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Food they can eat and what they really like

Guinea Pig food list

in Feeding guinea pigs

[Auto translated] There is a huge variety of plant you can feed your Guinea Pigs with. They are really vegans and like nearly everything which grows on ground. We provide an detailed list of food your Guinea Pigs might really like – and also a blacklist which food should not be provided to your cavies for some reason. This might help you to build up a proper diet for your cavies.

What do Guinea Pigs like to eat?

  1. Vegetables – toxic
  2. Fruits – toxic
  3. Herbs – toxic
  4. Branches & leaves – toxic
  5. Diet plan

Hay, vegetables, fruits, branches, herbs and other plant. There is very much you can feed your Guinea Pigs. Cavies listen to their natural instinct and really like to eat what grows on ground – raw. Most of all feed hay! This has to be provided permanent. You do your best to your cavies if you provide fresh picked grass too (please no lawn cuttings!). That is way cheaper than any colorful package of junk food from the pet shop and much more healthy as well. Leave the pet shop food untouched (have a look to the dry food / pellets article)!

Fresh Grass is a great seasonal food for their diet from spring to fall but you have to pay attention if you start to feed grass each year. Start with short amount of it and increase every day a bit. This guarantees that cavies will be softly get into the way of it. At winter season you should replace grass with fresh vegetables to keep them healthy with a diet rich in vitamins. Fruits should be always handled like candy and should not be provided that much. Herbs can be provided fresh or dried permanent in any quantity.

A special highlight for Guinea Pigs are these pants who are outside their accessible area. Small branched from trees and leaves are really liked. But do not aimless cut branches from trees in the wood.

Vegetables for Guinea Pigs

Vegetables should be the main fresh food in their nutrition plan at the winter season if/and there is no way to get fresh grass. Of course vegetables does not replace hay. Fresh hay has to be provided permanent. All green marked vegetables can be used for proper diet.

Vegetable Hints / notes
Aubergine / eggplant Only the fit without the green.
Asparagus Highly diuretic, feed rarely.
Beetroot Feed carefully because of it oxialic acid. May take color on urine and feces. Can be provided with the green.
Broccoli High amount of vitamin C. Contains oxialic acid. Provide it increasing.
Carrot Rich in calories. Do not feed every da. Can be provided with the green. May take color on urine.
Celery Can be provided complete. Peel if it is root celery.
Chicory Not the outer leaves because of its high amount of oxialic acid.
Chinese cabbage
Corn Only the green!
Cucumber Very popular food for cavies.
Endive rich in vitamins and minerals / appetizing
Fennel rich in vitamins and minerals. Can take on color on urine. Helpful by digestive complaints
field salad Feed carefully in small amounts because of its nitrate (This can cause flatulence and diarrhea)
Frisee
Green oats
iceberg lettuce Only small amounts because of its nitrate (This can cause flatulence and diarrhea)
Kohlrabi Provide it increasing and rarely
Lettuce Provide rarly because of its nitrate (can cause flatulence and diarrhea)
Lollo Bianco Lollo BiondaLollo Rosso
Mangel / mangold Contains oxialic acid. Provide it rarely
Paprika Provide without stalk and oly ripe. Rich in vitamin C
parsley root
Parsnip
Pumpkin Decorative gourds are no food!
Radicchio
Radish Only feed the green!
red oak leaf lettuce
Rocket Feed rarely. Contains the ethereous mustard seed oil.
Rutabaga Very good food for winter season. Rich in vitamins.
Spinach Because of its oxialic acid you sould provide it rarely
Sunchoke Entire plant can be provided
Swede / rutabaga
Sweet potato / yam / kumera Rich in sugar and starch. Feed rarely. Can be provided with peel.
Tomato Contains acid. Feed rarely.
Turnip
Turnip greens Rich in vitamin C
Zucchini / Courgette Not liked by all Guinea Pigs

Toxic vegetables for Guinea Pigs

  • Onion family / garlic family / bulbous plant
    Plant of the onion family (contains leek and chive too)  causes flatulence.
  • Cabbage in higher quantity
    Cabbage can cause flatulence and diarrhea
  • Leguminous plants / legume
  • Potato
    Starch of potato is stodgy for Guinea Pigs

  • Avocado

Fruits for Guinea Pigs

Fruits should be handled as sweets for cavies and not to be provided too much (may be once a week) because of its fructose and fruit acids.

Fruit Hints / notes
Apple Do not feed if one of your cavies has lip grind.
Banana Rich in sugar. Do not feed if one of your cavies has Diabetes. Can cause constipation.
Grape Provide rarely and without nubs
Kiwi Fruit acids irritate mouth. Feed rarely.
Mandarin Fruit acids irritate mouth. Feed rarely.
Melon Rich in sugar.
Orange Fruit acids irritate mouth. Feed rarely.
Pear Rich in sugar. Do not feed if one of your cavies has Diabetes. Can cause diarrhea.
Rose hip Can be provided fresh or parched. Rich in vitamin C
Strawberry Can be provided with the green.

