A guide for guinea pig owners
Everything about guinea pigs — without the myths
Feeding, health, housing and behaviour in one place. With a food directory, a ration planner and a weight diary that do the maths for you.
Sections
Where to start
Tools
The ones that do the maths
No sign-up needed — they run in your browser, and everything you enter stays on your device.
The basis of the diet
What goes in the bowl every day
The most common mistake is swapping hay for everything else. A guinea pig that fills up on vegetables eats less hay — and gives its teeth less work.
Fruit
once a weekA small piece as a treat. High in sugar.
Vegetables
a piece once or twice a dayAn addition to the greens, not a replacement for them.
Greens and salads
daily, a mix of 3–5 kindsOne plant means one mineral imbalance.
Grass and hay
around the clock, unlimitedThe basis of the diet and the only thing that really wears the teeth down.
- Waterfresh every day, in a bottle and a bowl.
- Vitamin Cevery day, with food. In water it breaks down within hours.
- Pelletsoptional. If you feed them, choose grain- and seed-free, and only a little.
Tier width shows proportion, not exact percentages.
The short version
Four things that decide almost everything
- Hay always available
- It is the basis of the diet and the only thing that really wears the teeth down. An empty hay rack during the day is already a problem.
- Kinds of greens daily
- One plant means one mineral imbalance. A mix balances itself out.
- Vitamin C from food
- Guinea pigs, like us, cannot make it themselves. In water it breaks down within hours.
- Weighing
- Weight drops before any other sign of illness becomes visible.
Never list
Never feed these
Not «a little», not «occasionally» — never. If your guinea pig has eaten something from this list, call a vet without waiting for symptoms.
- Avocado
- Aubergine
- Nuts
- Potato
- Rhubarb leaves
- Tomato leaves and stems
- Onion
- Leek
- Garlic
- Ginger
Not on the list does not mean safe. Check the directory.