Dry Food Facts.

Dry food, in whatever form, should be the smallest part of a guinea pig’s diet, there are a few factors to remember selecting a brand of dry food:

  • There should be no colourings, not even EEC permitted ones. Colourings are thought to be linked with digestive/urinary tract problems and are known to show a false positive when the urine is tested for diabetes. This can result in medication being given when not needed.
  • The food should be of a size that a guinea pig can comfortably eat. There are lots of equine products available that have suitable ingredients for guinea pigs but the pellets are of a size that an equine can manage and therefore too big for guinea pigs. This also applies to some guinea pig pellets.
  • The shape of the pellet should be easy to pick up and eat. Supreme Science Selective pellets have a hole in the middle, this can be a hazard for guinea pigs that have one Incisor as the pellet can get hooked onto them.

Oxbow Cavy Cuisine:

Pellets that are based on Timothy Grass meal as opposed to Alfalfa. This lowers the Protein and Calcium levels. Being Timothy Grass based means they are also correctly balanced in Calcium:Phosphorus. They are a good size for guinea pigs to pick up. It has been noted that guinea pigs with Osteodystrophy were able to pick up and eat these pellets long after it became too difficult to pick up others.

Typical analysis: Protein min 14.00%, Fat min 1.50%, Fibre max 28.00%, Calcium max 0.85%

Website: Oxbow Animal Health.

Price: 2.25kg £7.23 from www.thehayexperts.co.uk

Oxbow Cavy Performance:

Pellets that are based on alfalfa. A good size pellet for guinea pigs to pick up. Better suited to younger guinea pigs or those requiring a source of Protein.

Website: Oxbow Animal Health.

Price: 2.25kg £7.23 from www.thehayexperts.co.uk

Chudleys Rabbit Royale:

Ingredients: Grass, Wheat, Oats, Oatfeed, Barley, Peas Maize, Alfalfa, Wheatfeed, Dehulled Soya Bean, Herbs (marigold flowers, mint and nettle), Carrot, Glucose, Straw, Soya Oil and Fruit.

A muesli mix with herbs and long fibre. Guinea pigs will select the herbs that they need and leave the rest.Rabbit Royale does not contain vitamin C which is added to guinea pig specific foods, but when fed the correct diet guinea pigs should receive all the vitamin C they need through their fresh food.

Typical Analysis: Protein 12% Oil 2.5% Fibre 6% Ash 14%

Price: 15kg £14.49 from  www.petplanet.co.uk

Wagg Guinea Pig Crunch:

Ingredients: Peas, Wheat, Oats, Wheatfeed, Oatfeed, Toasted Soya, Maize, Grass, Lucerne, Sunflower Ext., Vegetable Oil, Glucose Syrup, Carob Meal, Linseed, Vitamins & Minerals, Yeast. With Antioxidant: EC additive.

A muesli mix available from Asda, Co-Op, Morrisons and other retailers as well as online.

Typical Analysis: Protein 17%  Oil 6% Fibre 9% Ash 4.50%

Website: Wagg Guinea Pig Crunch.

Price: 15kg £13.49 from  www.waggfoods.co.uk

Wagg Optimum:

Ingredients: Wheatfeed, Sunflower, Grass, Lucerne, Oatfeed, Maize, Locust Bean Meal, Syrup, Vegetable Oil, Yeast, Vitamins and Minerals. With Antioxidant: EC Additive.

A reasonably sized food, pellets as opposed to muesli. Available from some supermarkets.

Typical Analysis: Protein 17% Oil 4% Fibre 16 % Ash 7%

Website: Wagg Optimum Premium Guinea Pig Food.

Price: 10kg 13.92 (available in 2kg size) from www.waggfoods.co.uk

Burgess Supa Guinea Excel:

Ingredients: Grass, Maize, Wheat, Lucerne, Soya Bean Hulls, Peas, Soya, Oat Bran, Unmolassed Beet Pulp, Yeast, Soya Oil, Ligno-cellulose, Molasses, Calcium Carbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Vitamins, Fructo-oligosaccharides 0.25%, Salt, Minerals. Contains Natural Antioxidants. No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

A large nugget that is not ideally shaped for guinea pigs to eat.

Typical Analysis: Protein 17%, Oil 4%, Ash 6.5%, Fibre 15%, Calcium 0.8%, Phosphorous 0.5%, Vitamin A 22,000iu/kg, Vitamin D3 1,250iu/kg, Vitamin E 100mg/kg, Vitamin C 800mg/kg, Copper 15mg/kg

Website: Burgess Petcare.

Price: 2kg £4.10 www.thehayexperts.co.uk

Burgess Excel with Blackcurrant and Oregano

Ingredients: Grass, Maize, Wheat, Lucerne, Soya Bean Hulls, Peas, Soya, Oat Bran, Unmolassed Beet Pulp, Yeast, Soya Oil, Ligno-Cellulose, Molasses, Calcium Carbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Vitamins, Fructo-oligosaccharides 0.25%, Salt, Minerals, Blackcurrant Flavour, Oregano Oil, Contains Natural Antioxidants. No artificial colours or preservatives.

A nugget shape with added Oregano and Blackcurrant. At first this is usually relished by guinea pigs but they soon derive all they need nutritionally from it and the enthusiasm wanes.

Typical Analysis: Crude Fibre 15%, Protein 17%, Vitamin D3 1.250iu/kg, Vitamin E 100mg/kg, Copper 15mg/kg, Vitamin A 22.000iu/kg, Oils 4%, Ash 6.5%, Calcium 0.8%, Phosphorous 0.5%

Website: Burgess Petcare

Price: 2kg £5.39 from www.thehayexperts.co.uk

Supreme Science Selective:

Ingredients: Alfalfa, vegetables, grains, vegetable protein extracts, vitamins and minerals, seeds, fats and oils, fennel (at least 0.5%), dandelion (at least 0.25%), nettle (at least 0.25%), L-lysine, DL-methionine

A ’round’ biscuit with a hole in the middle. These biscuits have been known to get caught on teeth, particularly guinea pigs with only one Incisor.

Price: 2kg £5.79 from www.thehayexperts.co.uk