My guinea pig eats his regular hay and pellets. I try to feed him treats every once and awhile but he doesn't eat them. I was wondering what kind of fruits and veggies I could feed him besides carrots. Thanks!
Answers:
Fruits such as an apple slice, an orange slice, bits of banana, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries, or cut up seedless grapes can be given as an occasional treat. Do not feed these every day as they are high in sugar.
Things NOT to feed: Potato, onion, or any type of bulb vegetable. Iceburg lettuce gives them diarrhea. Make sure all seeds are removed from any fruit given to your piggies, as they can be poisonous. Do not give them any type of dairy products, including yogurt treats. Pigs are strict herbivores.
cherries,bananas, oranges,tomatoes--vitamin c
You can feed him oranges!
Apples,apricots, peaches, blueberries, blackberries, watermelon, peaches, papaya, bananan, kale, oranges, tomatoes, lettuce, celerey, cucumbers, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, white corn, endive, parsley, pumpkin (without the seeds) cantaloupe, cherries (without the seeds)cranberries, honeydew melon, grapefruit, grapes, kiwi, lime, mango, nectarine, plum, strawberries, and rasberries for more fruits look at the list on the link below
http://www.guinealynx.com/diet_fruit.htm...
apples, grapes, celery, or you can go out and buy treats for it. like yogurt drops. my rats and hamster love those and they make 'em for guinea pigs too
- Parsley - curly or plain (high in calcium)
- Cilantro / Chinese Parsley / Corriander greens
- Celery leaves
- Collard greens
- Mustard greens / Leaf Mustard
- Water Cress
- Garden Cress
- Swiss Chard, Red Chard
- Beet greens
- Spinach (feed in moderation, linked to formation of kidney %26 bladder stones)
- Carrot tops / leaves
- Peas in pods, Pea Shoots (not dried)
- Dandelion greens
- Grass - wheat, winter rye (grown in pots from seed)
- Kale - curly or plain
- Broccoli, Broccolini (stems are liked better than flowers)
- Broccoli Rabe / Rabe / Rapini
- Cauliflower / Broccoflower
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Red Cabbage
- Tuscan Cabbage / Cavolo Nero
- Savoy Cabbage
- Kohlrabi leaves
- Bell / Sweet Peppers - red, green, yellow (not hot or chile)
- Tomato (sores around mouth can develop; leaves poisonous; artificially grown can be low in vit C)
- Tamarillo (leaves poisonous)
- Orange (caution - sores around lips can develop)
- Tangerine / Mandarin (caution - sores around lips can develop)
- Grapefruit (caution - sores around lips can develop)
- Lemon, Lime (home-grown best, otherwise feed cautiously)
- Cantaloupe Melon
- Honeydew Melon
- Currants - yellow, red or black (leaves also edible)
- Gooseberries
- Strawberries
- Kiwi Fruit
- Mango
- Guava
- Feijoa / Pineapple Guava
- Papaya / Paw Paw / Tree Melon
- Persimmon - american or oriental
- Rosehip
LOW Vitamin C foods:
- Hay - timothy, meadow, alpine and others (must always be available)
- Alfalfa - green or dried (high calcium %26 calories - good for youngsters, pregnant %26 nursing sows)
- Romaine Lettuce
- Lettuces - red, green, butter, Boston and other (avoid iceberg)
- Frisee Lettuce
- Arugula / Rocket / Roquette / Rucola
- Green Endive
- Belgian Endive
- Radicchio / Italian Chicory
- Treviso Radicchio
- Salad mix (without iceburg lettuce)
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
- Anise
- Basil
- Dill
- Mint
- Thyme
- Chives (caution, feed in moderation)
- Green Onion tops (caution, feed in moderation)
- Green Leek tops (caution, feed in moderation)
- Sweet Onions (caution, feed in moderation)
- Celery stalks (cut into small pieces)
- Corn on the cob (strings, leaves %26 stalks are edible too)
- Bean Sprouts
- Green Beans in pods / String Beans (not dried)
- Carrots (feed in moderation, vit A in carrots said to cause liver problems)
