Hay is an essential element of an adult guinea pig’s diet and should account for over 80% of their daily meal plan. Not only does hay give your pet something fun to chew on, it also helps them wear down their back teeth correctly and maintain good dental health.
When selecting hay for sale, it is important to look for fresh and high quality varieties with a pleasing fragrance, that are free from foreign plants or plastic contaminants.
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Healthy Teeth
Guinea Pigs in the wild keep their teeth healthy by chewing on grasses, hay and twigs throughout their day – unfortunately this doesn’t happen as frequently in home cages and they often end up suffering from dental issues like overgrown incisors.
In order to prevent overgrowth in your pet, provide them with access to high-fiber, abrasive hay and safe chew toys made from untreated wood or untreated paper pulp. A daily dose of vitamin C in dry pellet form without seeds or dried fruits will also aid in fighting tooth decay.
Check your guinea pig’s teeth regularly using the tip of your finger, which should slide inside their mouth to feel along their gum line from above the diastema (gap between upper and lower teeth) all the way down past premolars and lower molars to premolars and lower molars for any pain or sharp edges that might indicate fractured or infected teeth.
Healthy Tummy
Hay is essential to small herbivores’ digestive health. It provides essential fibre that ensures their digestive tract keeps moving regularly; without it, its movements could slow or stop altogether, potentially leading to gut stasis – a potentially lethal condition.
Hay provides another valuable benefit, helping small herbivores wear down their ever-expanding teeth in a natural manner and avoid issues like tongue entrapment or malocclusion caused by overgrown or unruly growth of teeth.
To select second cut timothy hay, which has lower calcium content and is softer than other varieties of this variety of hay, consider offering orchard grass hay or botanical hay as they also offer great sources of fibre to promote teeth health and keep their mouths clear of plaque buildup. As well as feeding your guinea pig timothy hay regularly, supplement their diet with vitamin C-fortified pellets daily – this will support their immune systems and prevent scurvy!
Healthy Immune System
Hay is an essential staple for your guinea pig’s diet and meets important digestive health requirements of herbivores such as your guinea pig. Not only that, but hay also regulates digestion and can prevent problems like bloat or gut stasis from developing which could prove fatal for its inhabitants if unchecked on time.
Grass hay is an excellent source of vitamin C for your guinea pig as they cannot produce enough on their own to stay healthy. Vitamin C strengthens their immune systems to fight infection, disease and illness more efficiently.
Your guinea pig’s daily forage should consist of Western Timothy Hay, Orchard Grass and/or Meadow Grass for optimal nutrition. Mixes with nuts, seeds, fruit or corn may lead to nutritional deficiencies in your pet; adding fortified pellets into their meal is one way of providing additional vitamins and minerals; however replacing too frequently could encourage picky eating behavior; thus this practice should not be implemented too frequently.
Healthy Weight
Hay-rich diets help our small herbivores maintain good dental and digestive health. Their teeth continue to expand with each chew of tough plant material they ingest, and eating grass hay will prevent their gums from expanding too much and leading to serious issues like tongue entrapment and malocclusion (see Guinea Pig Health).
A diet high in fibre can also reduce soft stools, boost digestion and aid weight loss. Make sure that your guinea pigs always have access to fresh, clean 2nd cut timothy hay and cocksfoot hay with low calcium levels for feeding and bedding purposes (The Rabbit House, 2014).
Weight your guinea pigs on a weekly basis to keep track of their weight changes and any sudden or drastic shifts that occur should be discussed with your vet immediately.
