Zoo database

Guinea pig

Cavia porcellus

Natural diet Guinea pig

Grasses
Herbs

Guinea pigs are herbivorous grazers that mainly consume grasses and herbs. Their digestive system needs fibers, such as hay and/or grass, to function properly.

Feeding advice Guinea pig

Feed quantity per day

5% of body weight

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 1 kg and eats 5% of its body weight, it will get

1 x 0.05 = 0.05 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

5% Concentrates
2.5% Leafy and cabbage vegetables
2.5% Other vegetables
90% Grass, lucerne and other roughages

Proportions (fresh product)

0.05 x 0.05 kg = 2.5 g concentrates
0.025 x 0.05 kg = 1.3 g leafy and cabbage vegetables
0.025 x 0.05 kg = 1.3 g other vegetables
0.9 x 0.05 kg = 45 g grass, lucerne and other roughages

Diet suggestions

In moderation

Other vegetables

Not recommended

Fruits

Additional advice

Divide the “Feed quantity per day” over at least two feeding moments per day.
Guinea pigs cannot synthesize vitamin C by themselves, therefore supplementation in their diet through concentrates is essential.
Grass hay is preferred over lucerne hay as it is lower in protein and calcium (read more about browsers and grazers).
Stimulate foraging behaviour by hiding, stacking or hanging their feed. Besides this, scatter feeding is also a good option (read more about feed enrichment and foraging behaviour).

Common diseases

An unbalanced diet may result in one of these more commonly occurring diseases/conditions:

Scurvy
Hepatic lipidosis
Ketosis
Colic
Bloat
Dental disease
Cystitis and bladder calculi
Metastatic calcification

Feed quantity per day

Sample percentage calculation

Feed composition

Proportions (fresh product)

Guinea Pig Pellets with Vitamin C

Michel Janssen

Manager Finance & IT

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Guinea Pig Pellets with Vitamin C

Michel Janssen

Manager Finance & IT