Kim's Critter Chat

There is a lot to know about guinea pig (cavy) nutrition.

• Guinea pigs need to have a constant supply of food, hay especially. We are not pets who can be fed twice a day like dogs or cats. We have a special digestive system and need to eat most of the day to keep everything moving through .

• Guinea pigs need fresh vegetables or fruit daily. Leafy greens are the best, not too much fruit because it has so much sugar. And PLEASE, no iceberg lettuce– it gives us diarrhea

•     We eat pellets too, but not too many or we will get fat. My vet says about a tablespoon of  pellets per day is fine for adult cavies. Piggies who are growing need a supply of pellets left out at all times for them.

•  We need vitamin C , I talked about that in an earlier post. My sisters and  I eat GNC childrens chewable vitamin C tablets,  half a tablet per day (50 mg). They are yummy and inexpensive.

 My favorite hay is from Kleenmamas Hayloft. You can order it here: http://www.kmshayloft.com  I like their timothy hay, blue grass hay and orchard grass.

 My mom says the best pellets are made by OXBOW , you can order them or get them at some pet stores. They make 2 different kinds , one for growing piggies and one for adults.

For lots of good advice about which veggies and fruit are the best for us, please visit http://www.guinealynx.info/charts.html

Gingersnap and Bo enjoying some wonderful hay !