Fresh foods for Guinea Pigs
Provide a variety of different types of vegetables and fruits daily.
Along with a constant supply of good quality feeding hay or grass (this should make up at least 80% of their food) and commercial guinea pig pellets (not muesli-style food mixes ideally, as these encourage selective eating and an unbalanced diet), guinea pigs should each be fed a teacup sized amount of fresh greens per day.
Fresh greens are a great source of Vitamin C which is important for guinea pigs as they do not produce this vitamin themselves, so need to have it supplied in their diet each day. The average, non-breeding, healthy guinea pig will need 25mg/kg of Vitamin C each day. Breeding or unwell animals should be given 50mg/kg.
Try to give your guinea pigs a different mix of fresh veg each day, however, new foods should be introduced to your guinea pigs gradually, as any sudden changes to their diet could upset their stomachs.
Safe Greens
- Asparagus
- Basil
- Broccoli
- Brussel Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Carrots and carrot tops (as a rare treat – they are high in sugar)
- Cauliflower leaves and stalks
- Celery
- Chicory
- Coriander
- Courgette
- Cucumber
- Dandelion (only small amounts - it can make them go to the toilet more often)
- Dill
- Kale
- Parsley
- Parsnip
- Radish
- Red cabbage
- Romaine lettuce
- Rocket
- Salad peppers
- Savoy cabbage
- Spinach
- Turnips
- Tomato
- Watercress
Unsafe greens
- Potato and potato tops
- Rhubarb (including the leaves)
- Tomato leaves
Don’t forget to also always provide your guinea pigs access to fresh, clean drinking water from a water bottle or bowl. The water should be replaced daily and checked regularly in cold weather to ensure that the water has not frozen.