Any Recipes for Home Made Guinea Food?

[Guinea-Newbie]

I'm still pretty new at all this, so if I've overlooked something obvious, I apologize. I was just wondering if there were any recipes out there for do-it-yourself guinea pig food. We currently buy a mixture from our local feed supply store that includes pellets, dried carrots, a few seeds (pumpkin maybe?) and other things I can't identify but alot of it seems to go to waste. We also supply daily fresh timothy hay of course and a variety of fresh vegetables (celery, broccoli, cabbage, etc.).

The reason I'm asking is that alot of the mixture seems to go to waste and it seems like a waste of money if there is a better alternative.

Thanks for any suggestions!

P.S. Also, what fruits do they like...I've not had much success so far with anything I've offered. For their vitamin C intake they've been getting chewable tablets each day.

 

[*Piglets-Angel*]

Dont mean to be rude at all, but...the food you are feeding is very bad for them, feed them PLAIN guinea pig pellets, NOTHING at all in it except pellets. About the "fruit" its vegtables you have to feed them, fruit should be fed every 2 days, but feed them vegtables everyday, Cilantro is good everyday, Romaine Lettuce is good everyday, 1 to 2 springs per pig of parsley every other day, carrots twice a week, Bell peppers are the healthiest and the best feed them everyday daily. Other members can tell the rest, lol.

 

[Guinea-Newbie]

I'll try to keep a stiff upper lip... ;-)

So, straight pellets, got it. I've had no luck at all with bell peppers...they simply won't eat them. However, I'll keep trying. They're crazy about celery and broccoli, any problem feeding them that? And I'll add in cilantro, parsley and Romaine.

As for the fruits ever 2nd day, what do you recommend?

Thanks for the help!

 

[kat_0521]

I'll try to keep a stiff upper lip... ;-)

So, straight pellets, got it. I've had no luck at all with bell peppers...they simply won't eat them. However, I'll keep trying. They're crazy about celery and broccoli, any problem feeding them that? And I'll add in cilantro, parsley and Romaine.

As for the fruits ever 2nd day, what do you recommend?

Thanks for the help!

Feed broccoli in moderation-it causes gas...and I'm not sure about what nutritional value it has. With celery the green tops are fine to give but the ribs should be cut against the grain and very small-the stringy parts can be a choking hazard.
My pigs LOVE romaine or red leaf lettuce, cilantro and red bell peppers (I recently converted them) for a basic daily salad. About twice a week I'll add parsley, baby carrots (1 or 2 per piggie), or dandelion greens. Red bell peppers are an EXCELLENT source of Vit C, and parsley and dandelions are high in calcium so should be fed in moderation.
Keep at it with the red bell peppers. My girls were against it too at first. I ate some, then breathed gently on their nose to let them know it's safe to eat. After the first few tries, they'd go after their favorites and leave the peppers. But I'm stubborn too, so instead of cleaning up right away, I'd leave the peppers in there. Later, when they come out to browse for food, they'd nibble on the bell peppers ...that progressed into them really liking it.
Please switch over to just plain pellets. If you can get it, I highly recommend Cavy Cuisine by Oxbow. I had a piggy a few years ago who died from choking on the seeds and "extra things" in her diet. Of course, I was still young and uneducated. I don't want to see that happen to you or any other piggy owner.
Good Luck and post or email if you have more questions!

 

[FurryCritters]

Hi:

You can also try green beans and snow peas. My girls didn't care too much for bell peppers right away, but now they squeal when they smell them. I had a couple of foster pig who wouldn't eat them, but then I noticed if I left them in the cage overnight they were usually gone in the morning. Though GP's like cabbage, too much can upset the stomach. When I buy the coleslaw mix I will take out the big pieces and give it to them as a treat. You want to feed anything that is high in Vit C.

Apples and oranges are also good in moderation along with most other fruits - just be careful of seeds and too much acid.

 

[pennick]

Its true as far as trying foods you thought your piggy didnt like again. I find that if I give my piggies the same green day after day for example (endive) they wont eat it. I stayed away from that for 2 weeks and introduced it again last night. They ate it all. I never left their leftovers out too long so some of the veggies were never eaten and I figured they didnt care for this or that. I decided to leave out the dish for a few hours and sure enough they would come back and finish what they left over. So if your piggy didnt like something this week they may eat it next week or leave your veggies out for a few hours to give them a chance to go back. Be as varied as you can with their veggies.

