Feeding guinea pigs from A to Z. What to feed a guinea pig at home: important rules

Over time, pets become real members of the family. Caring for them takes some time and effort, however, it only brings joy and pleasure to happy pet owners. The guinea pig is a fairly popular species of animal that lives in people's homes. Today, we will deal with questions about the nutrition of these creatures. So:

What to feed your guinea pig?

Here are the main foods your pet should eat if it is a guinea pig:

Hay and granulated dry food are the basis of the diet at any time of the year.
A variety of fresh vegetables in small quantities and leafy greens. Greens should make up the bulk of your diet's plant-based supplements. guinea pig.
Some fruits in small quantities.
Kale, spinach, turnips, herbs, parsley, romaine lettuce and dandelion leaves.
Carrots and carrot tops.
Green and red fruits of bell pepper.
Apples, apricots, bananas.
Blueberries, cantaloupe.
Grapes and oranges.
Strawberries and tomatoes.
Various plants without pesticides. For example, grass, dandelion, clover and gerbil. These plants are especially nutritious when fresh.

It should be noted that any greens must be introduced into the animal’s diet gradually. Otherwise, the guinea pig may develop indigestion.

The most important thing in a guinea pig's diet is vitamin C. The fact is that the body of this animal does not produce vitamin C, like human body. Due to the lack of vitamin C, your guinea pig can get scurvy. The daily requirement of vitamin C for guinea pigs is 10-30 mg. To meet the vitamin C needs of a normal, medium-sized guinea pig, you need to feed it a set fresh vegetables in combination with good specialized food. Food must be stored in a cool and dry place. This is necessary so that it retains all its vitamins. Some of them are destroyed under the influence of an aggressive external environment.

What should you not feed guinea pigs?

Never feed your guinea pigs expired or spoiled specialized food.
You should not feed guinea pigs food that contains: nuts, seeds, dried fruits, corn products, animal products, beet pulp and other fillers.
Do not give your guinea pig food that contains increased content sugars and products with high content preservatives and biochemical additives.
You should avoid the presence of iceberg lettuce leaves in your diet. It contains a small stock nutrients.
You should not give guinea pigs foods such as broccoli, cauliflower, white cabbage, Chinese cabbage. These products will lead to gas formation in the food tract.
Starchy vegetables should be avoided in the diet. For example, potatoes.

How many times should you feed your guinea pig?

The basic rule when feeding guinea pigs is as follows. There should be much more food than a guinea pig can consume. Dosed and one-time feeding regimens for guinea pigs are not allowed. It is important to keep the bowl full in the area where your guinea pig lives. Due to the peculiarity physiological structure, the guinea pig dies from starvation after one or two days. You may simply not notice how she dies. Remember that the pig must always have food, otherwise it will not survive.

Here are the basic tenets of proper nutrition for a guinea pig. Look after your pet and love it. Only you are responsible for the life of this creature. It depends on you, so don't let it down. Remember that your favorite animal is not a toy - it is a very complex living organism, which, by the way, has a soul, just like a person. Do you have a soul?

Guinea pigs are a category of pets that need our attention and care a little more than cats or dogs. It just so happens that due to the special characteristics of the intestines of these rodents, for normal operation digestive system, And wellness, they should receive everything that the animal would receive in the wild.

Let us consider with you the general aspects of feeding guinea pigs, what they should add to their diet, and what should not be added. Let's try to figure out what guinea pigs eat?

If you provide your animal with a complete and balanced diet, you will not only save it from the occurrence of different types diseases, but you will also make his life much longer.

You should feed your guinea pig two to three times a day. It is recommended to give succulent food in the first half of the day, and dry food in the second.

And don’t forget one small nuance: the guinea pig’s body does not have a mechanism for producing vitamin C, so every day the animal should add 5 to 25 milligrams to its drink ascorbic acid based on 250 milliliters of liquid. If your pig receives multivitamin complexes along with the food, then ascorbic acid in the water can be excluded.

Don’t forget that salt is vital for guinea pigs at any age. For an adult, this is about one and a half grams, and for a young pig, half a gram.

Guinea pig main menu

To give food to the guinea pig maximum quantity substances necessary for life and health, it should consist of following types feed:

hard food;
hay;
green feed;
fresh fruits and vegetables.

If possible, each component should be present in the guinea pigs' diet daily.

Grain mixtures

The daily rate of grain consumption by a rodent should be at least 30 percent of total number food for the day. Finding such food will not be difficult, and on the shelves of absolutely any pet store, you will find representatives of both domestic and imported manufacturers.

The basis of such feeds will most often be:

Oats.
Millet.
Barley.
Sunflower seeds.
Corn.
Peas.

Along with seeds, such feeds may contain combined feeds in the form of granules and grass granules with added vitamins.

It is absolutely not difficult to make such food yourself by purchasing everything you need at the agricultural market. If you do this yourself, note that the favorite ingredient in these piggy mixtures is oats. There should be a little more of it in such food than other cereal components.

