Hello! I rescued a guinea pig a few months ago, he was about 3.5 years old and he had been eating the Menu brand guinea pig food for the full 3.5 years. It’s the bad food with a bunch of stuff mixed in. When I got him I had slowly been switching him over to the Oxbow adult food. It was very slow going and he was very stubborn about it. I tried different varieties of the oxbow food and a few different brands of pellets but he didn’t like any of them. I had also tried scatter feeding, snuffle mats and mixing it in with his hay none of which he took to. And then unfortunately he ended up being hospitalized with a double inner ear infection and he lost quite a bit of weight. At first I was continuing to give him the oxbow food but he was fully refusing to eat it and was continuing to lose weight. The second I started adding back in the Menu brand food that he was used to he started eating again and is now gaining weight back. I will be talking to his vet about it at a follow up appointment (he is on lifelong antibiotics, is being closely monitored by our vet and is doing much much better). But I guess my questions are 1. My main priority short term felt like it should be to get him to put some weight on. But am I doing him more harm than good giving him this food? 2. Has anyone had a guinea pig that just wouldn’t switch foods after eating one type for so long? 3. Any tips or advice on getting him to switch? Thank you guys for any help!
Switching Rescue Guinea Pig Food
Viennese Furbabies
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Pellets are not really a necessary part of the guinea pig's menu.
What are you feeding apart of the pellets?
And how much pellets do you give?
In the current situation, the main prioity surely was to get him eating again. If pellets are only a small part of an otherwise healthy diet and given in small amounts, I wouldn't be too troubled about the more unhealthy variety.
If they are a main part of his diet, it's a different story.
Have you tried Science Selective Pellets?
Does he live on his own?
Yes, guinea pigs can be very stubborn.
What are you feeding apart of the pellets?
And how much pellets do you give?
In the current situation, the main prioity surely was to get him eating again. If pellets are only a small part of an otherwise healthy diet and given in small amounts, I wouldn't be too troubled about the more unhealthy variety.
If they are a main part of his diet, it's a different story.
Have you tried Science Selective Pellets?
Does he live on his own?
Yes, guinea pigs can be very stubborn.
Thank you for replying! I don’t believe we tried that brand so I will be getting it now!
He gets a ton of Timothy/meadow/orchard hay, and each guinea pig gets a cup of vegetables each day, I do also make sure he gets an oxbow vitamin C treat each day. He does have a buddy that lives with him but she eats her oxbow pellets. He gets 1/8th of a cup a day. Although I have sometimes given him a little more when I was wanting him to put on some weight. He went from 1000g down to a little under 800g while he was sick/hospitalized and he is now back up to 990g. I’ve included pictures because he’s a very cute guy and I’m very proud of him.
He gets a ton of Timothy/meadow/orchard hay, and each guinea pig gets a cup of vegetables each day, I do also make sure he gets an oxbow vitamin C treat each day. He does have a buddy that lives with him but she eats her oxbow pellets. He gets 1/8th of a cup a day. Although I have sometimes given him a little more when I was wanting him to put on some weight. He went from 1000g down to a little under 800g while he was sick/hospitalized and he is now back up to 990g. I’ve included pictures because he’s a very cute guy and I’m very proud of him.
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I’m sorry to hear he was unwell.
He was losing weight through lack of hay intake, not through not eating the pellets. Pellets are such a tiny proportion (and unnecessary proportion) that they aren’t the reason a piggy loses weight.
When a piggy is losing weight due to illness, you must step in with syringe feeding a proper fibre rich recovery feed and feeding as much as is necessary to keep their weight stable at each mornings weight check.
Once they are better, they will maintain their weight through adequate hay intake and you can stop syringe feeding.
Regaining lost weight takes many weeks (sometimes months if they have lost a lost) after they are recovered and is done by eating sufficient hay again. It’s never through eating or overfeeding pellets.
Pellets are just one tablespoon per pig per day should never be over fed - it is one tablespoon per pig per day. (It seems that 1/8 of a cup is 2 tablespoons so you only give 1/8 of a cup for them to share, not 1/8 of a cup each as that is too much)
If the menu food I have found online is the one you mean, then I would not feed it at all. It is a muesli mix so is going to be full of sugars and unhealthy ingredients - and would explain why he prefers it. Regaining Weight gain through eating or (particularly if he has been given more than recommended) would not be healthy weight gain (healthy weight gain is via hay intake).
