what do I feed my guinea pig?

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Lydia

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Hi my name is Lydia and I am 11 years old, I got a guinea pig called Hope for Christmas. I was wondering what is the best foods to give him, I notice he scatches his fur sometimes. I give him hay, strawberries and celery, carrots with the bushy top and dry food. Thank you for any advice :)p
 
Hi Lydia,

sounds like you are providing a balanced diet for your piggie:)) as long as your giving unlimited hay, some pellets and veg everyday he will be fine on that:)) not too many carrots though

you could try expanding the veg to include corn on cob, romaine lettuce, dandelion leaves,bell peppers:))
 
Hi Lydia, welcome to the forum, You will find alot of information on here about different aspects of guinea pig care, If you are feeding him dry food, make sure it is guinea pig mix or pellets, as they contain added vitamin C which guinea pigs can't produce themselves. Lots of hay and fresh water should be on offer to him all of the time, hay is used to keep there teeth in good condition and is also good for their digestive systems. As for fresh veg my guineas get quite a selection in a salad dish every day, carrot, cucumber, green beans, celery, tomatoes, kale, sweetcorn both varieties, peppers, grapes to name but a few. You say that he seems to scratch himself, does he do this alot? Does he have any dandruff at all?
Do you have just the one guinea pig or does he have a friend, guineas are social creatures and love to have company of their own kind. People are not always made aware of this when they go to purchase a guinea pig. What is your guinea pigs name?
 
Thank you. I am not sure what gender it is but i think he is a boy. My Mum only bought me 1 as she didnt want lots of babies. I will try and get him peppers, corn on the cob and different salad. I live in Northern Ireland.
 
Hi Lydia
Welcome to the forum.
There's a list of foods he can and can't have here http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42
Introduce new foods one at a time and gradually so he doesn't get an upset tummy.
He should have unlimted hay as this makes up most of their diet.

If he's scratching a lot he may have mites. It's easy to treat so please take him to the vet for a check up and to confirm if he is a boy.
Once you know if he's a boy you could get him neutered so he can't make babies then he could choose a girlfriend. Otherwise he could live with another boy.
If you can find a rescue that you can take him to to choose his own friend you'll have a very happy pig and they're even more fun to watch when they have someone else to play with and chat to in their own language!
Please put some photos of him on here we'd love to see him!

Kate
 
Thanks Kate! well he doesnt scratch alot I have saw him do it once or twice. I will post some pictures up soon if i know how to :(|) I think your piggies are soo cute. How much is a vet check up would it be around 10 pound?
And where did * get the bed that your piggie was in i want one hehe.:)p
 
Lydia said:
Thanks Kate! well he doesnt scratch alot I have saw him do it once or twice. I will post some pictures up soon if i know how to :(|) I think your piggies are soo cute. How much is a vet check up would it be around 10 pound?
And where did * get the bed that your piggie was in i want one hehe.:)p
Click to expand...

I'm afraid the vet check up will cost more than that. My vet [barnfield vetinary] charge £30 for a full check up and £21.50 for nail clipping [i wouldnt go to the vet for nail clipping there are several youtube videos]:)
 
Looks like you're feeding your guinea pigs the right sort of food! guinea pigs also luurrvvee cucumber, apples and any lettuce besides iceberg (it gives them bad tummy aches) try to give them a little bit of the stuff i said before and see if they like it!
 
Hey there :)
The basic foods are pellets, LOTS of good hay, and water
Most veg are great but don't give them iceburg lettuce as it can upset piggies tummies. But other lettuces like Little Gem Lettuce are good :)
Here's a little list so you can check :)
http://www.squidoo.com/guinea-pig-care-4

Fruit is good for them but don't give too much as it can make them fat
Can't wait to see your piggy :) x
 
Hiya,

I'm in Northern Ireland as well, based in Derry. :)
My vet charges around £15 for a consultation, plus any meds needed on top of that. I have a wee male guinea pig that I want to get neutered so he can move in with my girls, so am looking for an experianced vet to do it. Not very many of them around in Northern Ireland.

There's only one rescue that I'm aware of in NI that has guinea pigs, that's Assisi in Newtownards. I'm sure Cerys there would be happy to look and see if yours is a boy or a girl and help you find a friend for him/her.

Mine get to eat heaps of hay, some veg and a small handful of nuggets each day. Fav veg is lettuce, cucumber, parsley and corriander. Bell peppers are great for plenty of Vitamin C that guinea pigs need. 8;)
 
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