Recommended :
- Fresh water daily, preferably filtered in hard water areas.
- Unlimited meadow, orchard or timothy hay!
- 1 cup of mixed veggies per pig per day (ca. 50g)
- Good quality pellets (no dry mixes or mueslis): ca. 40g (2 handfuls) for youngsters up to 4-6 months (quick growth phase), then gradually reduced to 10g (1 tablespoon to max. half a handful) for fully grown adults over 12-15 months old per guinea pig per day.
Please consider feeding veg and pellets in smaller portions that can be eaten in one go in one bowl each per guinea pig to prevent food hogging/bullying and spoiling; place the bowls ideally at least one body length apart. Your guinea pigs can eat all the hay they need in the meantime!
For more detailed information on how much to feed how often to make sure that your guinea pigs get a good mix of nutrients that is sustainable for the long term and helps promote a good life span: Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet
Edible veg, herbs and fruit
HIGH Vitamin C foods:
Guinea pig pellets (no dry mixes/mueslis) with stabilized vitamin C:
- alfalfa based for youngsters up to max. 4 months, pregnant & nursing sows, slim or sick pigs;
- timothy based for healthy, grown, chubby pigs
- Parsley - curly or plain (high in calcium)
- Coriander / Cilantro / Chinese Parsley
- Celery leaves
- Collard greens
- Mustard greens / Leaf Mustard
- Water Cress
- Garden Cress
- Swiss Chard, Red Chard
- Beet greens
- Spinach (feed in moderation, linked to formation of kidney & bladder stones)
- Carrot tops / leaves
- Peas in pods, Pea Shoots (not dried)
- Dandelion greens
- Grass - wheat, winter rye (grown in pots from seed)
- Kale and Cavolo Nero - curly or plain
- Broccoli, Broccolini (stems are liked better than flowers)
- Broccoli Rabe / Rabe / Rapini
- Cauliflower / Broccoflower
- Brussels Sprouts
- Savoy, white/green and red Cabbage
- Kohlrabi leaves
- Bell or Sweet Peppers - any colour (not hot or chile)
All fruit (inlcuding tomato) counting together no more than twice a week to prevent lip sores cause by the acidity in these foods.
- Tomato (greens are poisonous)
- Tamarillo (leaves poisonous)
- Orange
- Tangerine / Mandarin
- Grapefruit
- Lemon, Lime (home-grown best, otherwise feed cautiously)
- Currants - yellow, red or black (leaves also edible)
- Gooseberries
- Strawberries
- Kiwi Fruit
- Mango
- Guava
- Feijoa / Pineapple Guava
- Papaya / Paw Paw / Tree Melon
- Persimmon - american or oriental
- Rosehip
- Cantaloupe and Honeydew melon (don't come under the fruit rule)
LOW Vitamin C foods:
- Hay - timothy, meadow, alpine and others (must always be available)
- Alfalfa - green or dried (high calcium & calories - only for youngsters up to 4 months, pregnant & nursing sows)
- Romaine Lettuce
- Lettuces - red, green, butter, Boston and other (avoid iceberg)
- Arugula / Rocket / Roquette / Rucola
- Green Endive
- Belgian Endive
- Radicchio / Italian Chicory
- Treviso Radicchio
- Salad mix (without iceburg lettuce)
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
- Anise
- Basil
- Dill
- Mint
- Thyme
- Celery stalks (cut into small pieces)
- Corn on the cob (strings, leaves & stalks are edible too)
- Bean Sprouts
- Green Beans in pods / String Beans (not dried)
- Carrots (feed in moderation, vit A in carrots said to cause liver problems)
- Yam / Sweet Potato (high in vit A? - leaves edible)
- Beets
- Celery Root / Celeriac
- Kohlrabi bulbs
- Radishes (if mild)
- Turnip
- Parsnip
- raw beetroot
- Rutabaga (aka Swede)
- Parsley root
- Cucumber (fresh only, not pickled)
- Squash - acorn, banana, butterhorn, spagetti, and others (feed in moderation)
- Courgette / Zucchini
- Pumpkin and marrows - the same parts and varieties that are edible for humans
- Pineapple - fresh (sores around lips & mouth can develop)
- Apple (avoid seeds; if too tart, sores around lips & mouth can develop)
- Crabapple
- Pear
- Asian Pear
- Plum, Prune (dried high in sugar - as treat only)
- Nectarine
- Apricot
- Peach
- Cherries (remove pits)
- Cranberries (whole fruit, not concentrate or juice)
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Bilberries
- Blueberries
- Watermelon (can cause diarrhea - high water content)
- Banana (feed in great moderation - can cause constipation)
