Guinea Pig Pellets

R

ruthie1982

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Apr 28, 2026
Messages
206
Reaction score
42
Points
190
Location
Aberdeen
I feed my guinea pig two handfuls of the tiny farm Gertie guinea pig nuggets .
 
ruthie1982 said:
I feed my guinea pig two handfuls of the tiny farm Gertie guinea pig nuggets .
Click to expand...

Two handfuls for one piggy is far too much. They can only have a maximum of one tablespoon per pig per day. Nuggets are the part of the diet which needs to be kept strictly limited and actually they don’t need to have nuggets at all.
It is very important to follow that and only give one tablespoon maximum, particularly with the product you are using. I say that because the main ingredient in gertie nuggets is alfalfa which should not be fed to guinea pigs.
Alfalfa is too high in calcium for adult piggies and can lead to bladder stone formation and other bladder related health conditions
 
Okay what brand of pellets do u recommend then. Plus tango dosent usually eat them all . She always leaves some in her bowl
 
ruthie1982 said:
Okay what brand of pellets do u recommend then. Plus tango dosent usually eat them all . She always leaves some in her bowl
Click to expand...

Any nugget which is Timothy hay or grass based. Something like science selective grain free is well recommended as a commercial product.

The best I could recommend would be piggie parcels pellets - they are purely grass based. Piggie parcels is a company run by a member is this forum.
(I don’t actually give mine pellets anymore but have used piggie parcels in the past)

Again, just one tablespoon maximum though. Too many pellets not only causes bladder issues but it can also cause dental and gut issues - if they eat many then it can stop them eating enough hay which has a knock on effect

Piggie Parcels

I don’t want to derail the OPs thread, but actually the use of food bowls is not recommended. It is much better to scatter nuggets within the hay so she can forage for them as mental stimulation (particularly important while tango is alone).
 
I agree that some of the brands are expensive but as they make up such a small amount of the diet they last well.

I scatter feed my (piggie parcel) pellets for my guinea pigs as extra enrichment.
 
ruthie1982 said:
I only usually buy the more expensive pellets when they have an offer on
Click to expand...

That’s ok but ideally you pick a grass or Timothy based product within your budget and stick with it as much as possible.
Or you do have the option to not feed pellets at all (or if you cannot source grass or Timothy based)

Make sure if you are switching between products that you do a gradual transition - gradually changing the ratio between old and new pellets, 90:10, 80:20 etc over a 7-10 day period - as suddenly changing to a different brand can cause digestive upset
 
Pets at home seem to do two types

Normal nuggets and one called nutri-pressed.
The normal are alfalfa based so are not ideal.
The nutri-pressed are grass based but alfalfa is still the second listed ingredient (so meaning it still contains a large proportion of alfalfa).
Both contain grains.
For those reasons, personally I would not use them, but you have to use what you are able to get hold of, are within your budget and you are comfortable with.

There is nothing wrong with commercial pellets but no matter what type you feed you must ensure you only give one tablespoon per pig per day - it’s due to calcium content (they contain more calcium than the highest calcium veg) and when combined with drinking water (which should be filtered particularly in any hard water areas) can mean calcium intake can cause issues.
Also that they are eaten within a short space of time. Piggies should not be left with constant access to nuggets all day.

As I say, I don’t give any pellets at all but when I did I wanted to avoid alfalfa and grains. That is why I used piggie parcels

This is our member created comparison chart. The latest version of the chart is at the end of the thread

Nugget Comparison Chart

Our feeding guide

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

I have moved this conversation to your own new thread as it was starting to derail the original thread belonging to someone else
 
Fortunately most of Scotland has soft water!

When I still had guineas my area of town had soft water. As soon as I knew nuggets weren't necessary, I stopped feeding them anyway.
 
Found someone who is looking to rehome to female guinea pigs that are 11 months old in a town about 16 miles from where I stay in Aberdeen not sure if she is willing to rehome one of them or looking to rehome them together
 
ruthie1982 said:
Found someone who is looking to rehome to female guinea pigs that are 11 months old in a town about 16 miles from where I stay in Aberdeen not sure if she is willing to rehome one of them or looking to rehome them together
Click to expand...

if they are a bonded pair then it would not be appropriate to split them up so these piggies will not work for you given you can only take on one to bond with tango
 
Yeah I know that I’m trying my best to find a single female or netured male to bond with her
 
I like the Oxbow pellets, but I don't feed them much. Actually, mostly use them as occasional treats or add a few pieces to their snuffle mat for enrichment. Too many pellets can lead to dental disease.
 
ruthie1982 said:
Yeah I know that I’m trying my best to find a single female or netured male to bond with her
Click to expand...
Have you tried Cavy Capers Rescue in Dundee? They had a few neutered boars available recently (including one which I’ve now adopted).
 
ruthie1982 said:
I feed my guinea pig two handfuls of the tiny farm Gertie guinea pig nuggets .
Click to expand...
I volunteer at a rescue & we only feed them an eggcup full per piggie & i do the same with my own at home :) not good for your piggies to get too fat they will get arthritis my sweet
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top