- Grass hay ( meadow hay or timothy hay): This is excellent hay feed to guinea pigs by their owners. This hay is fresh grass, which is dried out after cutting. ...
- Oat grass: This grass is made by oat grass, which is cropped before it grows. Once the oat cultivates, this hay then does not carry any nutrients for guinea pigs. ...
- Alfalfa grass: This is quite different than usual hay; it is more legume than grass. Alfalfa hay is usually offered to young guinea pigs. ...
What food is bad for guinea pigs?
Guinea pigs simply cannot eat any kind of meat. Cooked, raw, dry–it doesn’t matter. If the food is made from another animal or creature, it is bad news for guinea pigs. However, guinea pigs may have tiny brains, but they are not stupid. Generally, guinea pigs will avoid eating meat on their own.
What extra stuff should I Feed my guinea pigs?
Some Vegetables
- Onions And Garlic. Onion and garlic are toxic in your cavy’s diet. ...
- Iceberg Lettuces. Lettuce generally is not poisonous, but it’s worth mentioning that it can trigger health issues when eaten by guinea pigs.
- Cabbage. ...
- Rhubarb. ...
- Leeks And Chives. ...
- Jalapenos. ...
- Mushrooms. ...
- Ginger. ...
- Asparagus. ...
- Carrots. ...
What do you do for new baby guinea pigs?
Ten tips for introducing a new guinea pig
- It is easier to introduce younger guinea pigs to one another. ...
- If you have an older piggy, it is best to add a baby. ...
- Only put one male in with females. ...
- Before introducing a male to a female, make sure they are neutered. ...
- Make sure there is enough room in their crate. ...
- Only buy hiding houses with two entrances. ...
How do you care for a baby guinea pig?
- Let your pig get used to the harness. Leave it by their food bowl, let them sniff it.
- Put the harness on your pig for no more than an hour
- Do this daily, but extend the time they have the harness on by a few minutes a day.
- After they seem comfortable with it, take your pig on a walk. Let them lead you.
- Take them for a walk, but you lead them. ...
What foods can baby guinea pigs eat?
Your pig will be perfectly happy with high quality pellets and hay and treats of fruits and vegetables. For a special snack, try mixing some rolled oats into your guinea pig's pellets or stuff a small cardboard tube with fresh hay.
Do baby guinea pigs need milk?
Like all mammals, guinea pigs drink their mother's milk for the first few days, gradually introducing and then moving over to solids. If you have a very young baby guinea pig who has been rejected by its mother, you will need to hand-feed it. Hand-feeding should be done with a teaspoon rather than with a syringe.
What vegetables can baby guinea pigs eat?
Vegetables that your pet guinea pig can eat include:Romaine lettuce (never iceberg lettuce, which is nearly all water and no nutrients)Green, red, yellow or orange bell peppers (a great source of vitamin C)Carrots and carrot tops (limit the carrots, as they are high in carbohydrates)More items...
Can baby guinea pigs eat fruit?
It is best to leave fruit for guinea pigs as a special treat, perhaps once or twice a week. You can offer fruit for guinea pigs from a young age. Baby guinea pigs can have small amounts of cavy-safe fruit, but since young guinea pigs are even smaller than grown ones, they should have even smaller amounts.
How do you keep baby guinea pigs alive?
To care for baby guinea pigs, get a roomy cage and make sure they can't slip through the spaces between the bars. Feed the pups twice a day, provide a constant supply of fresh water, and handle them often so they can get comfortable with human interaction.
What milk can you feed baby guinea pigs?
What Formula Should I Feed Baby Guinea Pigs? We recommended the Wombaroo Guinea Pig Milk. It is a premium product that contains vitamin C (which is very important for young guinea pigs). It comes as a powder which can be mixed with warm water to make the milk for the babies.
What can 7 week old guinea pigs eat?
As for food, timothy hay and pellets should make up the majority of a guinea pig's diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables along with Vitamin C should be included in their diet.
Can baby guinea pigs eat carrots?
Carrots are safe for your guinea pig to eat, as long as you feed them as an occasional treat rather than every day. Some guinea pigs, including those that have diabetes, allergies, or bladder stones, might be better off avoiding this colorful vegetable.
Can baby guinea pigs eat hay?
Young (less than six months old), pregnant, nursing, or ill animals can benefit from eating alfalfa hay in addition to grass hay because of the higher nutritional elements. Otherwise, alfalfa should only be given occasionally as a treat. Keep in mind: Grass hay should make up the majority of your pet's daily diet.
What is poisonous to guinea pigs?
Make sure you do not feed your guinea pigs the following foods (this is not an exhaustive list): cereals; grains; nuts; seeds; dried beans, corn, and peas; buttercups; garden shrubs (such as hemlock or privet); lilies of any kind; sweet peas; nightshade; oak; avocado; onion grass; onions; potato tops; mushrooms; ...