Feeding cereals and solid foods is generally very important point in the life of a rodent. This is a natural mechanism for grinding down a creature's ever-growing teeth. If you allow teeth to grow excessively, there will come a time when the animal simply cannot eat and dies.

Green feed

This type of food for guinea pigs is the most natural. Plant fibers maintain the functioning of the pig's intestines at the proper level and supply the rodent with many useful substances. It is worth remembering that not every green herb will be beneficial for your pet.

Plants whose consumption has a positive effect on guinea pigs:

sprouted grains;
yarrow;
tansy;
spinach;
chamomile;
dill;
green salad;
plantain;
alfalfa;
young sedge;
clover;
carrot and beet tops;
dandelion.

Try to avoid feeding your animal armfuls of plants, as just a couple of branches of a poisonous plant will be enough for the animal to develop serious health problems. The grass should always be fresh and thoroughly washed.

Hay

This type of food is the most important in their diet. Such food in the daily volume of food should be at least 20 percent. Together with the normalization of intestinal function, hay is an integral part in the mechanism for grinding teeth in these rodents.

Just like grain feed, you can find hay at any pet store or prepare it yourself. Make sure that the dry weed you buy in the store does not have any traces of moisture or mold.

Wet or rotted hay will definitely not benefit your pet. The presence of this product in the pig’s diet is especially important. winter period feeding. Although not in the same quantity as in green grass, hay still contains elements necessary for the animal.

When making hay yourself, the same rule applies as when choosing grass. Carefully inspect the grass harvested as hay. Keep weeds and poisonous plants away.

Vegetables and fruits

The amount of vegetables and fruits your pig will consume per day should be about 30 percent of the animal's body weight. It is still preferable to feed vegetables, and give fruits as a treat.

Due to the significant content of sugars and fruit acids in fruits, a guinea pig may develop some diseases when overeating fruits.

The most favorite vegetables and fruits for pigs are:

carrot;
pumpkin;
cabbage;
corn;
cucumbers;
zucchini;
apples;
bell pepper

It is advisable to alternate these products. Give at least three to five varieties of such food per day to ensure that you receive the maximum range of vitamins. It is advisable to give cherries, plums, pears and peaches as treats in extremely small quantities due to their high sugar content.

Other feeds

This item will be of interest to owners whose pets are especially active and spend a lot of energy throughout the day. For such live creatures, the diet includes foods with a high fat content.

Such products include:

Flax seeds.
Sunflower seeds.
Sesame seeds.
Nuts.

Accordingly, if your pet leads a sedentary lifestyle, then you should avoid such products. Also, many rodents enjoy eating wheat bran.

Fresh branches are an important element in nutrition fruit trees and bushes. Guinea pigs can eat them, just like hay. They help wear down your pet’s teeth and replenish required stock minerals in the body.

Foods to Avoid

What should you not feed your pet? This will be important when you tell a child, if there is one in the family, about feeding a guinea pig. After all, your child, out of the kindness of his heart, can treat a fluffy to his favorite candy, which will cause serious problems for the animal.

sweets;
dairy products;
bakery products;
pasta;
leftover food from the human table;
rice and other cereals;
potato;
products, with high content vegetable protein.

Moreover, try not only not to feed them, but also to limit the animal’s potential contact with these products during walks.

Healthy Supplements

Not just food plant origin helps the guinea pig get the most useful elements for the body. Various nutritional supplements can also come to the aid of grass and twigs.

Such additives include:

meat and bone meal.
This product allows the animal to compensate for the deficiency of animal proteins;
fish oil
Mainly given to young animals to strengthen bones and increase the amount of vitamins for growth in the body;
boiled milk.
It is used most often for feeding young animals. It must be fresh. A product without heat treatment can introduce infection into the animal’s body;
water.
Of course, this is not a supplement, but something that is vitally necessary for all living beings. Especially in winter, when feeding will be carried out with dry food and dry hay;
ascorbic acid.
The body does not produce vitamin C, so its level should be replenished with ascorbic acid;
feces.
For rodents, eating their own feces is almost the most important aspect in maintaining their intestinal microflora. Moreover, this additional source microelements.

Conclusion

When you approach the question of what your guinea pigs will eat at home, you should show maximum attention and responsibility.

You need to take care of a varied diet to give your pet the maximum amount of useful elements for growth and development.
Controlling the purity and quality of feed is very important. Diseases in guinea pigs occur extremely quickly, and if an animal becomes ill, in just a couple of days it can reach a level at which the pet’s life is in danger.
Grain feed, hay and twigs of bushes and fruit trees must be present in the guinea pig's diet. Grinding teeth is no less important than taking care of your pet’s entire body. Without the ability to grind down its teeth, the rodent will not be able to eat and will die.

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Guinea pigs are unpretentious eaters. As follows from A. Brem’s book “Animal Life”, “they eat various parts of plants - from roots to leaves, in equally consume grains and succulent plants", so feed your little pet not that difficult.

