My friend has left her sweet little guinea pig in my care for the next month while she travels home over winter break. She left me with Timothy hay and a huge thing of bedding. Friend said to give her as much hay as she wants every day, and a carrot sometimes as a treat? I've never had a guinea pig before, just a hamster when I was young. Is the hay, and some carrot every few days, really enough for her? I'm absolutely terrified of not keeping this sweet little girl as happy and healthy as I can. I also have 2 young cats (who aren't allowed in the room the guinea pig is in) who are loud and crazy, so she's already a little stressed out from hearing them wrestle and yowl beyond the door.
Jesse's pigs
Adult Guinea Pig
Hi I hope I can help.
Piggies need access to water and hay at all times- with hay making up 80% of their whole diet. They also need some vegetables everyday because they cannot make their own vitamin c. However, I wouldn't advise giving carrot too frequently as it is high in sugar and too much will cause her wees to become to concentrated and sludgy. Things like bell peppers and cucumber can be given frequently.
Has the owner given you any pellets? Most owners also give their guinea pigs a portion of pellets a day to keep their weight up etc.
Piggies need access to water and hay at all times- with hay making up 80% of their whole diet. They also need some vegetables everyday because they cannot make their own vitamin c. However, I wouldn't advise giving carrot too frequently as it is high in sugar and too much will cause her wees to become to concentrated and sludgy. Things like bell peppers and cucumber can be given frequently.
Has the owner given you any pellets? Most owners also give their guinea pigs a portion of pellets a day to keep their weight up etc.
Here is a guide to our diet guides
Diet Guides
Piggies do not all have pellets, but those who don’t must have plenty of fresh hay and vegetables each day. Piggies cannot make their own vitamin c so it has to be given in their food eg a piece of pepper (capsicum or bell pepper) or in broccoli or similar. Piggies also need fresh water daily.
Please have a read of the guides. And feel free to pop back and ask anything you don’t understand or would like to check with us.
Enjoy looking after the piggy.
Diet Guides
Piggies do not all have pellets, but those who don’t must have plenty of fresh hay and vegetables each day. Piggies cannot make their own vitamin c so it has to be given in their food eg a piece of pepper (capsicum or bell pepper) or in broccoli or similar. Piggies also need fresh water daily.
Please have a read of the guides. And feel free to pop back and ask anything you don’t understand or would like to check with us.
Enjoy looking after the piggy.
Thank you for the replies! I'll read the diet guide right away.
I wasn't given any pellets for her, just hay and bedding. I went out this morning and got some bell pepper and cucumber. The little sweetheart is starting to warm up to me, and is just the cutest thing.
Happy holidays, everyone!
I wasn't given any pellets for her, just hay and bedding. I went out this morning and got some bell pepper and cucumber. The little sweetheart is starting to warm up to me, and is just the cutest thing.
Happy holidays, everyone!
Update.
I started giving her a variety of veg, and more of it, based on what I'd read was good in the forums. Unfortunately she stopped eating anything (hay, veg, water) completely 2 days ago and I had to bring her to the emergency vet. There we learned she was 470g (2 years old) when in September she had been 800g. I had weighed her at 507g when I got her, meaning she's really dropped weight over the last 3 months (and during the last 2 weeks I've had her). The guinea pig is staying at the hospital overnight and they're doing a CT and bloodwork. I feel terrible. Like, I knew she felt bony when I got her, but I haven't held a guinea pig in years, so I thought maybe that was normal... I'm still petsitting her for 2 more weeks, and I'm just terrified I contributed to her condition somehow, even though I followed all the instructions my friend left. Send good thoughts our way please!
Happy new year!
I started giving her a variety of veg, and more of it, based on what I'd read was good in the forums. Unfortunately she stopped eating anything (hay, veg, water) completely 2 days ago and I had to bring her to the emergency vet. There we learned she was 470g (2 years old) when in September she had been 800g. I had weighed her at 507g when I got her, meaning she's really dropped weight over the last 3 months (and during the last 2 weeks I've had her). The guinea pig is staying at the hospital overnight and they're doing a CT and bloodwork. I feel terrible. Like, I knew she felt bony when I got her, but I haven't held a guinea pig in years, so I thought maybe that was normal... I'm still petsitting her for 2 more weeks, and I'm just terrified I contributed to her condition somehow, even though I followed all the instructions my friend left. Send good thoughts our way please!
Happy new year!
Lady Kelly
Senior Guinea Pig
Hi please don't blame yourself, at least you took very prompt action! Unfortunately that is a very low weight for a fully grown piggy so it's a matter of finding out what is wrong and what can be done to treat whatever they find.