Guinea pigs mainly eat vegetarian. This animal species mainly eats plant parts. It is best to give a guinea pig alternately fresh food, hard food and concentrates. Then you know for sure that the guinea pig is getting good food.
Fresh food
Fresh feed includes grass, herbs, fruits, vegetables, carrots, potatoes, grass, clover, dandelions, coltsfoot, plantain and nettles. This fresh food can be bought in pet shops and supermarkets, but you can also pick grass from the garden. It is possible to drive not to pull the grass off the verge. The grass may be contaminated by gas from cars. In addition, grass is not recommended in places where dogs defecate regularly. Shit contains all kinds of harmful bacteria for the guinea pig. Also, do not feed the guinea pig plants that have been sprayed with insecticides. Vegetables from the greengrocer’s or supermarket are also suitable for feeding. Lettuce, endive, chicory, potatoes, swede and cucumber are extremely suitable for guinea pigs.
Dry food
Dry food includes hay. Guinea pigs like to eat hay. That is a good addition to the fresh food. When choosing hay, it is important that the hay is not stale and moldy. It is important that hay is clean and does not dust. Hay of the right structure gives off a spicy scent. Moldy hay can kill a guinea pig.
Concentrates
In addition to fresh food and dry food, there is also concentrate. This includes wheat, oats, corn, sunflower seeds and dry bread. Bags of concentrate can be bought ready-to-eat at specialist pet stores and supermarkets. In addition, there are bags for sale with grain that contain everything a guinea pig needs. Feeding pellets is easiest, but guinea pigs will appreciate it when fed a good mix of fresh food, dry food and concentrates.
Quantities
A guinea pig is an easy eater. It is important not to overfeed him. The guinea pig can be given as much green food and hay as it can eat. Do not put the food on the floor of the cage. Then it can be affected by manure and urine. It is better to hang a feed rack containing the hay and green feed. If the guinea pig does not get grass, it should be given about 40 to 70 grams of green food. The guinea pig needs concentrate less than hay and green food. Keep an amount of ten to twenty grams for concentrates. If a guinea pig is fed too much concentrate, it will quickly become fat. This is especially true for sunflower seeds and oats. Some animal proteins keep the guinea pig’s coat shiny. Feeding dog bread every now and then is enough to meet animal protein requirements.
Drink
A good way to always provide a guinea pig with fresh water is to use a drinking machine. These are glass bottles with a rubber cap with a hole through which a tube runs. The guinea pig can drink the water drop by drop. Regular tap water can be used. It is advisable to boil tap water first so that the chlorine disappears. Guinea pigs also like milk. Milk now and then is not bad, but stick with skimmed milk.