- Yam / Sweet Potato (high in vit A? - leaves edible)
- Beets
- Celery Root / Celeriac
- Kohlrabi bulbs
- Radishes (if mild)
- Turnip
- Parsnip
- Rutabaga (aka Swede)
- Parsley root
- Cucumber (fresh only, not pickled)
- Squash - acorn, banana, butterhorn, spagetti, and others (feed in moderation)
- Zucchini
- Pumpkin
- Pineapple - fresh (sores around lips %26 mouth can develop)
- Apple (avoid seeds; if too tart, sores around lips %26 mouth can develop)
- Crabapple
- Pear
- Asian Pear
- Plum, Prune (dried high in sugar - as treat only)
- Nectarine
- Apricot
- Peach
- Cherries (remove pits)
- Cranberries (whole fruit, not concentrate or juice)
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Bilberries
- Blueberries
- Watermelon (can cause diarrhea - high water content)
- Banana (feed in great moderation - can cause constipation)
- Passion Fruit / Granadilla
- Grapes (in moderation, high in sugar)
- Figs (dried high in sugar - as treat only)
- Dates (dried high in sugar)
EDIBLE wild grasses, plants and herbs:
(make sure you know what you are picking! be sure to pick from places free of contaminants such as pesticides , exhaust fumes or animal urine ; pick plants that are healthy looking, without insect damage, fungus spots, breakage, or wilting)
- Grass (common grasses are edible, avoid ornamental grasses)
- Clover (Trifollium repens or Trifolium pratense)
- Dandelion (Teraxacum officinale) - pick leaves, stems, flowers (even root OK)
- Anise (Pimpinella anisum)
- Blackberry leaves (Rubus plicatus) - pick young %26 tender leaves and shoots
- Calendula (Calendula officinalis) - leaves and flowers
- Caraway (Carum carvi)
- Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis)
- Chickweed (Stellaria media)
- Cleavers / Stickyweed / Goosegrass / Bedstraw (Galium aparine)
- Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)
- Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaeae) - berries, leaves in moderation
- Cow Parsley (Anthiscus sylvestris)
- Dog Rose (Rosa canina) - ripe fruits
- Duckweed (Lemna minor) - aquatic
- Fennel (Foeniculum capillaceum)
- Field Violet / Wild Pansy (Viola tricolor)
- Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)
- Lemon Mint / Melissa (Melissa officinalis)
- Linden / Lime Tree (Tilia cordata or Tilia platyphyllos) - flowers with pale yellow leaflets
- Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)
- Pepermint (Mentha piperita)
- Plantain (Plantago major or Plantago lanceolata)
- Raspberry leaves (Rubus idaeus) - pick young %26 tender leaves and shoots
- Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
- Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)
- Silverweed (Potentilla anserina)
- Vetch (Vicia x)
- Yarrow (Achllea millefolium)
- Whortleberry / Heidelberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) - berries, leaves in moderation
- Wild Chamomile (Matricaria chammomilla)
- Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) - berries and leaves
AVOID Danger foods:
- Iceburg Lettuce (low nutrition, high water)
- Hot Peppers / Chiles / Paprikas
- Hot herbs and spices
- Pickled veggies (dills, capers, sour krauts)
- Garlic or pungent onions (will not poison pigs, )
- Tomato leaves %26 stalks (poisonous)
- Tomatillo leaves %26 stalks (poisonous)
- Rhubarb (poisonous)
- Seeds (choking hazard)
- Dry beans and peas
- Nuts (too high in fat)
- Avocado (too high in fat)
- Coconut (too high in fat)
- Horseradish (leaves probably ok, root too pungent)
- Mushrooms
- Potatos (poisonous if green or sprouted) - sweet patatos / yams are ok
- Taro (dangerous if eaten raw / unprepared)
- Jams, jellies and fruit preserves (too high in sugar)
- Fruit juices (sugar-free, or unsweetened juices are OK)
- Teas, coffee, colas
- Fried, cooked and otherwise prepared foods
- Peanut butter, cakes, cookies, baked goods
- Milk and milk products
