Percentages Of Food

[guineapigemily]

Hi
I'm just wondering, whats a good percentage of like protein, fiber, fats etc should be in their food?
Thankss xox

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Guinea pigs need these food percentages for a balanced healthy diet (and sorry, I don;t break them down into their constituents):
- up to 80% of the daily food intake should be hay for good gut health and to keep the crucial back teeth ground down evenly
- 10-15% should be a mix of fresh veg and herbs, preferably containing one high vitamin C veg or herb each day, like a slice of pepper, a sprig of coriander/cilantro (those two can be fed daily), a sprig of parsley, dill, mint or basil or a floret or chunk of stem of broccoli. Please feed tomato or any fruit no more than twice a week. Cucumber and celery chunks are other veg that can be fed daily, the other I would rotate and feed 2-3 times a week. Feed high calcium veg like spinach or kale only occasionally.
- 5-10% pellets (no dry mix/muesli that encourages selective feeding which can cause long term teeth and gut problems). Start gradually limiting the amount of about 40g after the first quick growth spurt is slowing down from about 4-6 months old. Adult piggies over 12-15 months old need about 10-20g daily. Weigh weekly.
- fresh water without additives daily
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/

In terms of pellets, you are looking for preferably high fibre and low fat and calcium ones that don't contain molasses.
Please stay off any shop treats that contain fat/seeds, sugar/honey/molasses or dairy products like yoghurt.

 

[guineapigemily]

T

Hi!

Guinea pigs need these food percentages for a balanced healthy diet (and sorry, I don;t break them down into their constituents):
- up to 80% of the daily food intake should be hay for good gut health and to keep the crucial back teeth ground down evenly
- 10-15% should be a mix of fresh veg and herbs, preferably containing one high vitamin C veg or herb each day, like a slice of pepper, a sprig of coriander/cilantro (those two can be fed daily), a sprig of parsley, dill, mint or basil or a floret or chunk of stem of broccoli. Please feed tomato or any fruit no more than twice a week. Cucumber and celery chunks are other veg that can be fed daily, the other I would rotate and feed 2-3 times a week. Feed high calcium veg like spinach or kale only occasionally.
- 5-10% pellets (no dry mix/muesli that encourages selective feeding which can cause long term teeth and gut problems). Start gradually limiting the amount of about 40g after the first quick growth spurt is slowing down from about 4-6 months old. Adult piggies over 12-15 months old need about 10-20g daily. Weigh weekly.
- fresh water without additives daily
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/

In terms of pellets, you are looking for preferably high fibre and low fat and calcium ones that don't contain molasses.
Please stay off any shop treats that contain fat/seeds, sugar/honey/molasses or dairy products like yoghurt.

thankyou Wiebke! That helped tons. Would you says 16%fibre is bad? Thanks again xx

 

[Wiebke]

16% fibre in pellets? That is about as good as you get with most available products. Most of the fibre needed in the diet comes with the hay anyway. I would rather look that the calcium content is not too high in your pellets. Too much in a high pellet diet can contribute to the formation of bladder stones in the long term.

We are currently working on an overview of available pellet and hay brands in the UK, the US and Australia. The pellets will contain a break down of key ingredients and an overall rating. Unfortunately, the better the quality, the higher the price!

PS: You can help us always giving you the appropriate advice straight away if you added your country, state or (for the UK) your county/general area; as you can imagine, brands, access to a good vet or rescue climate and general conditions can vary enormously across the world! Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details/location.

 

[guineapigemily]

16% fibre in pellets? That is about as good as you get with most available products. Most of the fibre needed in the diet comes with the hay anyway.

We are currently working on an overview of available pellet and hay brands in the UK, the US and Australia. The pellets will contain a break down of key ingredients and an overall rating. Unforthunately, the better the quality, the higher the price!

PS: You can help us always giving you the appropriate advice straight away if you added your country, state or (for the UK) your county/general area; as you can imagine, brands, access to a good vet or rescue climate and general conditions can vary enormously across the world! Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details/location.

Ah okaay, thats goid to know i use pets at home pellets atm but want to change them on to Burgess Excel as ive heard thats good.
And okay, might do that? thanks again

 

[Wiebke]

Burgess is a better quality; about middling range and a reasonable compromise between quality and price. I feed both the basic (mint) ones as well as the oregano and blackcurrant.

 

[guineapigemily]

Burgess is a better quality; about middling range and a reasonable compromise between quality and price. I feed both the basic (mint) ones as well as the oregano and blackcurrant.

Ooh, that sounds likke a good mix. Is it better to get flavoured ones like the blackcurrent and oregano one or the plain ones?

 

[Wiebke]

They and I like the flavoured ones better; they are easier to chew, too. But with about two dozen piggies, I need to keep an eye on the cost and a 10kg bag of the basic ones is a LOT cheaper than a 2kg bag (which is the only size available) of the flavoured ones.

However, I would recommend to use a mix as you may find that occasionally one specific brand is not in stock, so you are never in trouble!

 

[guineapigemily]

They and I like the flavoured ones better; they are easier to chew, too. But with about two dozen piggies, I need to keep an eye on the cost and a 10kg bag of the basic ones is a LOT cheaper than a 2kg bag (which is the only size available) of the flavoured ones.

However, I would recommend to use a mix as you may find that occasionally one specific brand is not in stock, so you are never in trouble!

Oh wow thats alot of piggies!
I think i shall be changing their food to that then
Thankyou so much again ;'D