Guinea Pigs
Guinea pigs make great pets – being gentle, fun and smart enough to learn simple tricks. Give them a clean, safe place to live and a good quality, high fibre diet, as well as plenty of hay to chew!
Caring for guinea pigs, naturally
The way that you care for and interact with your guinea should reflect their natural behaviour as a prey species and herd animal. How does this influence their behaviour?
- Spend a long time grazing on high fibre plant material
- Can be easily startled or frightened
- Docile and likely to hide or run to escape from danger, so need a secure, covered area to retreat to
- May mask signs of illness – making it difficult to tell when they are ill
- Communicate extensively with other guinea pigs using chirps, rumbling and squeaks.
It all adds up to some core essentials that will help keep your guinea pig happy and healthy…
- High fibre diet
- Somewhere safe to live
- Guinea pig companions
Our guinea pig food, bedding and treats
Our experts have been making healthy foods for guinea pigs for many years. If you are wondering what to feed or how to care for your guinea pig – look no further. We have a complete range to meet all their needs.
Guinea Pig Bedding
How can you keep your guinea pig clean and comfortable? Make the right choice so cleaning out the hutch is quick and simple.
Guinea Pig Treats
Naturally high fibre, low sugar treats – we have a wide range of healthy snacks that guinea pigs enjoy, to help you build a bond with your pet.
Our Supreme Veterinary Range for Guinea Pigs
From time to time, your vet may make a specific dietary recommendation to help support your guinea pig if they are ill or lethargic. That can also include times when your guinea pig is recovering from surgery or illness. Our Recovery Plus diet is a popular option recommended by many veterinary professionals.
Why our guinea pig foods are second to none
Guinea pig diets are very important because they don’t just deliver nutrition, eating also accounts a lot of time in a guinea pig’s life. Their food should be tasty and enjoyable but also high fibre so they spend lots of time chewing. It means their constantly growing teeth are kept trim as a result of this extensive chewing. By replicating foraging and grazing, high fibre foods help guinea pigs express their natural behaviour.
- High fibre and long fibre – which helps keep them healthy
- No added sugar – tasty because of the flavour of high-quality natural ingredients
- Nutritionally balanced with all the vitamins and minerals they need
Taking care – keeping guinea pigs clean and healthy
How can you keep guinea pigs clean and happy? Should you bathe a guinea pig? Is it necessary to groom a guinea pigs’s coat? There’s a lot to learn about guinea pigs and how to keep them healthy. Learn more about basic day to day guinea pig hygiene here.
Frequently asked questions about Guinea Pigs
Frequently asked questions about Guinea Pigs
Do guinea pigs need to have a friend?
Guinea pigs need the company of another guinea pig to keep them happy – they play together and snuggle up together and will often ‘talk’ to each other. Keep them as pairs or in small groups. Two or three males can often be housed together if they have enough space and no females close by. Females will often get along with other females in groups of two or three or even more. If a female and a male are kept together the male should be neutered to avoid breeding.
Are guinea pigs good pets?
If you are looking for a gentle and entertaining pet, guinea pigs are a great choice. They are more robust and easier to handle than some of the smaller rodents and very rarely ever bite. They can also be trained to come to their owner when called and will often give a vocal greeting. Like any pet, they require care and commitment. Their accommodation has to be cleaned out regularly and they need space to exercise and explore. They do, however, require much less space than a rabbit, making them a good choice for people with smaller homes and gardens.
How much guinea pig food to give?
Guinea pigs should be given a selection of foods each day. Hay is extremely important for their digestion and should be given daily. A mix or kibble will contain balanced nutrition and you should expect to feed around 40-50 grams a day. A small handful of leafy green vegetables is ideal. There’s room for a few small treats to help build a bond with your pet. And don’t forget fresh clean water in a bowl or a sipper bottle.
Need to know more?
For more detailed information about Guinea Pigs, you can contact us and we will get back to you with our experts’ advice. However, if you have any concerns about the health and well-being of your guinea pig, you should seek veterinary advice immediately.