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The best food for guinea pigs: customer reviews
The appearance and well-being of guinea pigs directly depends on the quality of their nutrition. Pets need fiber, vitamins and minerals. All this is promised to them by manufacturers of ready-made store mixes. But when choosing the best food for guinea pigs, you should not rely only on the promises of the producers.
Diet and diet of guinea pigs
An obligatory component of the daily menu of guinea pigs is hay. Dried herb is rich in fiber. It promotes normal digestion and grinding of teeth. In the warm season, it is advisable to include fresh grass in the diet.
The main food for guinea pigs is hay.
Treats for animals include lettuce, dandelion, chamomile, clover, alfalfa, plantain, dill. Nettle is given to pigs only in dried form, and parsley is not allowed for pregnant females.
Vegetables allow you to diversify the summer diet of animals: bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, sweet corn. In autumn and winter, guinea pigs need to be given carrots, apples, beets, pumpkin.
Important! Pets should always have access to food and drink, so make sure that there is hay and water in the cage around the clock.
Guinea pigs are fed twice a day, skinny ones three times. Fresh herb is best given in the morning.
For pigs in position, greens are placed in the cage even in the evening. It is enough to change the water once a day. Vitamin C must be added to the drinker: the body of pigs, like humans, does not produce ascorbic acid. Calculation of the amount of additive – 2-10 mg of vitamin per 100 ml of water. In addition, animals need salt: children are given 0,5 g, adult pigs – up to 2 g.
What food for guinea pigs to choose
On sale there are special dry food – grain and combined. Like all rodents, guinea pigs love grains, seeds, and legumes. Grain feeds include oats, wheat, barley, soybeans, lentils, and sunflower seeds. In addition to grains, combined products include herbal and fruit granules, dried fruits, honey. Good quality gilts should be free of nuts, fructose, corn syrup, bone meal and preservatives.
According to veterinarians, ready-made food cannot replace greens, vegetables and fruits for guinea pigs.
According to reviews, the best food for guinea pigs is:
- granulated complex “Menu” from “Vitakraft”;
- a mixture based on herbs, vegetables and fruits from Benelux;
- snacks from “Little Van”;
- complex feed “Prestige” from “Versel-Laga”;
- assorted vegetables from Lolo Pats;
- balanced complex “Karma” from “Vitapol”;
- fortified food “Rocky-2” from “Supermenu”.
Due to the high calorie content, the proportion of grain feed should not exceed 30% in the pig’s diet. Grains are a valuable source of fiber, vitamins and minerals and at the same time contribute to obesity in pets. Bread crumbs, barley or wheat grains can be an alternative to prepared food. It is not necessary to include compound feed in the diet of animals. Fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs can replace them.
So, the guinea pig should eat 2-4 times a day. Must-have foods in her diet should be dry and fresh herbs, grains, vegetables and fruits.
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