At the same time, guinea pigs require a certain amount of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins, that is, the animals' diet should be quite varied. Moreover, along with proper nutrition animals need to move a lot. Guinea pigs living only in a cage simply consume more food than they need out of boredom, but if they have the opportunity to frolic, they satisfy their hunger only when necessary.

Treats

Sometimes, as a treat, guinea pigs can be given juicy fruits, but very little. It is best to use apples, pears, strawberries, grapes and tomatoes.

Roughage

Guinea pigs are given mainly winter time. Highest value of these has legume and legume-cereal hay. The so-called “vitamin hay”, rich in carotene, which is prepared from well-leafed alfalfa, clover, and shadow-dried nettle, is very valuable. "Vitamin hay" is used to feed pregnant and lactating females and young animals. When giving hay, you need to pay attention to its quality: the color should be green, and the smell should be pleasant and aromatic. Swamp hay is not suitable for guinea pigs.

Green feed

Are the main and most important integral part diet. They are cheap, rich in nutrients, easily eaten and absorbed by guinea pigs, and have a beneficial effect on their productivity. All seeded legumes and cereal grasses can be used as green fodder: clover, alfalfa, vetch, lupine, sweet clover, sainfoin, peas, seradella, meadow rye, winter rye, oats, corn, Sudan grass, ryegrass; meadow, steppe and forest herbs. Especially valuable are legumes and legume-cereal mixtures, rich in protein, vitamins and minerals.

Grass is one of the main and cheapest feeds. With a sufficient and varied amount of natural and seed herbs, you can get by with a minimum of concentrates, giving them only to lactating females and young animals up to 2 months.

In order to ensure that there is enough green food in the guinea pigs’ diet from spring to late autumn, it is necessary to take care of creating a green conveyor. In early spring, winter rye can be used; among the wild ones - nettle, mantle, wormwood, burdock, early sedges and young shoots of willow, willow, aspen and poplar.

In the first half of summer, the most suitable green conveyor crop is red clover. From wild good food At this time there may be small forbs.

The need of guinea pigs for green food can be successfully covered by various wild herbs: nettle, burdock, plantain, yarrow, hogweed, bedstraw, wheatgrass (especially its roots), sage, heather, tansy (wild mountain ash), dandelion, young sedge, camel thorn, as well as rapeseed, milkweed, garden and field thistle, wormwood and many others.

Some wild herbs - wormwood, tarragon, or tarragon and dandelion - should be fed with caution. These plants are well eaten by animals, but have a harmful effect on the body. Dandelion gives up to 30% of daily norm green food, but it is not recommended to feed wormwood and tarragon, or tarragon wormwood.

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) - perennial herbaceous plant from the nettle family (Urticaceae) with a creeping rhizome. Stems are erect, ovate-oblong, up to 15 cm long and up to 8 cm wide, coarsely toothed along the edges, with petioles.

Nettle leaves are very rich in vitamins - they contain up to 0.6% ascorbic acid (vitamin C), up to 50 mg% carotene (provitamin A), vitamins K (up to 400 biological units per 1 g) and group B. This is a natural vitamin concentrate. In addition, nettle leaves contain a lot of protein, chlorophyll (up to 8%), starch (up to 10%), other carbohydrates (about 1%), salts of iron, potassium, copper, manganese, titanium, nickel, as well as tannins and organic acids

Nettle has high nutritional value, contains 20-24% protein (vegetable protein), 18-25% fiber, 2.5-3.7% fat, 31-33% nitrogen-free extractive substances. It contains a lot of vitamin K, calcium salts, potassium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and others.

Its leaves and young shoots are used primarily for the prevention and treatment of vitamin deficiencies, which most often appear in late winter and early spring. The method of use is the simplest - powder from dry leaves is added to food.

Leaves are harvested during budding and flowering of nettles (blooms from May to autumn, fruits ripen starting in July). Often the leaves are rubbed with a mitten along the stem from bottom to top, but you can mow or cut off the shoots, dry them slightly, and then thresh the leaves on a clean litter and throw away the thick stems. Usually the tops of young shoots are plucked and dried, tied in bunches. Drying of nettle raw materials should be carried out in ventilated rooms, attics, sheds, but always protected from direct sun rays place, as they can destroy some of the vitamins.

Young nettle leaves are especially nutritious in early spring. Fresh nettle must first be boiled for 2-3 minutes in water, then lightly squeezed and, after chopping, added to the wet mixture.

Grass meal made from nettles also has high feeding qualities. In terms of the content of substances necessary for the body, it is superior to flour from a mixture of timothy and clover and is equivalent to alfalfa flour. Nettles are collected before flowering (June-July) - later they lose some beneficial properties. The plants are mowed or picked and the leaves are allowed to wither a little, after which the nettle no longer “bites”.

