Guinea Rescue #2 – Diet

If you have read my first post in the Guinea Rescue short series of blogs, you will remember that Ghost and Hero have been separated, but still side by side, for almost two months of the five that they have lived in our home. They came from a rescue centre and like many animals that have been surrendered away for adoption, they did unfortunately both come with certain pre-existing issues both dietarily and in health.

In this second piece in the Guinea Rescue series, I am going to go through some discoveries and situations we met about our two Cavies conditions and eating habits. My hope is that anyone struggling to find some information that is relatable and away from the often at times condescending criticism that comes when asking for information on animals you have taken in from rescue/adoption facilities. When it comes to Guinea Pigs, it is extremely easy to be caught out by the sheer mountainous learning curve that comes with taking care of these joyful little poop machines. If you have any further questions, please feel free to drop me an email on the link on the navigation bar, I will be happy to share any information I can or alternatively point you in the right direction when I do not know the answer, because as I said, caring for Guineas is an ongoing learning process.

Think of your Guinea Pigs and think of what you believe they love to eat, if you haven’t got a little Piggy of your own then imagine an ideal meal for a Guinea Pig. Springing to mind is most likely crunchy lettuce, fresh hay and perhaps the odd cucumber piece or two. Before I began researching the Guinea pigs’ diet before we brought Ghost and Hero home, I did indeed believe that they would eat the same things a Rabbit would eat, plenty of carrots, some cucumbers and maybe some lettuce when they seemed interested. Five months later and I feel like a personal gourmet chef for two of the pickiest customers I have ever served, Ghost sporadically will refuse to eat random elements of his veggie meal for the day and Hero will store bits away only to forget about them until we clean them up the next morning. Boiling it down, Guinea pigs are more complex in dietary needs than I had ever imagined, here is what I learned.

Diet

You will inevitably make mistakes when you first bring your new furry friend home, it could be a mistake with the set up or the bedding you choose to line their cage with (I chose fleece blankets due to a previous medical issue Ghost had, I will be going into that more later) but more than likely you will make a mistake with feeding or some elements of their diet. Thankfully if something is wrong and you have gotten to know your piggy well enough, it will be fairly visible or audible early on. Firstly, I would recommend finding a list of ingredients that are “officially” safe, there are plenty available, but I will add a few screenshots within this blog with the lists I have found to be accurate or safe. I was caught out by many items that I would have considered completely safe for two small herbivores to eat on a regular/semi-regular basis, items such as carrots seem completely harmless, but as I found in pretty dramatic fashion, not all two pigs are made the same when it comes to taste.

Hero has been extremely difficult to nail down in terms of his dietary requirements, it took a concerning amount of time to realise that the reason this little man was experiencing frequent bloat and congestion was due to high levels of sugar and calcium in his diet from items such as carrot and cherry tomatoes, on the flip side Ghost has never had any issue with these pieces of food and would happily continue eating them if not for the lack of frequency. Over feeding Guinea pigs on calcium or naturally high sugary veggies/fruits is a sure-fire way to find yourself in a spot of trouble with your Guinea, even more so when it comes to older pigs or senior pigs. Ghost and Hero are both 3-4 years old and naturally as they age their stomachs become less tolerant of certain elements of their diet, already clear is the aforementioned troubles Hero has had with carrots and tomatoes, Ghost has a similarly sad to see issue altogether with his digestion of cucumber seeds. If you take away any piece of information from these blogs, it should that you will need to closely check what you are feeding your cavies, how much you are feeding them and how often you giving them certain items. Think to yourself “Can they eat it, How much can they eat and When did they have it last”. If you stick this mantra into the walls of your mind, you will have an easier time integrating foods into their lives while sparing you the trouble of any mishaps from their insatiable furry bellies.

What do I feed Ghost & Hero?

After months of fiddling and rearranging, drawing up meal plans and consulting various resources online for all things related to Guinea pigs and diets, I finally landed on a solid set of foods these two boys can eat without the risk of bloating or congestion leading to any potentially fatal issues.

Hay

You should already know by now that hay is the most important part of any pigs’ diet, I will discuss this more in a separate paragraph, but it is fundamental that your Guinea pigs have an unending supply of fresh timothy hay that you are changing at least once every two days (to remove any piggy droppings or areas of urine that have soaked into the pile). With a solid foundation of hay, your pigs should be less inclined to demand food whenever they hear you walk past. I will post the links for the hay we have bought in the UK at the bottom of the blog, if you have any questions please ask.

Water

Water is also a non-negotiable, cavies need fresh and clean water every day, sometimes twice a day depending on how dirty they can make the water bottle or how quickly they empty the container. Without a steady flow of water throughout their day, they can become dehydrated rather quickly, especially in warmer months, leaving them without water for too long is almost a guaranteed way to find your little friend deceased when you return home after a full day away. Keep the water clean and keep the water flowing whenever you notice it creeping towards empty. You will know yourself if the pig in your care prefers bowls over bottles, Hero and Ghost prefer the bottle and we have had two individuals set up even before the separation to lessen any tension for rights to the drip.

Pellets

I have seen people online suggest that pellets are not necessary for all pigs, while that might be true for the handful, I would always recommend having some available in a small bowl for your cavies throughout the day. Not all pigs will get the exact nutrients they need from veggies, they can miss certain vitamins that can be beneficial for their well-being, most pellets that are not grain based (grain-based pellets can lead to bloating in some pigs that are susceptible) can be great ways to introduce those vitamins they are missing from their diet and boost their immune system. Ghost uniquely has developed a incredible adorable habit of mixing pellets and water in his mouth to create mushy pellet paste in the mornings, we have taken to calling it “cerealing”.

Veggies

Now the finishing touch on any spoilt little happy piggies’ diet, vegetables and perhaps fruits. Hero and Ghost enjoy their routine now more so than before, routines are crucial for a pigs mental and physical well-being, they thrive on consistency in their lives and their diets are no different. Our boys will have a slice of thinly chopped Cucumber first thing in the morning when they greet us with a loud squeak as we come to clean their cages after the night, they will scoff these down getting a morning head start on both water and some clean greens. Later in the day, typically around 4-6pm depending on when we are home for the day, Ghost and Hero will be treated to a small pot’s worth of vegetables. Two pieces of romaine or sweet gem lettuce, another piece of cucumber cut thicker than the morning, three or four strips of bell peppers (red and yellow as they both seem to dislike green) and a large leaf of green which we have found keeps them occupied long after the meal. It took months of trying and testing, bloats, and strops before we got this nailed down and now the two will come running with excitement when they hear us call for their dinner time.

Trust Your Eyes

If you ever have any doubts on your choice of diet for your Guinea pigs, above all else, trust your own eyes. You will be the first to spot any bloating, difficulties pooping, arching of their backs when struggling to urinate/defecate or the unfortunately terrifying sound of a piggie gagging when something is stuck in their throats (it will happen, they normally sort it themselves). Guinea pigs are incredibly difficult animals to figure out but once you have nuanced your little pigs needs and likes into a carefully curated list of “do and don’ts” you will find that all you have left to do is keep it consistent, stick to the times you feed them when possible and keep the part sizes consistent. Remember the formula “Hay, Water, Pellets, Veggies, Consistency” and you will never find yourself in trouble that you can’t fix, obviously it goes without saying that if you truly believe something is wrong with your little friend take them to a professional as soon as physically possible. Piggies can turn on a penny when it comes to their health, and it is not always something obvious to us carers who want the best for them.