Hay - Guinea pigs should always have access to fresh hay as the base of their diet. It has lots of fiber to keep everything flowing smoothly, and it also keeps piggie teeth nice and trim. You can feed it from a rack or use it as part of their bedding. I personally prefer the latter. Piggies love playing and tunneling in their hay, and then stretching out for a nap on top of it! You can buy big bales of hay for really cheap at your local feed store, or if you only have two or three piggies, bring a garbage bag and ask if you can pick up the loose hay that's fallen off the bales. They'll usually give it to you for free!

Fresh Foods - A daily handful of veggies is a must for a piggie. Make sure they're fresh - don't feed anything to your pigs that you wouldn't eat yourself. They contain essential vitamins, especially vitamin C which piggies can't generate on their own and must get from their food. Many piggies enjoy their veggies so much, they learn the sound of the refrigerator door opening and start wheeking in excitement. However there are some vegetables that should be avoided. Iceberg lettuce has too high of a water content for piggies to digest easily. Cabbage and bananas can cause gas. Potatoes aren't very good for pigs either. Anything else that you eat should be fine for piggies though. An alternative to the veggies in your fridge is the plants right out in your back yard. Pigs love fresh grass. Clovers and dandelions (with the flowers left on!) are favorites too. Just be very careful and use common sense when feeding your pig anything from outside. Don't give them anything that may have been sprayed with a pesticide, weed-killer or fertilizer. And see the list below for some plants that are poisonous to piggies.

Poisonous plants - This is a list of plants that are poisonous to piggies. It isn't a complete one, since if we listed all the bad ones we'd have a long enough list to fill a book! But this covers most of the common ones - just remember, when it comes to feeding your precious piggies, if in doubt, leave it out! And as mentioned early, never feed anything that may have been sprayed with a pesticide, weed killer, or fertilizer. Thanks to Lisa for providing me with this information.

-Aconite
-Amaryllis
-American Holly
-American Nightshade
-Angel's Trumpet
-Azalea
-Bird of Paradise
-Birdseye Primrose
-Blue Cardinal (Lobelia)
-Buttercup (Ranunculus)
-Crocus
-Chrysanthemum
-Daffodil
-Daily
-Foxglove (Digitalis)
-Hydrangea
-Iris
-Lily (All species)
-Lupine
-Mistletoe
-Monkshood
-Oleander
-Onion
-Philodendron
-Poinsettia
-Potatoes
-Ragweed
-Rhododendron
-Tulip
-Wolfsbane
-Yew

Mmm.... broccoli!

Commercial Foods - Pet stores and pet food companies would have you believe that their commercial pellets and foods are all a piggie needs to eat. But no matter what the packaging says, they aren't a complete diet and should not be used as a substitute for a proper diet of hay and veggies. They are a useful, nutritious supplement though, especially if you have an underweight piggie, and if you want to use them then that's great! Avoid the cheap kinds readily available in supermarkets; these contain preservatives that were banned for 'people food' because they can cause cancer - in humans and piggies. In America, the brands to steer clear of are Sunseed, Kaytee Fiesta, L/M, Hartz, Nature's Gold, and Manna Pro as these are very bad for piggies. The best brand of feed is Oxbow, if you can find it. If not, going from the best on down, 8 in 1, Kaytee Rainbow Exact, Hagen, Kaytee Forti-Diet, and Purina Mazuri are okay. Timothy based feeds are best for adult piggies and alfalfa are good for younger, growing ones. Don't let all the pretty seeds and cookies in the bad foods fool you. They're very bad for piggies; they are fattening and also present a possible choking hazard.

Water - Of course, piggies also need a constant supply of fresh water. Use bottled or filtered water as tap water used over extended periods of time can cause serious health problems in piggies. The best way to supply water is in the ball tipped water bottles available at your pet store, as guinea pigs will soil water bowls quickly. The bottles work by suction, so the water will stay in until your piggie licks or sucks at the metal ball at the end, letting some of the water into his mouth. Most piggies have no problem using these bottles, but if you know that it has used a bowl previously, you should supply a water bowl in addition to the bottle until you know for sure that your piggie knows how to use the bottle. It's very important to keep your water bottles clean, or slime and algae will grow in the water making your piggies sick. Change the water every day, and clean the bottles with soap and water and a bottle brush (available at your supermarket - packaged for baby bottles) at least once a week, rinsing well.

Food Pigamid

Food dishes - Guinea pigs like to stand up on their dishes as they eat, so it's best to invest in a heavy crock dish as opposed to the cheap plastic and metal ones which they will constantly tip over. These should be replaced if they get chipped or cracked, as this makes a perfect place to harbor germs. Also, if the glaze gets chipped into the food and is eaten it can be harmful to your piggies

A good heavy crock

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