Guinea Pig care & nutrition
Caring for pet Guinea Pigs
Providing pet guinea pigs with a balanced and nutritious diet is essential to prevent various health issues and ensure their longevity.
Nutrition & diet
To ensure your guinea pig meets their nutritional requirements, their diet should be made up of grasses, plants, vegetables and crops.
- Unlike rabbits, guinea pigs aren't able to make their own Vitamin C and they have a much higher requirement for Vitamin A than other small mammals, so these must be provided as part of their diet;
- Dry foods for guinea pigs with high levels of calcium should be avoided, as this can lead to urinary tract problems;
- Like rabbits & chinchillas, guinea pigs perform a digestive process called caecotrophy to extract as much goodness as possible from their food. Simply put – they eat their droppings (caecotrophs), allowing food to be reingested;
- And due to their continually growing teeth, guinea pigs need the correct diet to wear down their teeth sufficiently to avoid serious dental disease.
Our 'Feeding guide for guinea pigs' provides top tips on what to feed your guinea pig:
Providing an interesting and stimulating living space
Otherwise known as Behavioural Enrichment, the way you feed your guinea pig and the environment in which they live is essential to your pet's wellbeing by helping to prevent boredom and stress.
We've created a fact sheet containing play activities and food dispensing toys for small mammals, to encourage a positive mind state for your pet.
Bottle refilling & cleaning
Fresh, clean water must always be available for your guinea pig. Make sure you check their water bottle frequently to make sure it always has water, and change the water daily to ensure that it is always fresh. You should also clean their water bottle regularly and check that your guinea pig can reach and drink from the bottle with ease.
Weight management for guinea pigs
Guinea pigs can get fat quickly if they don't eat the right food or take enough exercise
At UK Pet Food, we work with many pet nutrition experts who have helped us create useful posters, tools and resources to support the healthy weight management of pets. They are written by professionals for professionals – to be shared with pet owners.
We've created a dedicated 'Spotlight on Obesity' section to bring these tools together in one place, to help you on your weight management journey.