Lack of grass - health impacts? Help!

Jess-GP

Jess-GP

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi all!

I’m writing from a large rural town in Victoria, Australia. I’m in a predicament and need some advice.

I’m the blessed GP mum to 4 gorgeous girls; Avaline, Maggie, Tilly and Odette (Odie for short). I homed Maggs and Ava in December 2024 and soon after, they both gave birth to 3 healthy babies. Turns out I bought them pregnant!
They are healthy, quirky, individual little beings and I just adore them.

I’ve been living in a home with a large grass filled backyard where I can put them in a large hutch to munch on grass a few times a week, depending on the weather. However I’m moving house to a place with no grass, only pavement and a small astroturf area. I looked high and low for a place with grass for them but had no luck.

They have a very well balanced diet of hay, pellets and fresh veg and I’ve done a lot of research into how to provide them with what they need. I am concerned though that cutting grass from their diet will impact their health, as they’ve never had any weight or physical health issues (touchwood!).

Does anyone have any suggestions about replacement nutrients? Will they be okay?

Any help would be much appreciated- I’m worried!

Thanks,

Jess
 
Welcome to the forum

Hay is the replacement for grass so as long as you feed hay in unlimited amounts, there is no health concern.

Many piggies in the UK dont have access grass at all and all are absolutely fine.

My own piggies do have access to grass but due to the UK weather they can only have it for just a few months a year.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
You've been given really good advice, they'll be fine on hay. I would also add that you can pick grass and use that to supplement their diet. Just make sure it's free of dog pee. You say you're in a rural location. Is there are anywhere that might have good quality grass nearby. I have a lawn but the weather is only right for a few months of the year, for them to go out so when I go for my walk in a country park, I bring my scissors and a plastic bag and pick grass for my piggies. I avoid the grass right by the path which is most likely to have dog pee.
 
Jess-GP said:
Hi all!

I’m writing from a large rural town in Victoria, Australia. I’m in a predicament and need some advice.

I’m the blessed GP mum to 4 gorgeous girls; Avaline, Maggie, Tilly and Odette (Odie for short). I homed Maggs and Ava in December 2024 and soon after, they both gave birth to 3 healthy babies. Turns out I bought them pregnant!
They are healthy, quirky, individual little beings and I just adore them.

I’ve been living in a home with a large grass filled backyard where I can put them in a large hutch to munch on grass a few times a week, depending on the weather. However I’m moving house to a place with no grass, only pavement and a small astroturf area. I looked high and low for a place with grass for them but had no luck.

They have a very well balanced diet of hay, pellets and fresh veg and I’ve done a lot of research into how to provide them with what they need. I am concerned though that cutting grass from their diet will impact their health, as they’ve never had any weight or physical health issues (touchwood!).

Does anyone have any suggestions about replacement nutrients? Will they be okay?

Any help would be much appreciated- I’m worried!

Thanks,

Jess
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

We have many forum piggies living in city flats without access to fresh grass with unlimited hay access instead. It doesn't matter in which form, but grass fiIt's the silica in the grass/hay fibre that is crucial for abrading the all important molars and pre-molars at the back of the mouth and they are also what the digestive system is laid out for. Grass fibre in some form should continue to make over three quarters of the daily food intake.

All the other additions to the diet, veg, fresh and dry forage, pellets and any treats together only replace the supplementary role that wild forage used to have so you can actually shift nutrients around.

What you can consider:
1) Growing some grass and forage/herbs in containers so they still have some limited access to it?
2) Fresh growing grass is high in vitamin C, which is the reason why guinea pigs could switch off the gene complex in their body that allowed them make vitamin C in their body. Hay is not very high in vitamin C, so you want to be careful to:
- Gradually wean your piggies off fresh grass in order to avoid scurvy symptoms from a sudden drop; this is irrelevant of the actual levels as the body accustoms to higher levels over time and reacts to a sudden fall
- Feed more vitamin C in veg and herb form (please don't overdo it) - include a slice of pepper of any colour, some cilantro/coriander herb daily and once weekly either some other stronger herb like parsley, dill, mint, lemon balm, marjoram etc. or a 1 inch strip of (collard) greens or - depending on how much pellets you feed - even kale.
- Don't fall into the trap of supplementing with vitamin C as the body will get used to the higher levels and ignore them. You are much more likely to get scurvy symptoms from oversupplementing than true neglect/malnutrition. Vitamin C should only be used as a 2-3 weeks booster course in illness.
- Please see readigrass as a treat and not as a grass replacement. It is too rich and can lead to overweight issue.
- Compare the water hardness levels in your new location. Without fresh grass, your piggies will drink more water. In a hard water area, this could shift the calcium balance.

Here is the link to our Diet Guide with a sample diet, which is laid out for the vast majority of owners without lawn access. Take the time and read it through it. We are here to answer your questions in order to help you to make the dietary shift with your piggies.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
Wiebke said:
Hi and welcome

We have many piggies living in innercity flats without access to fresh grass with unlimited hay access instead. It doesn't matter in which form, but grass fiIt's the silica in the grass/hay fibre that is crucial for abrading the all important molars and pre-molars at the back of the mouth and they are also what the digestive system is laid out for. Grass fibre in some form should continue to make over three quarters of the daily food intake.

All the other additions to the diet, veg, fresh and dry forage, pellets and any treats together only replace the supplementary role that wild forage used to have so you can actually shift nutrients around.

What you can consider:
1) Growing some grass and forage/herbs in containers so they still have some limited access to it?
2) Fresh growing grass is high in vitamin C, which is the reason why guinea pigs could switch off the gene complex in their body that allowed them make vitamin C in their body. Hay is not very high in vitamin C, so you want to be careful to:
- Gradually wean your piggies off fresh grass in order to avoid scurvy symptoms from a sudden drop; this is irrelevant of the actual levels as the body accustoms to higher levels over time and reacts to a sudden fall
- Feed more vitamin C in veg and herb form (please don't overdo it) - include a slice of pepper of any colour, some cilantro/coriander herb daily and once weekly either some other stronger herb like parsley, dill, mint, lemon balm, marjoram etc. or a 1 inch strip of (collard) greens or - depending on how much pellets you feed - even kale.
- Don't fall into the trap of supplementing with vitamin C as the body will get used to the higher levels and ignore them. You are much more likely to get scurvy symptoms from oversupplementing than true neglect/malnutrition. Vitamin C should only be used as a 2-3 weeks booster course in illness.
- Please see readigrass as a treat and not as a grass replacement. It is too rich and can lead to overweight issue.
- Compare the water hardness levels in your new location. Without fresh grass, your piggies will drink more water. In a hard water area, this could shift the calcium balance.

Here is the link to our Diet Guide with a sample diet, which is laid out for the vast majority of owners without lawn access. Take the time and read it through it. We are here to answer your questions in order to help you to make the dietary shift with your piggies.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Click to expand...
Thank you! They already eat herbs and vitamin C rich fresh veg regularly, and their pellets are infused with vitamin C too.

It looks like I’ll be growing some grass then…
 
Welcome to the forum
We would love to see pictures of your piggies.

Mine get very little grass. We have too many birds of prey to put them outside so I occasionally have to cut some grass with a pair of scissors for them.
They do get vast quantities of hay
 
They'll be good without grass so long as they have unlimited hay! Heck, I'm in Canada, there is no grass available to mine for about 6 months of the year!
 
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