Guinea Pig diet should mainly consist of hay and grass. To supplement their daily needs for vitamins C and other essential nutrients, fresh greens such as dandelion greens can also be provided, among other dark leafy plants.
Never feed them lawn clippings as these contain chemicals that could cause digestive issues and fermentation quickly leading to bloat, which is fatal for guinea pigs.
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Timothy Grass
Guinea pigs enjoy eating grass as it’s a source of fiber that keeps their digestive tract moving smoothly. To ensure safety, however, they should only eat grass from safe, clean and healthy locations such as an environment without fertilizers or toxic chemicals, or from an Oxbow brand of safe forage that has been approved by vets for consumption by their pet.
Pet parents should ensure their cavy has access to high-quality hay as it forms an integral part of its diet. As excessive pellet feeding may lead to obesity or other health problems, only limited pellet amounts should be offered; never use pellets as a replacement for hay nor mix them with seeds, nuts or fruits that do not originate in grass!
If a guinea pig isn’t eating enough hay or spending too much time in the grass, this could be caused by allergies or sensitivities. In these instances, offering them something other than Timothy hay may help; orchard grass has similar qualities as second cut Timothy hay while having lower calcium content than other types. Orchard grass could provide them with relief.
Orchard Grass
Grass is an integral component of the diet of any guinea pig. It provides high-fiber roughage to aid with digestion and also serves as a rich source of vitamin C – just as other herbivores need their daily dose from fresh vegetables, grass and hay!
However, it’s essential that if you want to give your guinea pigs access to fresh grass (or any other non-hay source), it must always be free from herbicides and pesticides, and harvested from sources away from roads where exhaust fumes could have polluted it with pollutants such as exhaust fumes.
Be careful when first exposing your guinea pigs to fresh grass; too much too soon can cause digestive distress, such as bloating and diarrhea. Gradually increase their time spent outdoors once they get used to eating fresh grass; check them frequently after rain or dewfall for parasite eggs in their diets.
Oat Grass
Though guinea pigs can get all of their essential vitamins from hay alone, some owners like to supplement their pet’s diet with fresh grass for extra nutrition. While this is fine, make sure it has not been exposed to pesticides or anything else that could harm them; additionally avoid grass clippings from lawn mowers; these often ferment quickly and cause digestive problems in guinea pigs.
Guinea pigs should only consume grass for 20 minutes per day at most and it must be of high quality (such as Oxbow). Eating too much grass at once may cause bloat which can be fatal for them.
Alternatively, gardening centers sell seed for planting in pots to ensure optimal growth of oat grass indoors. You could also purchase oat hay which has longer stems and yellower hues than regular varieties of hay.
Cattle Grass
Grass is an integral component of every guinea pig’s diet, providing high-fibre roughage essential for digestive health and providing necessary vitamins and minerals not found in their pelleted diet. Fresh forage from your garden or nearby field may provide extra nutritional value and vitamins not found elsewhere – but it is important that you know which grasses and weeds are safe to give to your guinea pig!
Guinea pigs should only consume grass that has not been treated with chemical fertilizers or pesticides, such as Timothy grass. As with all pets, Timothy, orchard grass, oat, wheat grass and dandelions are safe choices to feed to their pets – indulging them gradually will help prevent your guinea pig from contracting bloat – potentially fatal condition in humans!
