Rabbits N'Rodents
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Why Hay is so Vital?
Hay is the most important part of a guinea pig's diet, besides water, but why? Cavies, being herbivores need a high fibre diet, and have a digestive system which is built to digest fibrous foods and in the wild would eat grass throughout the day. Therefore, a cavy cannot thrive on a diet high in carbohydrates or protein, and if put on a pellet diet or one high in treats like bread, oats and sugary treats will cause the guinea pig to become overweight, stomach upsets, teeth problems and will suffer from boredom.
Hay, other than fresh grass, is the closest thing to a cavy's natural diet and gives them the roughage they need, and ultimately keeps their digestive tracks healthy, teeth in good shape and poos well formed. Adult cavies also require a diet low in protein and low in calcium which hay provides, as a diet too high in protein can cause obesity and even kidney problems, and as cavies absorb all calcium from their food, rather than just what they need, too much calcium causes sludgy bladder and bladder stones, both of which are serious conditions.
Due to the amount of chewing hay requires, it keeps teeth short and prevents teeth from overgrowing and molar spurs from developing etc, whereas pellets require them to chew differently which can cause all sorts of problems. As hay requires so much chewing, and because it is so fibrous to digest, guinea pigs eat regularly throughout the day, which helps to prevent boredom. If we take humans, we couldn't live off grass, as it takes much more energy to digest it than what it provides us, but cavies don't have this problem so long as they have a constant supply of hay. This is why a guinea pig should always have hay and lots of it, and should never be left without food.
Hay should make up the bulk of the diet, about 70-80%, and fresh veggies should make up the second largest ratio in the diet, with pellets coming third. You may be wondering, why feed pellets? Well pellets are beneficial as they provide nutrients which may be lacking in the diet, for example Vitamin D due to lack of sunlight.
Safe Food List
Suitable fruits are:
- Apple (seedless, as seeds are toxic and don't overfeed as the apples' acid can cause blisters around your cavie's mouth)
- Banana (should be limited to a rare monthly treat as it is too sugary and in excess upsets the gut flora)
- Blackberries
- Blackcurrants*
- Blueberries
- Pear
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
Suitable Vegetables and plants are:
- Bok Choi*
- Broccoli*
- Brussell Sprouts**
- Cabbage** (savoy)
- Carrots- including tops*
- Camomile
- Cauliflower greens**
- Celeriac
- Celery- cut small to avoid choking on stringy bits and include the leaves
- Chervil
- Chicory
- Clover (white, NOT red)- limit, part of clover is used as rat poison, so small amounts
- Coltsfoot
- Cucumber
- Dandelion**
- Fat Hen
- Fennel
- Groundsel*
- Goosefoot
- Goosegrass
- Hedge Parsley (not fool's parsley)
- Kale **
- Pak Choi*
- Spinach**
- Spring greens*
- watercress**
Suitable Herbs are:
- Basil
- Coriander/cilantro
- Dill-usually not the most favoured, but some like it
- Heather
- lavender
- peppermint
- oregano
- parsley** (not fool's parsley!)
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Thyme
* means that these veggies should be strictly limited to no more than 2 or 3 portions a week as they are either very gaseous (cauliflower, cabbage etc), very high in calcium (parsley, watercress, cabbage etc) or they are oxalates which can be toxic if fed in large amounts over a long period of time (ie spinach and kale etc).
* High in Vitamin C
Safe Flowers
- Nasturtium
- Rose
- Sunflower
Safe plant leaves (rinsed and young- do not feed old, decaying leaves)
- Apple
- Blackberry
- Pear
- Raspberry
- Strawberry
Safe wood
- Apple
- Birch
- Maple
- Pear
- Willow
AVOID:
- Azeala
- Blubous Plants
- Bigwort
- Bluebell
- Buttercups
- Clover(red)
- Clematis
- Cherry tree wood
- Corn
- Cowslip
- Crocus
- Daffodil
- (Deadly) Nightshade
- Dog's Mercury
- Evergreens
- Fool's Parsley
- Foxglove
- Grapes, not toxic in small amounts, and some people feed them, but they can cause adverse effects, especially red grapes, hence toxic to dogs.
- Hemlock
- Holly
- Ivy
- Lemons and limes
- Lettuce (causes tummy upsets, contains no nutritional benefit and can cause diarrhoea)
- Milkweed
- Mistletoe
- Peas
- Peach leaves and wood
- Plum leaves and wood
- Poppy
- Potato
- Primrose
- Ragwort
- Raw Potato and potato leaves
- Raisins
- Red Clover
- Rhododendron
- Rhubarb including leaves and stalk
- Snowdrops
- Tomato leaves
- Woodsorrel
- Yew
- Anything else you are unsure about - If In Doubt, Leave It Out!
Hairless Pigs
There are two types, the skinny pig, which has some hair, mainly on the face, and the Baldwin, which is completely bald. These hairless pigs are becoming popular and a bit of a fade. However, it is cruel and unnecessary as guinea pigs are born with hair for a reason. Hairless pigs are more prone to skin problems as their skin is more sensitive, and get cold easily. They are bred hairless purely for the 'benefit' of their owners, and can be considered a form of a 'designer pet'.
Many who breed them claim that they do so to provide people with allergies a chance to own a guinea pig, however, those with allergies are more often allergic to the dust in hay, which is essential for all guinea pigs anyway. Or the mites, which are present in all guinea pigs, with or without hair (note, mites only cause problems if they overpopulate).
Therefore there is no reason to breed hairless guinea pigs, or any other hairless animal, including rats and hamsters as they do not help people with allergies and are more prone to health problems.