Personally I would just stop giving it entirely and just offer the oxbow. If he doesn’t eat the oxbow then it doesn’t matter - they don’t need pellets in their diet. Just encourage plenty of hay intake and his normal vegetables.
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Pellets Or Muesli / Dry Mix?
He was losing weight through lack of hay intake, not through not eating the pellets. Pellets are such a tiny proportion (and unnecessary proportion) that they aren’t the reason a piggy loses weight.
When a piggy is losing weight due to illness, you must step in with syringe feeding a proper fibre rich recovery feed and feeding as much as is necessary to keep their weight stable at each mornings weight check.
Once they are better, they will maintain their weight through adequate hay intake and you can stop syringe feeding.
Regaining lost weight takes many weeks (sometimes months if they have lost a lost) after they are recovered and is done by eating sufficient hay again. It’s never through eating or overfeeding pellets.
Pellets are just one tablespoon per pig per day should never be over fed - it is one tablespoon per pig per day. (It seems that 1/8 of a cup is 2 tablespoons so you only give 1/8 of a cup for them to share, not 1/8 of a cup each as that is too much)
If the menu food I have found online is the one you mean, then I would not feed it at all. It is a muesli mix so is going to be full of sugars and unhealthy ingredients - and would explain why he prefers it. Regaining Weight gain through eating or (particularly if he has been given more than recommended) would not be healthy weight gain (healthy weight gain is via hay intake).
Personally I would just stop giving it entirely and just offer the oxbow. If he doesn’t eat the oxbow then it doesn’t matter - they don’t need pellets in their diet. Just encourage plenty of hay intake and his normal vegetables.
Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Pellets Or Muesli / Dry Mix?
Hello thank you for the reply. I did syringe feed him critical care every two hours for two weeks. His infection was so severe it was burning calories faster than he could consume, according to his vet. I was not just letting him starve. It’s a long story and I had to go to several vets before we could figure out what was wrong with him and get him a CT scan but once he was on antibiotics and back from his hospital stay I continued critical care as he was refusing to eat. Once I switched his pellets back to what he was used to he went back to fully eating on his own. I have purchased science selective on Amazon and will give that a go. But if not I will stop the menu brand food. I was not trying to cause him any harm I truly thought getting him to eat something was better than him eating nothing! I knew those foods were bad I didn’t know they would harm him. Hopefully the 3.5 years of him eating it didn’t do too much damage.
Just a side note, My vet says to feed 1/8 cup per guinea pig which is also what the bag of oxbow says so I will continue to do that. My other two guinea pigs in a different enclosure that eat oxbow and eat that amount are a healthy weight and have maintained that weight. But I do appreciate the suggestion!
You feed what you are comfortable with, but our advice and that of uk vets is that pellets should never be overfed and one tablespoon per pig is plenty.
I would not advise to feed what the packaging says and instead use a tablespoon measure. The packaging of the brand i used said to feed 30g but when weighed the recommended one tablespoon actually came to just 6g so if I had fed according to the packaging it would have been hugely over. I don’t feed pellets anymore.
Given pellets contribute most calcium into the diet and therefore can increase the risk of bladder stones, we will always advise to feed down.
I would not advise to feed what the packaging says and instead use a tablespoon measure. The packaging of the brand i used said to feed 30g but when weighed the recommended one tablespoon actually came to just 6g so if I had fed according to the packaging it would have been hugely over. I don’t feed pellets anymore.
Given pellets contribute most calcium into the diet and therefore can increase the risk of bladder stones, we will always advise to feed down.
The advice regarding pellets has changed a lot over the years. There was a time when they were fed unlimited as the primary food source. We now know that that was bad for them, and trends are now very much to feed considerably less pellets and to never leave them access to them (some of us not feeding any at all) and to instead focus on plenty of hay and fresh grass.
Veg amounts have also trended down with one cup being the recommended amount.
I feed a little over one cup as I don’t feed pellets and instead give plenty of hay and grass and natural forage and actually a rather wet diet, this encouraging plenty of good urination and not risking stagnation in the urine.