In winter, dry crushed leaves are added to the grain mixture or boiled for 5-6 minutes until softened in a container with a closed lid. After cooking, the water is drained, and the resulting mass is lightly squeezed and added to the feed.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Wigg. s.l.) is a perennial herbaceous plant from the family Asteraceae (Compositae, or Asteraceae), with a fleshy taproot that penetrates deeply into the soil (up to 60 cm). The leaves are collected in a basal rosette, from the center of which in spring leafless hollow flower arrows 15-50 cm high grow. They end in a single inflorescence - a basket 3.5 cm in diameter with a two-row brown-green wrapper. Leaves vary in shape and size. They are usually planum-shaped, pinnately lobed or pinnately lanceolate, 10–25 cm long and 2–5 cm wide, often with a pinkish midrib.

It blooms from April to June, the fruits ripen in May-June. Most often, the period of mass flowering does not last long - two to three weeks in the second half of May and early June.

It grows in a variety of habitats: in meadows, forest edges, clearings, gardens, fields, vegetable gardens, vacant lots, along roads, on lawns, in parks, near homes.

Dandelion leaves and roots have nutritional value. The leaves are rich in carotenoids (provitamin A), ascorbic acid, vitamins B1, B2, and P. They are used as a bitter that stimulates appetite and improves digestion. Dandelion roots contain inulin (up to 40%), sugars, malic acid and other substances.

The leaves of this plant are readily eaten by guinea pigs. They are a source of vitamins and mineral salts. Dandelion leaves are fed to animals from early spring to late autumn in unlimited quantities. The bitter substance contained in the leaves promotes blood circulation, enhances digestion and stimulates appetite.

Great plantain (Plantago major L.). They are herbaceous perennials that grow like weeds everywhere. Plantain leaves are rich in potassium and citric acid, they contain the glycoside aucubin, the enzymes invertin and emulsin, bitter tannins, alkaloids, vitamin C, carotene. The seeds contain carbohydrates, mucous substances, oleic acid, and 15-10% of a kind of fatty oil.

Among the herbs there are also highly poisonous ones, which can cause feed poisoning and even death in guinea pigs. These plants include: cory (dog parsley), hemlock, poisonous weed, celandine, foxglove, purple or red foxglove, lily of the valley, hellebore, larkspur (horned cornflowers), henbane, raven's eye, nightshade, datura, anemone, poisonous sow thistle , wolf berries, night blindness, marsh marigold, meadow lumbago, self-seeded poppy, bracken fern, marsh wild rosemary.

Various waste from garden and melon crops, leaves and shoots of some trees and shrubs can be used as green fodder. Good results obtained from feeding cabbage leaves, lettuce, potato and carrot tops. Potato tops should be mowed only after flowering and always green. Tomato, beet, rutabaga and turnip tops are given to animals no more than 150-200 g per head per day. Feeding more tops causes diarrhea, especially in young animals.

A nutritious and economically profitable forage crop is young green corn, which contains a lot of sugar and is readily eaten by guinea pigs. Corn is used as green fodder from the beginning of the shoot to the ejection of the panicle. It is given to adult animals up to 70% and to young animals up to 40% or more of the daily requirement of green food. The best results are obtained from corn in combination with alfalfa, clover and other grasses.

Spinach (Spinacia oleracia L.). The leaves of young plants are eaten. They contain various vitamins, rich in protein and salts of iron, phosphorus, calcium. 100 g of spinach contains a lot of potassium - 742 mg. From high temperature Spinach leaves quickly wither, so for long-term storage spinach is frozen, canned or dried. Fresh frozen, it can be stored at -1°C for 2-3 months.

Kale is an excellent food from late August until early winter. Thus, kale can be fed to animals until late autumn and during the first half of winter.

Juicy feed are introduced into the diet in autumn-winter, when the supply of greenery stops. Succulent foods include root vegetables and melons. All of them are well eaten by animals and have high dietary properties, rich easily digestible carbohydrates, but are relatively poor in protein, fat and minerals, especially important ones such as calcium and phosphorus.

Yellow and red varieties of carrots, containing a lot of carotene, are the most valuable succulent root vegetable food. They are usually fed to females during pregnancy and lactation, to breeding males during the mating period, as well as to young animals.

Among other root vegetables, animals readily eat sugar beets, rutabaga, turnips, and turnips.

Rutabaga (Brassica napus L. subsp. napus) is cultivated for its edible roots. The color of the root vegetables is white or yellow, and upper part it, protruding from the soil, acquires a green, reddish-brown or purple tan. The pulp of the root vegetable is juicy, dense, yellow, less often white, sweetish, with a specific taste of mustard oil.

The rutabaga root contains 11 - 17% dry matter, including 5-10% sugars, represented mainly by glucose, up to 2% raw protein, 1.2% fiber, 0.2% fat and also 23-70 mg% ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamins B and P, potassium salts, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, sulfur. Root crops are well stored in basements and cellars at low temperatures and remain practically fresh all year round.

