Guinea pigs are sweet and exciting pets to have. While being primarily herbivores, many people often make the mistake of only feeding their guinea pigs hay or pellets. While these are among the best guinea pig food items, your little cavy will thrive best on a varied diet of fruits and veggies.
In fact, feeding the best veggies for guinea pigs daily can be an excellent way to keep your guinea pig in perfect health. When incorporated with pellets and hay, this is one of the best diet plans that you can craft for your guinea pig. Additionally, care has to be taken to ensure that you are not overfeeding them.
It is recommended that you only give half a cup of vegetables per day to your adult guinea pig. Additionally, not all vegetables are good to give on a daily basis. If youâre interested, the following are some veggies that are good food for guinea pigs:
Table of Contents
Spinach
95% to 85% of your cavyâs diet should consist of leafy greens, but not just any green vegetable will do here. Guinea pigs can be fed one cup of spinach as they have high vitamin C content. Interestingly, guinea pigs donât make their own vitamin C and can often be prone to getting scurvy.
To counter this, make sure that youâre feeding them one cup of spinach. Guinea pigs need around 25 mg of vitamin C per day. Feeding them spinach helps to meet this need. Additionally, you donât have to boil or prep the spinach in any way. Simply wash and give it to them.
Cucumber
Cucumbers are a great treat to give your guinea pig every day because of the high water content that they have. They are generally low in vitamin C, so donât rely on them completely to meet the nutritional needs of your guinea pig.
However, during summers, this can be a great treat to give to your guinea pig as it helps them cool down with ease. When offered with other veggies or pellets, your guinea pig will enjoy eating cucumbers on a daily basis. One or two slices of cucumber will be more than enough for them. Â
Bell Pepper
Given the fact that they are incredibly high in vitamin C, bell peppers are the best vegetable to give to your guinea pigs on a daily basis. However, care has to be taken regarding the kind of bell peppers you feed. Generally, yellow and green peppers are the best option as they are high in vitamin C and have lower sugar.
However, red and orange bell peppers contain higher sugar levels and should be fed in limited quantities. Regardless of the kind of bell pepper you give them, only make sure to feed 1/6th or 1/8th of one bell pepper to a single, adult guinea pig.
Zucchini
This is a great vegetable to add to your guinea pigâs diet. Unlike cucumbers, zucchini has higher water content and is rich in vitamin C. Feeding your guinea pig a quarter cup of zucchini every day is a good idea as it will help to meet their daily nutritional needs.
Make sure to slice up the zucchini into thin, manageable slices that the guinea pig can finish completely. These can be fed raw and should preferably have the skin on.
Precautions to Take When Feeding Veggies Daily
While feeding vegetables to your guinea pigs daily is great, you also need to take some precautions when doing so. In this manner, you can ensure that your guinea pigs are being fed properly. Guinea pigs are neat, but they can be messy eaters so, make sure that you pay attention to the following:
Have a Dedicated Dish for the Veggies
Make sure that you have a dedicated dish for giving veggies to your guinea pigs. Despite their small size, guinea pigs are intelligent, and they will soon quickly associate the dish with the vegetables. It will make mealtime more orderly, and they wonât have to root about in their pellets or their hay feed to find the vegetables they like the most.
Do Not Leave any Leftovers
Always pick up and dispose of any leftovers within an hour or two of feeding time. Do not leave vegetables in the dish overnight or for hours at end. The vegetables can start to grow bacteria on them, which can harm the digestive system of your cavy. Additionally, if youâre giving them vegetables and they canât finish them all, decrease the serving size. Less is more here.
Use a Mat for Neater Eating
To avoid any vegetable leftovers on the floor, you can make sure that you are using placemats or eating mats for your guinea pigs. This ensures that all leftovers are contained in one neat area, and clean up isnât a massive chore for you.
Avoid Boiling Vegetables
Do not boil any vegetables when youâre giving them to your guinea pig. The only prep needed is to cut these vegetables down to size and washing them thoroughly. Raw vegetables are more nutritious, and they are also better for the dental health of your cavy.
By paying attention to these tips, you can ensure that youâre feeding vegetables to your pet in a healthy and sanitary manner.
Our RecommendationâKaytee Timothy Complete Guinea Pig Food
If you want the best guinea pig pellet to feed along with the vegetables, we recommend the Kaytee Timothy Complete Guinea Pig Food. The pellets are specifically designed to meet the nutritional needs of your cavy, and also support healthy gut function, improve their dental health, and encourage them to engage in healthy chewing activity.
Our Recommendation â Kaytee Hay and Food Bin Feeder
This compartmentalized combo feeder makes sure that youâre able to feed your cavy veggies, hay, and pellets without creating a mess or requiring a cleanup. The hay bin also encourages the guinea pigs to take more interest in their feeding. Moreover, it comes with secure attachments that ensure that the feeder is safely secured to the side of the cage.