As I don’t feed pellets I have a bit more leeway with the calcium content of their fresh veg.
Veg amounts have also trended down with one cup being the recommended amount.
I feed a little over one cup as I don’t feed pellets and instead give plenty of hay and grass and natural forage and actually a rather wet diet, this encouraging plenty of good urination and not risking stagnation in the urine.
As I don’t feed pellets I have a bit more leeway with the calcium content of their fresh veg.
i appreciate that evidence/information changes over the years and I will 100% keep that in mind and speak to my vet about it. I am not too worried about how much pellets they consume right now as they are healthy weights and have not had any issues with their calcium. They get unlimited hay and 1 cup of vegetables a day and I don’t offer vegetables that have high calcium for this reason. Again I do appreciate the information.
My concern with this thread was advice on switching my guinea pig over to a different food and if there were any tips in doing so.
The pellets/muesli guide I linked in explains everything.
You should try a gradual switch over over a period of a week. If a piggy refuses to eat the new pellets then just stop giving the old ones anyway.
If he still refuses the new ones then don’t give any and don’t worry about it.
If he doesn’t eat them then slowly introduce a wider variety of veg to cover all nutritional bases.
Pellets are fortified with vit c so without them you want him to be getting vit c from his veg (we do not recommend supplementary vit c via drops or such like is given, they don’t even need the oxbow vit c treats) and the calcium from a small amount of calcium rich veg.
You should try a gradual switch over over a period of a week. If a piggy refuses to eat the new pellets then just stop giving the old ones anyway.
If he still refuses the new ones then don’t give any and don’t worry about it.
If he doesn’t eat them then slowly introduce a wider variety of veg to cover all nutritional bases.
Pellets are fortified with vit c so without them you want him to be getting vit c from his veg (we do not recommend supplementary vit c via drops or such like is given, they don’t even need the oxbow vit c treats) and the calcium from a small amount of calcium rich veg.
Yes I had read that and already tried slowly switching over as I explained in my original post. I’m not sure you read my original post thank you for replying though.
Yes I did read your post. I was just reiterating that that is the process but if it didn’t work then don’t worry about feeding pellets at all but instead introduce a wider variety of veg.
What you don’t want to do is feed a muesli (if that is what menu is) - it’s too unhealthy to be given to them. It (or even plain pellets) isn’t the right thing to be using as a way to make him gain weight.
As he is on lifelong meds and it is related to an ear infection, is his diagnosis CBS?
What you don’t want to do is feed a muesli (if that is what menu is) - it’s too unhealthy to be given to them. It (or even plain pellets) isn’t the right thing to be using as a way to make him gain weight.
As he is on lifelong meds and it is related to an ear infection, is his diagnosis CBS?
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE HELPFUL ADVICE. I had never heard of that brand but I had it delivered overnight with Amazon and he immediately started eating it. I am ecstatic. I understand pellets aren’t necessary but I am not comfortable doing guesswork with him getting all his nutrients while his is still in recovery. In a couple months once he’s kept his weight steady and he’s given the all clear by his vet I will most definitely explore the no pellets but as of right now I’d like to thank you for the suggestion.
My vet has not specifically given that diagnosis, but I have read a bit about it and it does sound like it. He had an untreated URI when I rescued him which is what caused the ear infection. As of right now he is responding greatly to the antibiotics though and I am watching him closely for his symptoms to return. The only reason I am adamant about pellets right now is being he still recovering from being so ill and I haven’t had him very long. I am not experienced or smart enough that I would trust myself to give him the balanced nutrients he needs so I feel better knowing he is getting what he needs from a pellet. I in no way wanted him eating the Menu brand food. I immediately tried to get him to switch from it. But I also want to make sure he was getting some sort of nutrients. I do my best to research and give him the balanced vegetables he needs but again I just don’t trust myself. I want him to recover and thrive and I love the little guy and want what’s best for him so as soon as he’s stable and I feel comfortable I will definitely stop the pellets. As of today he ate science selective brand pellets with no issue so I’m really hoping he continues.
Roselina
Forum Donator 2025/26
My guinea pigs have the no grain science selective pellets and are happy to eat them - they share 1 tablespoon between them every morning