Hay

Hay should be one of the main foods in a Guinea pigs diet. Around 80% of their diet should be good quality hay, this should be given in unlimited quantities available 24/7 to encourage them to eat hay throughout the day. Hay is very important in a Guinea pigs diet as it has fibre to aid their digestive systems and this then helps to keep their gut moving and helps to keep their teeth in shape. Guinea pigs teeth are constantly growing and so hay helps to wear down their molars and helps prevent dental issues.

It is important to choose a high quality hay with minimal dust to keep piggies health as dust may cause health issues such as respiratory problems or eye issues. Always check the hay for any sharp pieces to avoid hay pokes. You can feed a variety of different types of hay depending on their preference such as meadow, Timothy, rye grass, oat hay. You can also feed alfalfa hay however this is much higher in calcium so usually fed to pregnant or baby Guinea pigs who require a little more calcium when growing. Feeding too much calcium can cause health problems so the other hay types are a better choice for adult piggies as their main diet. Guinea pigs also love dried forage flowers and herbs scattered in the hay for extra enrichment and this may encourage them to eat more if they’re picky eaters. You can also make feeding hay more fun for Guinea pigs by creating enrichment toys using boxes, card tubes, sea grass balls, hay rollers, racks just make sure all are piggie safe.

Many hay providers now sell sample boxes or smaller sized boxes for you to be able to try different types of hay before committing to a large amount. My Guinea pigs tend to love rye grass hay as it’s a little sweeter tasting in particular they go crazy for Cotswold Sweet Hay from little hay co which is lovely quality grown here in the uk & they also really love oat hay, I usually feed this as more of a treat hay in their hay rollers and toys. 

Also provide a portion of Guinea pig safe fresh veggies daily to give them vitamin c, Guinea pig pellets & fresh water.

If you’d like to try out Little Hay Co you can use our link which saves 15% or alternatively the code PANSYTED at the checkout 

Our discount link- https://littlehayco.com/discount/pansyted (aff)