Diet Should I start feeding my guinea pigs veggies?

The Kaytee food is garbage.

We only recommend food that are made with alfalfa for young pigs, and timothy for older pigs, brand names being Oxbow or Small Pet Select.

How old are your pigs? You can feed them veggies at any time, really. Just limit their intake of high calcium veggies, or gas-inducing veggies like kale. 1 cup of fresh veggies per pig a day is a good amount. Green leaf lettuce is safe to give on a daily basis, but try to stay away from fruits except as a very occasional treat. Pigs aren't built to process sugar.

Actually, Small Pet Select pellets are pretty high in calcium. The only ones I recommend are KMS Hayloft and Oxbow.

bpatters said:

Actually, Small Pet Select pellets are pretty high in calcium. The only ones I recommend are KMS Hayloft and Oxbow.

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I couldn't remember which one it was, thank you. I'll have to put that in the mental rolodex

Thanks for the advice, definitely going to pick up some Oxbow later today. My guinea pigs are around 9 or 10 months. Does their diet absolutely need veggies, or can they simply eat the Oxbow on its own?

They need Vitamin C. High quality timothy hay is the most important staple of their diet, along with obviously fresh water. High quality pellets have stabilized vitamin c, but sometimes this may not be enough. A good chunk of bell pepper every day can ensure that they get enough vitamin c.

Veggies are optional, but they REALLY like them. Make sure to consult a list of safe veggies for piggies, and a frequency that they can be fed.

Grassbin said:

Thanks for the advice, definitely going to pick up some Oxbow later today. My guinea pigs are around 9 or 10 months. Does their diet absolutely need veggies, or can they simply eat the Oxbow on its own?

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Good quality hay is 100% necessary and pigs should have unlimited access to it. Veggies come in a close second and are necessary, yes. Pellet food is the very least necessary and can be eliminated altogether as long as the pigs are getting a good quality diet.

Guinea Pig Papa said:

Veggies are optional, but they REALLY like them. Make sure to consult a list of safe veggies for piggies, and a frequency that they can be fed.

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Veggies are not optional. They are a good source of vitamins and other nutrients. They also provide moisture that pigs need from food that they won't get from hay or just drinking water.