Root crops and leaves (tops) are readily eaten by domestic animals, so rutabaga is grown both as a food and as a forage crop.

Carrots, or table carrots (Daucus sativus (Hoffm.) Roehl) - a biennial plant from the Zotaceae family - are a valuable forage crop, its root crops are readily eaten by all species livestock and birds. Special varieties of fodder carrots have been developed that differ large sizes root crops and, therefore, high yields. Not only root vegetables are used as food, but also carrot leaves.

Carrot roots contain 10-19% dry matter, including up to 2.5% protein and up to 12% sugars. Sugars provide the pleasant flavor of carrot roots. In addition, root vegetables contain pectin, vitamins C (up to 20 mg%), B1, B2, B6, E, K, P, PP, calcium salts, phosphorus, iron, cobalt, boron, chromium, copper, iodine and other trace elements. But carrots give special value high concentration in the roots of the coloring matter carotene (up to 37 mg%). In humans and animals, carotene is converted into vitamin A, which is often deficient. Thus, eating carrots is beneficial not so much because of its nutritional properties, how much due to the fact that it gives the body almost all the necessary vitamins.

Turnips (Brassica rapa L.) are grown for their edible root. The pulp of the root vegetable is juicy, yellow or white, distinctive good taste. They contain from 8 to 17% dry matter, including 3.5-9% sugars, represented mainly by glucose, up to 2% crude protein, 1.4% fiber, 0.1% fat, and 19-73 mg% ascorbic acid (vitamin C), 0.08-0.12 mg% thiamine (vitamin B1), a little riboflavin (vitamin B2), carotene (provitamin A), nicotinic acid(vitamin PP), potassium salts, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, sulfur. The mustard oil it contains gives the turnip root its specific aroma and pungent taste. In winter, root crops are stored in cellars and basements. The best preservation is ensured in the dark at a temperature of 0° to 1°C, especially if the root crops are sprinkled with dry sand or peat chips. Turnip fodder is called turnips. Not only root vegetables are used as food, but also turnip leaves.

Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L. subsp. esculenta Guerke), a biennial plant from the goosefoot family, is one of the best succulent forages. Root vegetables of different varieties differ in shape, size, and color. Typically, the root vegetable of table beet does not exceed half a kilogram weight with a diameter of 10-20 cm. The pulp of root vegetables comes in a variety of shades of red and crimson. Leaves with a heart-shaped-ovate blade and rather long petioles. The petiole and central vein are usually colored intensely burgundy, and often the entire leaf blade is red-green.

Both root vegetables and leaves and their petioles are eaten. Root vegetables contain 14-20% dry matter, including 8-12.5% sugars, represented mainly by sucrose, 1-2.4% crude protein, about 1.2% pectin, 0.7% fiber, and also up to 25 mg% of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamins B1, B2, P and PP, malic, tartaric, lactic acid, potassium salts, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium. The content of vitamin C in beet petioles is even higher than in root vegetables - up to 50 mg%.

Beetroot is also convenient because its root vegetables, compared to other vegetables, have good shelf life - they do not spoil for a long time during long-term storage, and are easily preserved until spring, which allows you to feed them fresh almost all year round. Even though they become rough and tough, this is not a problem for rodents; they willingly eat any beets.

Special varieties of beets have been bred for feed purposes. The color of fodder beet roots is very different - from almost white to intense yellow, orange, pink and reddish. Their nutritional value is determined by the content of 6-12% sugar, some protein and vitamins.

Potato, or tuberous nightshade (Solarium tuberosum L.) is a perennial herbaceous plant from the nightshade family. The tubers are used as food. They contain 25% dry matter, including 14-22% carbohydrates, represented mainly by starch, 1-3% protein, 0.3% fat, and up to 1% ash.

Potato tubers have nutritional value primarily due to the starch they contain. About a fifth of the tuber's mass is pure starch. In the human and animal bodies, starch is broken down into simple sugars. And they are absorbed by the body, giving energy to the tissues.

But potatoes are famous not only for their starch. It also contains proteins, so necessary for the body, as well as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamins B1, B2, B6, PP, K. Young tubers are richer in vitamins. And although the content of proteins and vitamins in potatoes is small, due to the fact that it is consumed in large portions, a noticeable amount of these substances enters the body. Potatoes also contain carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the body. Tubers with yellowish flesh are richer in them. Potassium contained in potatoes is also very important for the body. It enhances kidney function and helps eliminate excess salts. Raw potato tubers and fresh juice of which have healing properties.

Root and tuber crops, especially in winter, play an important role in feeding animals. Root vegetables (turnips, beets, etc.) should be given raw, chopped; They are first cleared of soil and washed.

Vegetables and root vegetables are prepared for feeding as follows: sort, discard rotten, flabby, discolored root crops, also remove soil, debris, etc. Then cut out the affected areas with a knife, wash and cut into small pieces.

Melon crops - pumpkin, zucchini, watermelon - contain a lot of water (90% or more), as a result of which their overall nutritional value is low, but they are eaten by animals quite readily.

Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L var, giromontia Duch.) is a good forage crop. It is grown for its fruits. The fruits reach commercial (technical) ripeness 40-60 days after emergence. In a state of technical ripeness, the skin of zucchini is quite soft, the flesh is juicy, white, and the seeds have not yet become covered with a hard shell. The pulp of squash fruits contains from 4 to 12% dry matter, including 2-2.5% sugars, pectin substances, 12-40 mg% ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Later, when the zucchini fruits reach biological ripeness, they nutritional value drops sharply because the pulp loses its juiciness and becomes almost as tough as the outer bark, in which a layer of mechanical tissue develops - sclerenchyma. Ripe zucchini fruits are only suitable for livestock feed.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Cucumbers suitable for food in biological sense They are 6-15 day old ovaries. Their color in marketable condition (i.e., unripe) is green; when fully biologically ripe, they become yellow, brown or off-white. Cucumbers contain from 2 to 6% dry matter, including 1-2.5% sugars, 0.5-1% crude protein, 0.7% fiber, 0.1% fat, and up to 20 mg% carotene ( provitamin A), vitamins B1, B2, some trace elements (in particular iodine), calcium salts (up to 150 mg%), sodium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, etc. It is especially worth mentioning the glycoside cucurbitacin contained in cucumber. Usually we don’t notice it, but in cases where this substance accumulates, the cucumber or its individual parts, most often the surface tissues, become bitter and inedible. 94-98% of the mass of a cucumber is water, therefore, the nutritional value of this vegetable is low. Cucumber promotes better absorption others food products, in particular improves fat absorption. The fruits of this plant contain enzymes that increase the activity of B vitamins.

Edible tomato, or common tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill). Not only fully ripe, but also unripe, green fruits are used for food. In fresh fruits - 4.4-8% dry matter, including 1.5-7% sugars, represented mainly by monosaccharides (glucose and fructose), up to 1.6% crude protein, starch, fiber, pectin substances . They also contain up to 55 mg% ascorbic acid (vitamin C), 0.8-1.2 mg% carotene (provitamin A), 0.3-1.6 mg% thiamine (vitamin B1), 1.5-6 mg % riboflavin (vitamin B2), pantothenic, nicotinic, folic, citric and malic acids, mineral salts, vitamin K. Consumption of tomatoes causes increased excretion gastric juice, which promotes better absorption of food.

Concentrated and other feeds

Cereals, cakes, bran, mineral and vitamin supplements.

Grain feed

The best grain food for guinea pigs is oats. Wheat, barley, corn, sunflower seeds, lentils, millet, peas, peanuts, vetch, soybeans and their waste are also fed. Grain feed makes up approximately 30% of the total feed balance.

It is not advisable to feed guinea pigs with a single grain mixture, and simply put, it is impossible - their productivity decreases and obesity is possible. This is explained by the fact that grain mixtures, despite their high energy nutritional value, are deficient in some vital amino acids, minerals and vitamins (A1, B12, C, D). To increase the value of feed, it is necessary to include in the diets in addition to grain mixtures: in summer - fresh greens, and in winter - grass meal or hay, root vegetables and vegetables.

As an owner pet, your main goal should be to take care of his health and well-being. The main way to achieve this goal is to ensure your pet is healthy balanced diet. Guinea pigs, like all other pets, require certain nutrients to thrive. If you take the time to study the proper feeding of guinea pigs, you will make a significant contribution to ensuring your dear pet a long and happy life.

Steps

Ensuring a properly balanced diet

Give your guinea pigs hay. Guinea pigs love hay. They need it to maintain healthy teeth and digestive system. Access to hay should be unlimited, which often means filling a fairly large bowl with hay 3-5 times a day.

Overall, the best hay for all guinea pigs is timothy hay. They enjoy eating it and playing with it. This type Hay is suitable for guinea pigs of any age.
Alfalfa hay is very high in calcium, so it is not suitable for feeding to adult guinea pigs other than as an occasional treat. Even if your guinea pig enjoys alfalfa hay, you should use it in moderation. It should not form part of your guinea pig's daily diet. Think of it as a treat or dessert.
- Alfalfa hay should be fed to pregnant and lactating guinea pigs, as well as guinea pigs under 4 months of age.
To diversify your guinea pigs' food, you can periodically use other types of hay. Among them we should mention meadow hay, bluegrass hay, oat hay and hedgehog hay.
Choose soft hay that is green in color, as yellow and hard hay is essentially straw.
Usually, hay can be easily purchased at pet stores, but often it sits there for too long, which is not very beneficial for guinea pigs. You can try buying hay directly from farmers or through veterinary clinics, which will often be a cheaper and healthier alternative.

Give your guinea pig a cup of fresh vegetables daily. The main thing is to provide her with a lot of variety so that the diet becomes as balanced as possible. It is useful to give guinea pigs celery, carrots, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, kale, a little raw broccoli, and also not large quantities spinach and pea pods.

