Guinea pig's new diet?

[gpmomma]

I just want to know if this is a good diet for my guinea pig. I'll start out with the basic information:
My guinea pig gets 1/8 of a cup of cavy cuisine daily.
Now here's the stuff that varies from week to week/when ever I run out of it:

Week 1
Romaine Lettuce
Strawberries
Bell Pepper
Orchard Grass

Week 2
Watercress
Raspberries
Cucumber
Meadow Hay

Week 3
Red Leaf Lettuce
Cherry Tomatoes
Zucchini
Orchard Grass

Week 4
Butterhead Lettuce
Blackberries
Summer Squash
Oat Hay

I put my weeks together like this:

Week
A Leafy Green- I give a small handful of this. Be aware I am only 11 yrs. old so my hands are a bit small.
A Fruit- I give 1 or 2 of these.
A Vegetable- A bit less than twice as much as fruit.
A Hay- Unlimited.

I looked a bit into a guinea pig's diet and realilized I really needed to change his diet really bad. It used to be this:

Kale
Bell Pepper
Strawberry
Blackberry
Orchard Grass
Cavy Cuisine

Any suggestions? I also want to know how to prepare summer squash. Thanks! 8

 

[catherine]

I'm not that clued up on the different veggies you should give and how often, but in my opinion I think you're doing a great job! Especially for someone so young

The only thing I thought was perhaps you were feeding a bit too much fruit? I hardly ever feed mine fruit as its a bit too sugary for them to have regularly, so they get it very rarely. Just a thought

 

[Connie]

catherine is right, that looks really good but you should really only give fruit once or twice a week because its very sugary and acidic, (tomatos count as a fruit too).

Plus, you can give bell peppers every week but adifferent colour each time because the different colours have a different flavour, (so in weeks two 3 and 4, you could use bell pepper instead of the fruit) And in week one, you could use celery instead

then once or twice a week you can add a little piece of fruit as a treat. You could even have a set day that you do this, like on a saturday because your home from school then

 

[flintstones]

I wouldn't give just Oat hay for a full week, this should be a treat hay but orchard grass and timothy is fine to give daily !

 

[gpmomma]

I'm allergic to timothy hay and learnd the hard way.:{

 

[Glynis]

I'm allergic to timothy hay and learnd the hard way.:{

oooooh no sorry to hear love HUGS XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

[Glynis]

I'd agree re the fruit, fruit is only for a treat

Did you have a read thru Laura's thread? i know it's a lot of info..... but if you scroll down to the different foods and which groups of food are best it's really helpful

perhaps this will help.........


Daily
High Calcium Ranges
Basil
Blackberries
Cabbage
Celery
Chard
Chicory
Coriander
Dandelion Greens
Dill
Endive
Escarole
Pak Choi
Parsley
Red Cabbage
Rocket
Round Lettuce
Watercress
Winter Squash

Low Calcium Range
Apricot
Artichoke
Asparagus
Baby Carrot
Beetroot
Belgian Endive
Blueberries
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Cherries
Courgette
Cranberries
Cucumber
Gooseberries
Grapes
Peas in Pods
Peppers - red/yellow/green
Pumpkin
Radicchio
Romaine Lettuce
Rutabaga
Savoy Cabbage
Strawberries
Summer Squash
Sweetcorn
Tomato
Watermelon

Occasionally - 2x a week
High Calcium Ranges
Apple
Broccoli Rabe
Chives
Figs
Garden Cress
Grapefruit
Kale
Lime
Mint
Mustard Greens
Orange
Papaya
Pear
Pineapple
Radishes
Spinach
Tangerine
Thyme
Turnip

Low Calcium Range
Asian Pear
Banana
Cantaloupe Melon
Currants
Dates
Honeydew Melon
Kiwi
Kohlrabi
Mango
Nectarine
Parsnip
Passion-fruit
Peach
Persimmon
Plum
Raisins

Rarely- as a special once-in-a-while treat, or fed in small amounts once or twice a month
High Calcium Ranges
Beet Greens
Collard Greens
Crabapple

Low Calcium Range
Feijoa
Guava
Sweet Onion
Sweet Potato

 

[gpmomma]

I like connie's idea about the bell peppers. My guinea pig likes bell peppers.drool I am changing week 3&4's fruit to yellow bell peppers and orange bell peppers (I forgot to list that week 1 bell peppers are green). I am switching 1 strawberry a day to 1/4 of a strawberry a day because my guinea pig cannot live without strawberries.drool

 

[Glynis]

aww see if you can get a pigture of them eating strawberries...... they end up with a little red chinnie droolx)

 

[gpmomma]

Yes, I have read Laura's thread. In fact, I think it was you who showed me it and that is why I am changing the diet.p

 

[gpmomma]

You should see him eating watermelon!x)

 

[Glynis]

OMG...........GULP..........i bet it's gorgeous........and don't they make funny sounds.........SLURP MUNCH.........SLURP......... x)|)

 

[gpmomma]

He is a magician. One minute it's there, the next minute it's not.:o

 

[gpmomma]

just changed watercress to cilontro.

 

[Lilly]

I think your piggies are getting a wonderful diet. Mine are picky and I have a hard time trying for variety.