- Passion Fruit / Granadilla
- Grapes (in moderation, high in sugar)
- Figs (dried high in sugar - as treat only)
- Dates (dried high in sugar)
EDIBLE wild grasses, plants and herbs:
Please make sure you know what you are picking! Be sure to pick from places free of contaminants such as pesticides, exhaust fumes or animal urine; pick plants that are healthy looking, without insect damage, fungus spots, breakage, or wilting/
- Grass (common grasses are edible, avoid ornamental grasses with sharp edges)
- Clover (Trifolium repens or Trifolium pratense)
- Dandelion (Teraxacum officinale) - pick leaves, stems, flowers (even root OK)
- Anise (Pimpinella anisum)
- Blackberry leaves (Rubus plicatus) - pick young & tender leaves and shoots
- Calendula (Calendula officinalis) - leaves and flowers
- Caraway (Carum carvi)
- Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis)
- Chickweed (Stellaria media)
- Cleavers / Stickyweed / Goosegrass / Bedstraw (Galium aparine)
- Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)
- Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaeae) - berries, leaves in moderation
- Cow Parsley (Anthiscus sylvestris)
- Dog Rose (Rosa canina) - ripe fruits
- Duckweed (Lemna minor) - aquatic
- Fennel (Foeniculum capillaceum)
- Field Violet / Wild Pansy (Viola tricolor)
- Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)
- Lemon Mint / Melissa (Melissa officinalis)
- Linden / Lime Tree (Tilia cordata or Tilia platyphyllos) - flowers with pale yellow leaflets
- Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)
- Pepermint (Mentha piperita)
- Plantain (Plantago major or Plantago lanceolata)
- Raspberry leaves (Rubus idaeus) - pick young & tender leaves and shoots
- Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
- Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)
- Silverweed (Potentilla anserina)
- Vetch (Vicia x)
- Yarrow (Achllea millefolium)
- Whortleberry / Heidelberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) - berries, leaves in moderation
- Wild Chamomile (Matricaria chammomilla)
- Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) - berries and leaves
- Fresh water daily, preferably filtered in hard water areas.
- Unlimited meadow, orchard or timothy hay!
- 1 cup of mixed veggies per pig per day (ca. 50g)
- Good quality pellets (no dry mixes or mueslis): ca. 40g (2 handfuls) for youngsters up to 4-6 months (quick growth phase), then gradually reduced to 10g (1 tablespoon to max. half a handful) for fully grown adults over 12-15 months old per guinea pig per day.
Please consider feeding veg and pellets in smaller portions that can be eaten in one go in one bowl each per guinea pig to prevent food hogging/bullying and spoiling; place the bowls ideally at least one body length apart. Your guinea pigs can eat all the hay they need in the meantime!
For more detailed information on how much to feed how often to make sure that your guinea pigs get a good mix of nutrients that is sustainable for the long term and helps promote a good life span: Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet
Edible veg, herbs and fruit
HIGH Vitamin C foods:
Guinea pig pellets (no dry mixes/mueslis) with stabilized vitamin C:
- alfalfa based for youngsters up to max. 4 months, pregnant & nursing sows, slim or sick pigs;
- timothy based for healthy, grown, chubby pigs
- Parsley - curly or plain (high in calcium)
- Coriander / Cilantro / Chinese Parsley
- Celery leaves
- Collard greens
- Mustard greens / Leaf Mustard
- Water Cress
- Garden Cress
- Swiss Chard, Red Chard
- Beet greens
- Spinach (feed in moderation, linked to formation of kidney & bladder stones)
- Carrot tops / leaves
- Peas in pods, Pea Shoots (not dried)
- Dandelion greens
- Grass - wheat, winter rye (grown in pots from seed)
- Kale and Cavolo Nero - curly or plain
- Broccoli, Broccolini (stems are liked better than flowers)
- Broccoli Rabe / Rabe / Rapini
- Cauliflower / Broccoflower
- Brussels Sprouts
- Savoy, white/green and red Cabbage
- Kohlrabi leaves
- Bell or Sweet Peppers - any colour (not hot or chile)
All fruit (inlcuding tomato) counting together no more than twice a week to prevent lip sores cause by the acidity in these foods.