How soon do baby guinea pigs eat?
Baby guinea pigs start nursing in 24 hours, and eat solid foods at three days as mom shows them how.
Can baby guinea pigs eat lettuce?
While eating lettuce is not bad for your guinea pig, doing so doesn't provide much nutritional value and will not help your pet reach its daily requirements. Most other lettuce types will provide your pet with more vitamins and minerals that can help them develop and stay healthy.
What Do Baby Guinea Pigs Eat?
One of the most important things to know is that guinea pig babies need more calcium in their diets, particularly during the first few weeks. The extra calcium is required to ensure that they develop sturdy, long-lasting bones. Alfalfa hay and alfalfa pellets are both rich in calcium, as is suggested by my recommendation.
What Do Baby Guinea Pigs Eat As Pets?
Guinea pigs are omnivores and like to eat a variety of vegetables. People who are new to guinea pig keeping are surprised to learn what they consume. Health issues can be caused by eating excessive sweet veggies such as lettuce or carrots. Instead, your guinea pigs prefer dry grass over other types of food.
How Much Do Baby Guinea Pigs Eat?
Guinea pigs, like all other mammals, drink their mother’s milk for the first few days before gradually introducing it and then giving them solid food. If you have a very young guinea pig who has been abandoned by its mother, you must hand-feed it.
How To Feed Baby Guinea Pigs?
Before using, double-check that all of your syringes and bottles have been cleaned thoroughly. Baby guinea pigs are lively and unpredictable. They spring forward suddenly and unpredictably. A fall of only a few feet might be deadly, so make sure they’re receiving food and being kept in a secure place.
What Are The Natural Predators of Baby Guinea Pigs?
Guinea Pigs are preyed on by a number of other animal species in the mountains due to their tiny size and natural inclination to freeze before attempting to flee rapidly back to their burrows. The most common predators for wild Guinea Pigs are weasels and birds of prey in areas where they reside near human settlements.
How Do Baby Guinea Pigs Protect Themselves From Predators?
Guinea pigs are herd animals by nature, and they will look to move around rather than stay together. They enjoy the companionship of others and will use one another to defend themselves. When in the wild, they’ll alternate turns looking for danger and calling out to each other when it approaches.
How Can I Protect My Pet Baby Guinea Pigs?
Keeping your guinea pig inside is one of the most apparent and easiest methods to keep them protected. Even if you live in a tiny flat or a large home, you can always find enough space if you put your mind to it.
How to feed a baby guinea pig?
If you have a very young baby guinea pig who has been rejected by its mother, you will need to hand-feed it. Hand-feeding should be done with a teaspoon rather than with a syringe. Baby guinea pigs can easily inhale the liquid in the syringe by accident and choke. Use full-fat goat’s milk, or prepare a milk mixture of half water ...
How to make a baby GP?
Use full-fat goat’s milk, or prepare a milk mixture of half water and half evaporated milk. Soak brown bread in the milk, and offer this to the baby GP on a teaspo on - they’ll suck the milk out. This isn't as nutritious as a guinea pig mother's milk, but it's the second best thing.
What to feed guinea pigs?
Your pig will be perfectly happy with high quality pellets and hay and treats of fruits and vegetables. For a special snack, try mixing some rolled oats into your guinea pig’s pellets or stuff a small cardboard tube with fresh hay. Top 10 tips.
How to keep guinea pigs fresh?
Keep it fresh. The steady amount of produce in your guinea pig's diet means that you need to be conscientious about removing uneaten fruits, veggies and other perishable foods before they spoil. Check for untouched or unfinished treats an hour or so after they’ve been offered to your guinea pig.
What sweetener is good for guinea pigs?
Loaded with artificial sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup, fructose or sucrose, they provide little nutritional value and lots of empty calories.
What vegetables should I feed my pig?
It’s best to provide variety by feeding different greens each day. Vegetables like red or green pepper and broccoli have high levels of vitamin C in them and are great daily options.
Do guinea pigs overeat?
How much to feed. Guinea pigs don't usually overeat, but it's important to provide the proper balance of pellets, hay and fresh vegetables. Like human beings, guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin C, so they require vitamin C-rich foods in their daily diet.
Can guinea pigs eat salt wheels?
But if you’re feeding your guinea pig a varied and well-balanced diet, these products shouldn't be necessary.
Can guinea pigs have bladder stones?
Note: Because guinea pigs are susceptible to developing painful bladder stones, and some bladder stones are comprised of calcium oxalate, reducing or eliminating foods high in oxalates—such as spinach, parsley and strawberries—can provide benefit in guinea pigs who develop calcium oxalate stones.
How to care for a female guinea pig?
