If you have done some research on pet guinea pigs, you are probably aware that they require pellets. While pellets are not the biggest part of their diet, they do serve an important purpose and provide health benefits.
In today’s article, we will discuss exactly why you should feed your guinea pig pellets, and whether they actually need them in their diet.
Why should you feed your guinea pig pellets?
Pellets are usually made from compressed hay. While pellets used to only be made from alfalfa hay, there are now plenty of guinea pig pellets that our made from timothy hay.
Pellets are important because they contain high levels of protein and fat. This is very important for a young guinea pig that is growing and trying to put on weight. Pellets are also high in fiber and antioxidants, which help with digestion and other bodily processes.
Pellets are also high in a lot of essential vitamins for guinea pigs. These include vitamin C and calcium. Some pellets are also high in vitamin D, which can be very beneficial if you are not able to take your guinea pig outside a lot.
How much pellets should you give your guinea pig?
While there is no exact number of pellets you should feed your guinea pig, most experts recommend you feed your guinea pig around 1/8th of a cup per day. Aside from pellets, you should also feed your guinea pig vegetables (at least 1 cup a day) and an unlimited supply of hay.
In terms of proportions, pellets should only make up around 5%-10% of your guinea pig’s diet. With such a small portion, you might be wondering if your guinea pig needs pellets at all?
Do guinea pigs need pellets?
While pellets should only account for around 5%-10% of your guinea pig’s diet, your guinea pig does need pellets. As mentioned above, they do provide essential vitamins and contain protein that helps your guinea pig grow.
There are some people that don’t feed their guinea pigs any pellets. While this is possible, you need to make sure your guinea pig is getting their vitamins elsewhere. This means you will have to feed your guinea pig more vegetables in order to get enough vitamin C.
I only recommend taking out pellets from their diet if your guinea pig is older and doesn’t require as much protein or fat. If you stop feeding a growing guinea pig pellets, it could stunt their growth. You should be aware that if you take pellets out of a guinea pig’s diet, they will likely start to lose a lot of weight.
Your guinea pig will not die if you stop giving them pellets. If you think your guinea pig might be overweight, you can try taking out pellets to see if it helps. Just make sure to monitor your guinea pig closely to make sure they are still healthy.
On the other side, you should not feed your guinea pig more than 1/8th cup of pellets a day. If you feed your guinea pig more, it can cause obesity. Obesity is one of the leading causes of death in guinea pigs, so it is important to monitor their pellet intake.
While you can try to take out pellets from their diet, you should never remove hay. Hay is the most important element of a guinea pig’s diet, and there should always be an unlimited supply available in their cage.