- Tomato (greens are poisonous)
- Tamarillo (leaves poisonous)
- Orange
- Tangerine / Mandarin
- Grapefruit
- Lemon, Lime (home-grown best, otherwise feed cautiously)
- Currants - yellow, red or black (leaves also edible)
- Gooseberries
- Strawberries
- Kiwi Fruit
- Mango
- Guava
- Feijoa / Pineapple Guava
- Papaya / Paw Paw / Tree Melon
- Persimmon - american or oriental
- Rosehip
- Cantaloupe and Honeydew melon (don't come under the fruit rule)
LOW Vitamin C foods:
- Hay - timothy, meadow, alpine and others (must always be available)
- Alfalfa - green or dried (high calcium & calories - only for youngsters up to 4 months, pregnant & nursing sows)
- Romaine Lettuce
- Lettuces - red, green, butter, Boston and other (avoid iceberg)
- Arugula / Rocket / Roquette / Rucola
- Green Endive
- Belgian Endive
- Radicchio / Italian Chicory
- Treviso Radicchio
- Salad mix (without iceburg lettuce)
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
- Anise
- Basil
- Dill
- Mint
- Thyme
- Celery stalks (cut into small pieces)
- Corn on the cob (strings, leaves & stalks are edible too)
- Bean Sprouts
- Green Beans in pods / String Beans (not dried)
- Carrots (feed in moderation, vit A in carrots said to cause liver problems)
- Yam / Sweet Potato (high in vit A? - leaves edible)
- Beets
- Celery Root / Celeriac
- Kohlrabi bulbs
- Radishes (if mild)
- Turnip
- Parsnip
- raw beetroot
- Rutabaga (aka Swede)
- Parsley root
- Cucumber (fresh only, not pickled)
- Squash - acorn, banana, butterhorn, spagetti, and others (feed in moderation)
- Courgette / Zucchini
- Pumpkin and marrows - the same parts and varieties that are edible for humans
- Pineapple - fresh (sores around lips & mouth can develop)
- Apple (avoid seeds; if too tart, sores around lips & mouth can develop)
- Crabapple
- Pear
- Asian Pear
- Plum, Prune (dried high in sugar - as treat only)
- Nectarine
- Apricot
- Peach
- Cherries (remove pits)
- Cranberries (whole fruit, not concentrate or juice)
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Bilberries
- Blueberries
- Watermelon (can cause diarrhea - high water content)
- Banana (feed in great moderation - can cause constipation)
- Passion Fruit / Granadilla
- Grapes (in moderation, high in sugar)
- Figs (dried high in sugar - as treat only)
- Dates (dried high in sugar)
EDIBLE wild grasses, plants and herbs:
Please make sure you know what you are picking! Be sure to pick from places free of contaminants such as pesticides, exhaust fumes or animal urine; pick plants that are healthy looking, without insect damage, fungus spots, breakage, or wilting/
- Grass (common grasses are edible, avoid ornamental grasses with sharp edges)
- Clover (Trifolium repens or Trifolium pratense)
- Dandelion (Teraxacum officinale) - pick leaves, stems, flowers (even root OK)
- Anise (Pimpinella anisum)
- Blackberry leaves (Rubus plicatus) - pick young & tender leaves and shoots
- Calendula (Calendula officinalis) - leaves and flowers
- Caraway (Carum carvi)
- Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis)
- Chickweed (Stellaria media)
- Cleavers / Stickyweed / Goosegrass / Bedstraw (Galium aparine)
- Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)
- Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaeae) - berries, leaves in moderation
- Cow Parsley (Anthiscus sylvestris)
- Dog Rose (Rosa canina) - ripe fruits
- Duckweed (Lemna minor) - aquatic
- Fennel (Foeniculum capillaceum)
- Field Violet / Wild Pansy (Viola tricolor)
- Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)
- Lemon Mint / Melissa (Melissa officinalis)
- Linden / Lime Tree (Tilia cordata or Tilia platyphyllos) - flowers with pale yellow leaflets
- Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)
- Pepermint (Mentha piperita)
- Plantain (Plantago major or Plantago lanceolata)
- Raspberry leaves (Rubus idaeus) - pick young & tender leaves and shoots
- Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
- Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)
- Silverweed (Potentilla anserina)
- Vetch (Vicia x)
- Yarrow (Achllea millefolium)
- Whortleberry / Heidelberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) - berries, leaves in moderation
- Wild Chamomile (Matricaria chammomilla)
- Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) - berries and leaves