This is important whether you are bringing home pups or caring for the ones that your female guinea pig has given birth to. Guinea pigs can be very sensitive to noise, so your pups will need to stay in a quiet area during their first few weeks of life.
How long does it take for a guinea pig to give birth?
Female guinea pigs typically give birth to an average of three pups per litter. The birthing process usually takes about 30 minutes, with about three to five minutes between pups. You will know when the process is over when all pups have been delivered and the mother has eaten the placenta and cleaned the pups.
How big should a guinea pig cage be?
The cage should be at least 7.5 square feet. If you purchased pups from the pet store, make sure that the cage is large enough before you leave the store. [1]
What does a guinea pig look like?
Female guinea pigs will have what looks like a tiny grain of rice in their genital area. Male guinea pigs will have a white ring in this area. It is recommended to have your veterinarian or a guinea pig expert determine the sex of your pups, if this has not already been done at the pet store.
What diseases can guinea pigs get?
Monitor your pups for sickness. Guinea pigs are susceptible to many types of diseases, such as heat stress, foot pad infections, and pneumonia. Because pups need a lot of vitamin C in their diet, a deficiency of this vitamin can cause a disease called scurvy.
How long can a guinea pig stay with its mother?
Female pups can stay with their mother until four weeks of age. Guinea pigs are usually ready to begin leading more independent lives when they are around six weeks old, but you should still aim to separate them by three to four weeks of age if necessary. ...
Do you have to know if a guinea pig is male or female?
If you purchased your pups from your local pet store, you probably will not need to determine whether they are male or female. If your adult female guinea pig gave birth, you can try to determine the sex of the babies soon after they are born.
What is the best food for guinea pigs?
As for food, timothy hay and pellets should make up the majority of a guinea pig’s diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables along with Vitamin C should be included in their diet. Make sure to check if the fruits/veggies are safe for your guinea pig. Some, such as oranges and melons, have a ton of Vitamin C already.
What kind of bedding should I use for guinea pigs?
Bedding for Guinea Pig Puppies. Our personal recommendation for bedding in guinea pig cages is Timothy Hay. This multi-purpose hay can be used as bedding and also food. In fact, Timothy Hay should be part of every guinea pig’s diet regimen.
How to get a guinea pig to come out of hiding?
It shouldn’t take too long for them to come out of hiding and eat the treat. After they come out, put another treat a little bit closer to you . Continue this process until the guinea pig is close enough for you to pet it. Slowly approach them with your hand and gently start petting them.
How to build trust with guinea pigs?
But from personal experience, the best way to build trust is by bribing baby guinea pigs with food and treats. No, we are not kidding. And, it works. If you want your guinea pig to come out from hiding, reaching in and grabbing them from the igloo may scare them even more. They may even make a shrieking sound.
How long should guinea pigs stay on their mother's side?
Let’s be clear, a newborn guinea pig should not leave its mother’s side for at least 3 weeks. In this crucial period after birth, the baby cavy needs to be nursed in a safe environment with the mother. Failure to do so will show how irresponsible the breeder is.
How old should a baby guinea pig be before you start raising them?
The ideal age of the baby guinea pig before you should purchase and start raising them is around 1 to 1.5 months. After 7 weeks, they will be ready to move into their new family’s home. Most commercial pet stores have guinea pigs within this range too.
Do baby guinea pigs need calcium?
Besides handling them with more care and being extra gentle, there are very few things that differ from adult guinea pig care. One of the few things is that baby guinea pigs need a little bit more calcium in their diets, especially in their first few weeks.
What do guinea pigs eat?
What to Feed Guinea Pigs. We’re going to go over the different kinds of foods your guinea pig can and cannot eat. The most essential food in the cavy diet is hay. In fact, 80% of their diet should be composed of hay—Timothy hay is usually best. Vegetables and herbs make up 10%-15% of their diet, and pellets about 5%-10%.
What vegetables are good for guinea pigs?
Cucumber. Zucchini. Broccoli (small amounts or they might become gassy) Celery leaves. Kale. Cilantro/coriander. Mustard greens. All of the above vegetables are high in vitamin C, which is an essential vitamin for guinea pigs.
Why are guinea pigs called pigs?
And then secondly, they are not related to pigs in any way. It is believed that they were named “pig” because of the cute little squealing noise they make that sounds somewhat piglike. Your guinea pig’s diet, like with any pet, is of the utmost importance. You want to be sure that you’re fulfilling your cavy’s daily dietary requirements and ...
Can you give a cavy a lot of food?
You should avoid giving your cavy any food that will cause gas, such as cauliflower and cabbage. Iceberg lettuce can cause diarrhea, onions (and anything in the onion family) can lead to a blood disorder, garlic is toxic, and avocado is too high in fat.
