Cavies need hay,

Cavies are by nature grazing animals and also herbivores, in the wild they would only eat grass and plants, plus they would survive on different types of seeds. So it stands to reason you must feed your gps the same type of foods. Domesticated gps require grass hay, fresh fruit and veg, with a mixture of specially formulated dry and grain foods.

If you can provide an outdoor ark or similar caged structure, covered with chicken wire, to protect them from cats, dogs etc, this is an ideal way for your gps to get fresh grass and plants, ( as long as the grass if free from any chemicals such as fertilizers and weed killer) and be in an almost natural habitat.

Fruits & Vegetables:
This is the most natural and healthy food for your cavy. Some of their favorites are included in the tables below. Make sure you wash all the food thoroughly.
Guinea Pigs need a daily intake of Vitamin C, its vital to their health, their bodies do not have the capability to produce Vitamin C
the best way to ensure they receive this is via green vegetables, especially spring greens such as Cabbage and Kale, etc.
Never ever give gps beetroot tops, as they contain an element toxic to all cavies.

Fruits for piggies include:

Apples, Apricots, Bananas, Berries, Cherries, Dates, Figs,

Grapes, Kiwi, Melon, Oranges, Peaches, Pears, & Strawberries,

"And any fruits you can think of ta "

Vegetables for piggies include:

Aubergenes, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Corncobs, Cucumber,

Kale, Lettuce, Parsley, Potatoes, Spinach, & Tomatoes,

"Give us more more more ta"

Dry food for piggies include:

Hay is like their 'daily bread', make sure gps have it every day,

Super Forage is also good for them, you can mix it with hay,

Specially formulated dry mix food specifically for gps are available at

most reputable petstores, they must always have dry food to eat.

Make sure your gps have access to fresh water always.

'If you eat to much you'll end up like me!

Feed your gps every morning and evening, they must always have dry food available throughout the day. When trying out any new foods give only a small amount to see how your gp likes it, if its not keen on it take it out the bowl.

You might be better buying quite a large ceramic bowl rather than a plastic one, we have a plastic bowl, and poor Leia gets her paws banged nearly every feeding time. Sophie grabs the edge of the bowl with her teeth and pulls the bowl into her bed area, and if poor Leia isn't quick enough, bang her wee feet are nearly taken from under her, she's very good at jumping now.

Remember good housekeeping, many gps have a habit of jumping into the food bowl often leaving their own wee contribution, so it can become contaminated, only leave dry food, removing any fresh food that has gone off.

You can also purchase gp treats such as chocolate drops, yogurts treats etc, from any pet store, as long as they are recommended for guinea pigs you cant go wrong. Our wee darlings love the chocolate drops, and don't like the yogurt treats.
We also give them little pieces of toast, brown bread is good for them, and have given them little pieces of our own foods to see if they like it or not, most times they turn their noses up at our food, which is great, because they are clever girls.

So really it will be a case of trial and error, discovering what your gp's taste buds are like. But isn't that the whole beauty of getting to know your wee darlings and what they like and dislike!

Sophie did not bother with fresh water as much as Leia, so to overcome this we bought a salt wheel from the pet store, she licked that a lot, so she was still getting her salt intake, and all the fresh food was well washed before serving.

Sophie was a compulsive eater, even when Leia had her fill, Sophie was still at the bowl long after her petite sister. We tried putting her on a diet, honestly but she just became so unhappy, it broke our hearts to see her so sad, so we ended up given in. Yes we know were not doing her any favours, but she just loved her food so.