Are Guineas Selective?

Hay is a big part of a guinea pig’s life, never mind his diet!

There are claims that pellets can “prevent selective feeding”, can they? My guineas often select not to eat pellets or certain feeds/foodstuffs, can selection really be removed from guineas? Should the option to select food be removed? Who’s to say any issues aren’t because of a lack of something in the diet? How correct is it to control what your guinea pig eats to an extent where they may be forced to eat because they are hungry, not because they are selecting what’s best for them?

The main part of the diet should be hay; whilst our domesticated guinea pigs look very different to and live in a setting very unlike that of their wild ancestors they still have the same behavioural and physical needs that must be met. Hay also being very beneficial for foraging in, again use good hay, dusty hay is as bad as using shavings.

Removing the options only narrows down the choices a guinea pig has, if the option removed was incorrect then guinea is perhaps even more likely to select the foodstuff that may be detrimental to his well being because he has no choice. By increasing the amount of good eating hay given and feeding vegetables after hay the gut will be moving (and guinea pig metabolism is fast) and the guinea pigs less likely to be greedy. There is the exception to the rule, we’ve had one or two here who seem to think every meal is their last, I wonder if they were given given lots of hay and choice in their previous homes? However giving options that are known to be bad for guineas are not advisable! This might include treat sticks with seeds and honey or mineral licks.

On Planet Guinea we belive that all the needs of guinea pigs should be met:

  • Foraging: Good hay is excellent for foraging, a small pile for sitting on or a Bag of Fun stuffed with hay to create a mound and make the hay, in theory, last that bit longer, and perhaps a hay rack were “expensive Hay” are given. InВ  preference to hay racks are the willow balls that can be stuffed with hay, while keeping the hay clean they allow guinea to eat with their head at a more natural height; though hay racks can be lowered the problem here is that the guineas jump in them and sit on the hay- somewhat defeating the object!
  • Being allowed to graze 24/7: Guinea pigs only need 50g of fresh food daily and that won’t last them all day! Therefore it is important for them to have hay or grass forage (1 large handful between 2 guineas) to graze on to keep those digestive systems moving and promote the correct chewing action needed to wear down their consistently growing teeth.
  • To be able to express normal behaviour: “Normal behaviour” is foraging and sitting in a big pile of hay eating to their hearts content. The guinea pigs here choose hay over any other bedding every time, unfortunately they have to make do with Flax and piles of hay…
  • To be allowed to select from a variety of foods: Provide a variety of 5 fresh vegetables daily and rotate them throughout the week so the next day they will receive some different ones. If on top of this guinea pigs have a good supply of hay and a measured amount of dry food then they have the basis for being able to select different foods- if they wish to. It also allows the Human to observe what is being eaten and what might not be. Most guinea pigs will eat certain foods first and then the others. How boring would life be if we couldn’t choose?
  • To let guinea pigs live as guinea pigs and be guinea pigs: by observing all the above points this will achieve this point for the much part, we can’t recreate the natural environment, we can meet their needs.

These beliefs come from trying out a natural diet as recommended by our then vet to help to lessen the incidents of bladderstones with Henry. Henry’s friend Cloud was also put on a pellet free diet of just grass, hay and herbage for the summer but bothed “asked” for their dry food if they saw the others getting it. Variety and moderation of everything but when feeding vegetables look at giving a Ca:Ph balanced diet that contains a variety of vegetables and in moderation so as not to saturate the urine.

January 8, 2010   Posted in: Frequently Asked Questions

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