Additionally, feed your guinea pig pelleted food. Be aware that pelleted food is high in calories, so excess amounts can cause obesity and dental problems in your pet. Feed your guinea pig only 1/8 to 1/4 cup of pellets per day as a supplement to the rest of its diet.
- Look for pelletized guinea pig food with added vitamin C. This vitamin plays very important role for the guinea pig's body, so it must be present in its diet.
- Avoid buying cereal flakes as guinea pigs can be very selective about what they eat.
- Always purchase kibble food specifically formulated for guinea pigs. Food for rabbits and other rodents is not suitable for guinea pigs, as they contain different proportions of vital nutrients and vitamins.
Try to provide your guinea pig with a balanced diet rather than trying to achieve balance with multivitamins or salt rocks. These supplements are not necessary if you feed your animal correctly. If your pet requires any supplements, try to provide them with veterinary-approved, high-fiber supplements.

Control the amount of food you give your guinea pig. Guinea pigs instinctively chew constantly and will eat as much as you give them. Monitor the amount of food you eat and follow balanced diet. Explain to young children, if they are the direct owners of a pet, that they should not overfeed the animal.

Give your guinea pig food in ceramic bowls. Guinea pigs chew on anything that their teeth can grab onto, including bowls. Give preference to a heavy ceramic bowl that will be difficult for your pet to turn over and destroy with his teeth.

Keep the food fresh. Leftover food that has not been eaten during the day should be removed from the cage without delay. Guinea pigs can be selective eaters, and leaving any food inside the cage for a long time is unlikely to make it more tempting in the eyes of the animal. If your guinea pig has ignored a piece of food all day, it probably won't eat it anymore, so it's best to remove it to avoid making a mess in the cage.

Adjust the amount of food if your guinea pig begins to lose or gain weight. The amount of food a guinea pig needs depends on its age, lifestyle and health status. Therefore, to keep your pet in optimal health, the amount of food you give him may vary over time.
Ensure constant availability of water. Place a water bowl in your guinea pig's cage so that he always has access to clean water. Make sure the drinking bowl is always full. If you don't provide your guinea pig with water, it can become seriously ill.
- The best drinking bowls for guinea pigs and rabbits are those with a metal spout and a ball at the end.
- If your guinea pig lives in an outdoor enclosure, make sure he doesn't freeze in the winter.
- Keep the spout of the drinker clean and regularly clean it of food debris and other contaminants using a cotton swab. Clean the drinking bowl itself with raw rice with added water. It must be placed in a drinking bowl and shaken vigorously. This way you can remove the overgrown green algae from the walls of the drinker.
Allow your guinea pig to graze on your lawn periodically. If you have a lawn that is not treated with chemicals or used as a toilet by other animals, then you can let your guinea pig graze on it. Give her a fully fenced outdoor pen and let her out there for a walk on warm, fine days. The main thing is that it is not windy outside and the temperature is kept between 15-24 °C.
- Let your guinea pig roam in the pen only under supervision. Despite the fact that guinea pigs are sometimes even kept in outdoor enclosures, they should not be left unattended in an open pen. They may find a way to escape and also be attacked by predators.
- The pen must have a shady place where the guinea pig can hide from the sun or in case of fright.
- Move the pen periodically from day to day to ensure your guinea pigs keep your lawn mowed and fertilized evenly.

Guinea pigs can have individual eating preferences. If they constantly leave something uneaten, then they probably don't like the food. However, you should not be upset in this situation, as sometimes guinea pigs take time to try food that is unfamiliar to them. This is especially true for young or recently purchased guinea pigs from a pet store, when the animals have previously been familiar with only one type of food in their lives. In this case, they still need to get used to the variety of tastes.

Guinea pigs are easy to care for. But when it comes to nutrition, it is better to be careful so as not to inadvertently harm your beloved animal. In this article you can find answers to the main questions: What do guinea pigs eat? What to feed a guinea pig at home and how many times a day? How to feed guinea pigs?

Feeding rules

Proper nutrition is about caring for your pet’s health, as well as the condition of its hair and teeth. Daily diet Guinea pig should consist of:

dry food – 20%;
succulent feed – 20%;
green fodder – 10%;
hay – 50%.

By observing several simple rules feeding, you can maintain your guinea pig's health in order:

Rodents are fed 3 times a day.
The feeder is not removed from the cage; the pig must always have food.
The presence of hay in the cage is mandatory; the supply of hay must be established immediately.
If dry food is not included in the pet’s menu, then the portion of fresh vegetables and herbs is increased to 150 grams. per day.
It is better to diversify your diet by offering different foods every day.
Ideally, a daily portion of food contains at least 3 types of vegetables and herbs.
Collecting herbs near roads and factories is prohibited.
It is recommended to give fruits in the first half of the day, and dry food in the second half of the day.