Toxic fruits for Guinea Pigs

  • Stone fruit (all kinds)
    Contains cyanide and is rich in sugar. Can cause diarrhea.
  • All kinds of exotic fruits like mango, papaya, pomegranate
    Causes serious indigestion and colics.
  • Rhubarb
    Rich in oxialic acid

Herbs for Guinea Pigs

Fresh herbs can be provided without limitation. Dry herbs might be provided only a handful once a week cause the cavies run in trouble clearing their water balance otherwise. All herbs can be provided fresh or dried.

Herb Hints / notes
Blackgrass / slender meadow foxtail
Aaron's beard / rose of Sharon Helps against anorexia and wound healing.
Alfalfa Only fresh
Arnica / leopard's bane
Balm Helps against digestive complaints
Basil / sweet / common
Bramble / blackberry bush
Broardleaf plantain / waybread
Buckhorn plaintain Can attenuate cold
Caraway
Chamomile / camomile Helps against digestive complaints, anti-inflammatory.
Chickweed
Clary, sage, salvia Only provide small amounts
Coltsfoot / foalfoot / coughwort
Common borage
Coriander anticonvulsant, appetizing
Corn stalk without the grain
Currant bush
Curry plant Provide rarely and just a little
Dandelion / hawkbit diuretic & appetizing
Dill appetizing, diurectic, stimulate milkflow
Echinacea build up resistance, to feed only healthy cavies
Gallant soldier
Golliwog Potted plant which can be provided
Goosefoot
Goutweed
Gowan / annual daisy / fleabane
Grass Provide only fresh picked. Can be provided massive
Holy thistle / milk thistle
Lamium / Dead-nettle
Lavender
Lemon mint
Lovage anticonvulsant & diuretic
Marygold blossom
Melissa / balm anticonvulsant & diuretic
Mint / spearmint Not for breastfeed cavies.
Mugwort / wormwood
Nettle Provide dried only. Rich in vitamin C. Diurectic
Oregano
Origan / majoram
Parsley not for breastfeed cavies. Only small amounts to pregnant Guinea Pigs. Take effekt on birth inducing
Peppermint anticonvulsant, Not for breastfeed cavies.
Raspberry bush / cane
Rosemary
Shepherd's purse
Sorrel
Sunflower only the plant without the leaf and pits
Tarragon Appetizing
Thyme provide by respiratory infection
Valerian root
Yarrow / milfoil appetizing, helpful by cystitis or kidney disease

Toxic herbs for Guinea Pigs - Herbs black list

  • Acanthus
  • Agave
  • Arum
  • Autumn crocus
  • Belladonna
  • Boxwood
  • Broom
  • Buddleia
  • Buttercup
  • Christmas Rose
  • Cyclamen
  • Daffodils
  • Datura
  • Elder
  • Ferns
  • Geraniums
  • Holly
  • Honeysuckle
  • Ivy
  • Juniper
  • Laburnum
  • Lily
  • Lily of the valley
  • Lupine
  • Monkshood
  • Oleander
  • Primrose
  • Snowdrop
  • Thimble
  • Tree of Life
  • Windflower
  • Yews

Branches and leaves

Tree / brances Hints / notes
Alder Provide in small amounts only
Apple Can be provided in lage amounts
Beech, european beech Provide in small amounts only. Rich in oxialic acid
Birch Rich in tannic acid. Provide rarely
Cherry
Currant Can be provided in lage amounts
Fir Provide rarely. Not really liked by all Guinea Pigs.
Hazelnut Can be provided in lage amounts
Lime
Maple Feed rarely
Pear Can be provided in lage amounts
Pine Provide rarely. Not really liked by all Guinea Pigs.
Plum
Spruce Provide rarely. Not really liked by all Guinea Pigs.
Willow, corkscrew willow

Incompatible or toxic branches, foliage, plant leaves for Guinea Pigs - black list

  • Yew and thuja
  • Oak
    poisoning. Can cause diarrhea, colics and anorexia

Feeding planner / Scheduler for Guinea Pigs

time Notes
in the morning large amount of hey, provide first fresh food
at noon provide the second meal of fresh food
at afternoon provide the third meal of fresh food / may be some fruits
in the evening provide the last meal of fresh food
Fresh hay has to be provided all time. Water has to be filled up from time to time. Only use clear and fresh water. There is no reason to provide special "rodent-water" from the pet shop if you take care about the food for your Guinea Pigs. Fresh food are always undried vegetables or fresh picked grass which is natural rich in water. You should provide at least 10% fresh food of its Cavys own weight each day. Fruits should only be provided once a week due to its fruit acids and fructose.

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