Guinea pigs

Guinea pigs are small, sociable, 'chatty' rodents.

There are different breeds and varieties of guinea pigs, with a wide variety of colour and coat lengths.

Typically guinea pigs live for 5-6 years, but some may live longer.

Our guinea pig’s diet

Guinea pigs are herbivores – meaning they only eat plants. Their ideal diet includes:

• A constant supply of good quality feeding hay or grass. This should make up at least 80% of their food – it’s really important for their teeth and their digestive system.
• Guinea pig nuggets. 
• A teacup sized amount of fresh greens per day. Fresh greens are a great source of vitamin C which is important for our pigs. We try to give our guinea pigs a different mix of fresh veg each day.
• Constant access to fresh, clean drinking water from a water bottle with a metal spout. 

We buy all of the food and bedding from the local pet shop. If you would like to donate a bag of hay, food or even treats, please drop them off at the school office. We thank you in advance.

Make feeding fun

Making feeding more exciting is a great way of keeping our guinea pigs active and happy.

In the wild, they’d spend a lot of their day grazing and searching for food.

We replicate this for our pet guinea pigs by hiding food around their enclosure for them to sniff out.

We give them:

• Hay balls or hay tunnels to chew on and hide in.
• Gnawing toys or treat kebabs.
• Paper bags filled with hay – they love working out how to get through the bag to eat the hay. 
• Scattering treats and pellets in their hay for them to sniff out.

Do guinea pigs need vitamin C?

Like us, our guinea pigs can’t make their own vitamin C.

They need to get it from their food. Good quality guinea pig nuggets will contain vitamin C. 

Leafy greens and fresh veg are also a great source of vitamin C, especially:

• salad peppers
• tomatoes (the fruit but not the leaves)
• spinach
• asparagus
• broccoli
• parsley