 

[FurryCritters]

I buy Spring Mix or Mesclun - it is rather expensive, so I don't buy it all the time as part of their normal diet. I will sit and hand feed it like a treat. They love it as do my hamsters.

Like humans every GP has different tastes. I have one pig who will try anything you put under her nose one time. If she doesn't like it she won't take it again.

Regarding the pellets - I use Kaytee. The Oxbow is a little pricey for me for the amount I go through. I do use the Oxbow Timothy Hay - I have tried the Kaytee, but my girls didn't seem to care for it too much.

 

[Peaches]

Mine love green peppers and GB. I rotate the lettuce (type of) so they dont get bored of it. I only give a little carrot every few days and same with a apple slice.

 

[Baby Bears]

My boys didn't care for green peppers at first either. I tried again every couple of weeks and then one day they couldn't get enough of them.

Try to stay away from any sort of seed. This is a choking hazzard for them.

There are so many things you can give them! They love romaine lettuce and cilantro and parsley. Stay away from Iceburg lettuce - it will just give them diarrhea and has no nutritional value. No Rhubard or potatos - those are poisonous to them. Tomatos are fine - but NOT the tops and stems - those are poisonous too. Though, mine never cared for tomatos.

You're doing great - you're asking questions and that's the only way to learn. Keep up the good work!!

 

[Baby Bears]

I just remembered, there is a link on guinealynx (I think) that has a HUGE list of veggie do's and don'ts. I don't know the link, but I'll try to find it and post it for you - or maybe another cavy slave can put it on here for you! I know lots of people know it.

 

[FurryCritters]

No matter what I give mine, they still have to have their Romaine twice a day. I can give them several different veggies and they will complain until I give them Romaine. My one GP will bite on the cage until she gets it. Actually, if it were up to her she would live on Romaine and Timothy hay.

 

[Ketus15]

Here is the link I think was referred to, please correct me if I'm wrong:

https://guinealynx.com/nutrition.html#lists



This has a lot of information about what to feed your guinea pigs. All the advice about veggies so far is great. Some things to watch for: Bok coy, Cabbage, and Broccoli can cause gas which is very troubling for guinea pigs. Parsley and Kale are high in calcium, which may cause stones. Carrots have soluble vitamin A which can cause liver damage. Fruits are high in sugar which should be limited in your pig’s diets. But all that really means is to feed these items in moderation. Twice to three times a week in small amounts.



Fruits that my guinea pigs like: Grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon, apple, orange, banana



Good luck, glad you're here!

 

[Guinea-Newbie]

I had no idea about the choking hazard, so thank you for sparing us from that particular horror!

We just got back from the store and are now stocked up on parsley, cilantro, red lettuce and plain pellets. While I couldn't find the Oxbow brand locally, I bought enough of the local brand to last long enough for me to order some Oxbow online.

I sure appreciate all your guys' help...I'm sure our guinea's will be better off because of it. (In fact, they're nibbling their cilantro as we speak!)

And I'll keep on trying with those bell peppers...

 

[Slap Maxwell]

Good Luck!

Also good are cucumbers.

And for fruit, I feed mine strawberries, kiwi (excellent source of Vit. C), grapes, rasins, and melons.

 

[Baby Bears]

You know, my husband often says they eat better than humans! When you look at the veggies and fruits we give them - that's the truth! They are certainly healthier eaters than me. When I go to the store to get them veggies - I take FOREVER in the produce section looking for all kinds of things for them!

 

[dandelion]

You normally won't find Oxbow in a store, but a lot of veterinarians will have it or will order it for you. My vet orders it for me (less of a hassle for me) and it only takes two days to get here.

 

[Guinea-Newbie]

You know, my husband often says they eat better than humans!

Isn't that the truth! And what I wouldn't give to have someone come in and clean MY house from top to bottom every three days..!! ;-)

 

[Guinea-Newbie]

You normally won't find Oxbow in a store, but a lot of veterinarians will have it or will order it for you. My vet orders it for me (less of a hassle for me) and it only takes two days to get here.

Thanks for the tip, Dandelion. I'll have a quick look around online and then ask my vet about it.