Feeding Guinea Pig

Guinea pigs are lovely pets to have, sometimes they don’t look too handsome, or they are too handsome and you just have to get one, but they are generally good pets. This is why it is important that you provide your guinea pig with a healthy diet. Feeding a guinea pig may seem like the easiest duty, but it has to be done correctly or the animal could get ill.

The first important aspect of their diet when feeding a guinea pig the correct food is Vitamin C. Vitamin C is very important to a guinea pig; this is because they cannot produce their own vitamin C like humans can. If you do not feed your guinea pig enough vitamin C foods, they are at a high risk of becoming ill with a decease known as scurvy. The correct amount of Vitamin C to use when feeding a guinea pig normally depends on the breed, size and weight of the animal, but approximately 10-30mg a day will be fine. Although, if your guinea pig is ill, young, pregnant or nursing, they will need more vitamin C in their daily diet.

Many of the guinea pig pellets that are available on the market today are added with vitamin C, but because vitamin C is unbalanced, the goodness will decrease if the pellets are kept for too long. The pellets are also available with a stabilized type of vitamin C, and if you keep the pellets in a cool and dry area in the house, it would help to preserve the goodness.

When you are feeding a guinea pig, giving them different nutritious vegetables that are high in vitamin C along with the pellets, will definitely keep them healthy. The best way to increase with extra vitamin C is by using vitamin C tablets. These are available especially for guinea pigs, or if you cannot get those you can get the normal vitamin C tablets for humans. When buying the human tablets make sure that they are chewable and are only vitamin C enriched with no added vitamins. For adult guinea pigs, a quarter of the 100mg tablet is required when feeding a guinea pig.

Another way to add the vitamin C when feeding a guinea pig is by putting it in their water. The method might seem a lot easier, but it is not that effective and has a lot of disadvantages. The vitamin C tends to loose its effectiveness when diluted. Another problem is that you cannot force them to drink it quickly enough and by the time they decide they are thirsty, the vitamin C is basically dissolved. They also might refuse to drink it because of the taste, and that will lead to other complications such as dehydration which can be severe. This is another way it can be done, but the other methods are way more effective as you will be able to tell if the animal is getting enough vitamin C when you feed it the vegetables or the tablets.

When feeding a guinea pig, remember that they should be given pellets daily. Guinea pigs, unlike many other animals, know when they have had enough food and they will not overeat. Only if your guinea pig is noticeably overweight would you have to restrict them to 1/8 cup of pellets a day, no more than that! Only give them pellets that are made for guinea pigs, when feeding a guinea pig, never give them cat, dog or any other animal pellets. The pellets should be bought in small quantities to ensure that it will all be used before the best before date. Also, try and purchase the pellets that contain a stabilized form of vitamin C. For a young guinea pig, alfalfa based pellets will do, and for an adult guinea pig, a timothy hay based pellet will be healthier. When feeding a guinea pig of any age, it is important that you avoid pellets that contain seeds, dried fruits, nuts, beet pulp, corn, and any other filler. Also, do not give them anything with high sugar content. Another thing you should remember about feeding a guinea pig is that they should also have hay in their diets. Separate from their food bowl, should be a stack of fresh hay. The hay needs to be fresh at all times therefore a new stack is required everyday.

Feeding a guinea pig is usually a difficult job as they require so much attention and can only eat certain things.

If you like this article, then you might be interested in getting the "The Ultimate Guide To Happy Healthy Guinea Pigs by Rachel Garlick" guide. It has some amazing facts on how to keep your Guinea Pig fed correctly and what food to avoid, keeping your treasured pet safe, healthy and Happy.

Click here to read our review of "Ultimate Guide To Happy Healthy Guinea Pigs".


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