are not safe for guinea pigs and should be avoided include iceberg lettuce, onions, mushrooms and peas. We have created a guide to all the safe fruits and veggies you can give your pig here.
- Check the nutritional content.
- It’s important to feed fruits and vegetables to guinea pigs in moderation as they are often high in sugar, vitamin C and calcium. Do your research about the nutritional content of the fruits and vegetables you are offering your guinea pigs to ensure they are being fed a diet consisting of the optimum nutritional content.
- Introduce in small amounts.
- Give your guinea pig a small amount of the new fruit or vegetable to begin with to see if it causes any digestive problems and whether your guinea pig enjoys eating it.
- Gradually increase the serving size.
- When you are sure that it is not causing any health problems, you can gradually increase the serving size of the fresh vegetables and fruit on offer.
Let Your Guinea Pig Set The Pace
Guinea pigs are sensitive to change and this definitely includes changes to their diet. Expanding your guinea pig’s diet can be a fantastic way of keeping your guinea pig entertained and interested and improving their quality of life, however, it’s important to make sure you are doing this at your guinea pig’s pace.
Importantly, keep an eye on changes in their behaviour and health while you are introducing new foods. Diarrhea or changes to their urine indicate a problem that could be caused by diet so it is recommended that you immediately stop feeding the new food and consult a vet.
