General Food Change? Yay or Nay?

[Danivia]

Hello All!
I'd like to know if changing my guinea pigs food from Sunburst to something higher in Vitamin C would be a good thing. Does it affect them negatively like it does for dogs? Such as diarrhea or anything like that? My vet told me to buy a good food brand with plenty of Vitamin C... Any suggestions if I can change it?

 

[foggycreekcavy]

Sunburst is not a good food for guinea pigs. See all those nuts, seeds, colored bits, and dried fruits? They are not good for pigs. It's best to feed a plain green pellet, with some type of hay as the first ingredient. I recommend getting a good quality pellet ( (broken link removed) or www.oxbowhay.com ) and dumping the Sunburst.

The better quality guinea pig pellets have vitamin C in them. However, you don't rely on the pellets to give your pigs the C they need. Each pig should get one cup of greens/veggies a day.

 

[Danivia]

Alright, will it have any negative effects though? Changing the food all of a sudden I mean.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

Not really. You would keep an eye on their poops. A little softening of the poops would be okay.

It's better to change cold turkey anyway, because otherwise the pigs will just pick out the parts they like and leave the rest.

 

[Danivia]

Alright! Thank you~ One more thing, do you use any treats for Guineas? They don't like the ones I give em'

 

[filchikmcr]

As far as treats go, try different veggies out and see which ones they like best and give those as treats My girls LOVE lettuce and tomato so I usually give them that as a "treat", although I give them a variety of veggies daily. Or a piece of fruit every once in a while is also a good treat. My girls really like watermelon and pineapple, but I limit that to about once a week. You don't want to overload on fruit because they are high in sugar.

 

[CavyMama]

When you think treats, think natural. Avoid the store treats. Although they are marketed for pigs, they are definitely NOT good for them. Most contain seeds and other choking hazards and are usually stuck together with honey or other sticky sugary substance.

For a treat, I usually give my pigs a food they don't get all the time. An occasional chunk of watermelon, a slice of strawberry, maybe a few blueberries are a nice treat for them.

 

[Danivia]

Alright, so good bye to store bought treats! What about dried fruit?

 

[Danivia]

Alright, will do! Thanks Everyone!

 

[skbrodie]

My pigs love bell peppers so try those and maybe an occasional blueberry. I also switched my girls' food suddenly as I realized what I got them was terrible- no bad consequences like diarrhea.