- Wild grasses, plants and herbs that you are unsure of, or that look different from ones you know
- Flowers (commercially grown decorative plants contain preservatives %26 pesticides)
- Canned veggies
Asian Fruit and Vegetables: (I tried to include names in various languages when possible)
- Abiu / Caimo / Canistel / Dan Huang Guo
- Bamboo Shoots
- Banana Leaves
- Betel Leaves / La Lop
- Bitter Melon / Bitter Gourd / Balsam Pear / Balsam Pod (must remove seeds)
- Chinese Broccoli / Gai Lum / Kai Lan / Kairan
- Chinese Flowering Cabbage / Choy Sum / Sawi Manis / Saishin
- Chinese Cabbage / Wong Baak / Kubis Gna / Hakusai
- Pe-Tsai Cabbage
- Chinese Chard / Bok Choy / Pak Choy / Pak Tsoi / Pechay
- Baby Bok Choy
- Chinese Spinach / Amaranth / Een Choy / In Tsoi / Bayam / Santonsai
- Chinese Mustard / Gai Choy / Kaai Tsoi / Mustaa / Ha Karashina / Cai Xanh
- Chinese Keys / Khao Chae / Suo Shi / Temu Kunchi (like ginger)
- Chinese Long Beans / Yard-Long Beans / Asparagus Beans / Dau Gok
- Chocolate Fruit / Black Persimmon / Black Sapote / Kaki Noir
- Durian / Dourian / Lau Lin
- Ginger Root
- Hairy Melon / Moa Gua
- Jute / Jew's Mallow / Meloukhia / Meloukhiya Sheitaani
- Kaffir Lime Leaves
- Longan / Litchi Ponceau / Loon Ngan / Lengkleng (like Lychee)
- Lychee
- Mangosteen / Saan Jook / Manggis
- Sin Qua / Luffa - smooth and angled
- Soursop / Guanabana
- Star Apple
- Taro / Woo Tau / Dalo / Sato-Imo leaves (leaves ok? raw taro root poisonous )
- Water Spinach / Convolvulus / Ung Choy / Yeung Choy / Kang Kung
- White Radish / Daikon / Loh Baak / Mu
- White Sapote / Casimiroa
- Winter Melon / Wax Melon / Dong Gua
- Yam Bean / Jicama / Di Gwa / Sinkamas / Seng Kuang / Kuzuimo (root ok?, leaves %26 stems poisonous)
- Yam / Shuyu / Ubi / Yama Imo (this tuber is safe for guinea pigs to eat)
Guinea pigs need a required 10mg a day of vitamin c, without vegetables and fruit he will not get this amount. I have included a chart that has list of vegetables and fruit that he can eat and the amount of each piece of food that it takes to get the 10mg a day that they need:
http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/guineas/...
http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/guineas/...
You have to get your guinea pig into a routine quickly because he really needs the vitamins that he gets out of the fresh produce.
This is another table that also has a list of foods that you could give him:
Some Fruit, vegetables and herbs that are safe to feed a guinea pig are listed below with the mg Vitamin C per 100 grams marked in brackets (according to the USDA Nutrient Database).
Apple (seedless) (5.70)
Asparagus (13.20)
Basil (18.00)
Beet Greens
Broccoli (93.20)
Brussel Sprouts (85.00)
Cabbage (32.20)
Cantaloup Melon
Carrots (9.30), Baby Carrots (8.40)
Carrot Tops
Cauliflower leaves and stalks (88.10)
Celery (7.00)
Chicory Greens (24.00)
Chinese Parsley
Cilantro
Corriander greens
Cucumber (5.30)
Endive (6.50)
Garden Cress
Grapefruit
Gooseberries
Guava
Honeydew Melon
Kale (120.00)
Kiwi Fruit (98.00)
Mango
Mustard greens
Orange (71.00)
Parsley (133.00) - a good tonic
Parsnip (17.00)
Peas (40.00)
Red Cabbage (57.00)
Red Chard
Romaine Lettuce (24.00)
Savoy Cabbage (31.00)
Spinach (28.10)
Strawberries
Swiss Chard
Tangerine (30.80)
Tomatoes (variable dependent on variety and season)
Turnip Greens (60.00)
Tuscan Cabbage
Water Cress
Some vegetables and herbs that should not be fed are:
Potato and Potato Tops
Rhubarb and Rhubarb Leaves
Tomato leaves
Tamarillo leaves
Guinea pigs need 4 or 5 different types of fresh produce twice a day. I find that parsley is a great hit along with grass.
You should also do floor time, this can be done inside or outside but I prefer to do it outside, this is because they can eat grass which is very healthy for them.
Good Luck:)
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