Dry food

Dry food is sold in pet stores and can frighten a novice pig breeder with its variety. To select a product, you can use the recommendations of experienced breeders and rely on the information indicated on the package:

The high content of fatty components (seeds, nuts), sugar, cellulose and animal proteins indicates that the mixture is not suitable for daily use.
The presence of dyes does not justify itself; the pet does not care what color the granules are.
The composition should be balanced with a predominance of cereals;
The content of coarse fibers and vegetable proteins is at least 20%.
Vitamin C is a must.

Preparing such a mixture yourself will not be difficult. The feed usually includes:

cereals;
seeds;
corn;
legumes;
dried fruits;
dried vegetables;
herbal component.

Green food

The benefits of green food are obvious:

natural food of guinea pigs;
have a good effect on digestion;
provide the body essential vitamins and other useful substances.

Among the plants there are poisonous ones that can harm the health of rodents. When collecting grass, it is recommended to focus on the list of permitted feed:

alfalfa;
dandelion;
tops (carrots and beets);
clover;
plantain;
chamomile;
tansy;
whine;
young sedge;
yarrow;
dill;
parsley;
spinach;
salad;
sprouted grains;
celery;
leaves of garden berries;
mint.

Hay

The most important product on a guinea pig's menu is hay. The piglets love him very much. For the animal this is not only a source necessary substances, but also care for teeth, as well as a stimulant for the digestive system.

You can make hay yourself. It must be dried for at least 2 months, avoiding moisture.

When buying a finished product, you should also check it for the presence of a putrid odor.

Juicy food

Beneficial for the digestion and teeth of the pig is also juicy food. Vegetables and fruits – healthy treat for guinea pigs. To a greater extent it should be vegetables:

carrot;
pumpkin;
beet;
cauliflower and white cabbage;
cucumbers;
zucchini;
bell pepper;
rutabaga and turnip.

Sometimes animals are offered fruits and berries as treats:

apples;
pears;
cherries;
plums;
peaches;
apricots;
citrus fruits (very rarely).

Seeds, nuts and other foods

Active pigs need high-calorie foods. In this case, sunflower seeds, flax and sesame seeds, as well as nuts, are indispensable. If the animal gains weight too quickly, these foods are excluded from the diet.

You can give wheat bran to rodents, green peas, sometimes cereals.
It is very useful to give your pet branches of fruit trees to wear down teeth and replenish mineral reserves.
Dried fruits are suitable as a “holiday” treat. In large quantities they are dangerous for the animal.

Vitamins and minerals

Here we should dwell separately on vitamin C. The body of guinea pigs is designed in such a way that vitamin C is not produced in it at all. To compensate for its deficiency, the animal needs to consume foods rich in this vitamin. Additionally, ascorbic acid is added to the rodents' drink.

Others important components To maintain the life of guinea pigs are salt and calcium. The animal can obtain them in the form of mineral stones.

Vitamins K and B are absorbed in the body of animals only during secondary processing, so pigs often eat their litter. You should not stop your pet if he does this.

Also as food additives Meat and bone meal and fish oil can be added to the diet of guinea pigs.

Water

Having a fresh portion of drink in your pet's cage is a must. 250 ml is enough for one animal. Pregnant females require more fluid.

Use boiled water wrong. Filtered or bottled water. It is necessary to carefully monitor the cleanliness of the drink, since an infection can enter the animal’s body along with garbage.

Prohibited Products

It has already been said above that some foods are harmful to guinea pigs. In order not to harm his pet, the owner needs to know the list of foods that piglets should not eat:

chocolate, candies and other sweets;
baked goods and pasta;
potato;
saltiness, smokedness;
products of animal origin;
burdock;
sorrel;
green onions;
salad mustard;
mushrooms;
chestnuts;
garlic;
horseradish;
radish;
salt, spices, sugar.

Which tree branches are prohibited from giving:

oak;
rowan;
buckthorn;
willow;
hornbeam;
elm;
all coniferous branches.

Pregnant pig and newborn piglets: feeding and care

A pregnant guinea pig and small piglets require special care. The expectant mother needs to eat regularly. Her menu should be enriched with vitamins and protein. It is better if during this period the animal eats sprouted wheat grains, beets, carrots and alfalfa.

Part of the pet's cage is shaded and a drinking bowl is installed there. Milk is added to the female's drink. It is also recommended to drink rosehip infusion or tomato juice.

If the new mother does not have milk, the owner will have to take care of it and feed the newborn pigs themselves from a syringe. Caring for offspring is a responsible and enjoyable activity. Cream (10%) is used as food for piglets. You will also need to give the kids the drug Linex.

Feed small pigs every hour, 1 ml. The required amount of cream is drawn into the insulin syringe (without a needle). 1/10 of the Linex capsule is added to the mixture. This mash is very nutritious and healthy. The food, warmed to room temperature, is squeezed out drop by drop. From the second week, the offspring can be fattened dairy-free porridge. Gradually, the kids are transferred to “adult” food.