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Do guinea pigs need pellets, or is hay and veggies enough for them?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Other | Unknown - Other | Male | unneutered | 3 months and 14 days old

Many pet stores tell me that I should feed guinea pigs pellets but is it really? I watch videos who have healthy lively guinea pigs who only live on a diet of timothy hay and a variety of vegetable. Right now my 3 month guinea pigs are eating Kaytee's fortified daily diet pellets timothy hay and mostly leaf vegetables and a few bell peppers and carrots. In my area the pellets are getting expensive so do I have to buy them? Or is there a vegetable diet that gives them all there nutrition needed?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Susan England-Foster

Answered By Susan England-Foster

Veterinarian

Published on July 14th, 2017

I do not think the pellets are bad but should be given in moderation. These are high in fat and can cause obesity. I recommend a large amount of roughage like Timothy hay all day long with moderate amount of veggies and small amount of pellets. The roughage is really good for their teeth too.
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Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Dr. Andrea

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 24th, 2018

    It's actually really important for your Guinea pig to eat some pellets. They get addicted to the junk in the pellets and quit eating the plain pellets.
    They should eat lots of Timothy hay, some fresh veggies like bell peppers, romaine, cilantro and endive and some plain pellets daily.
    I like Oxbow as a brand best but any Timothy based, adult GP food with no junk is ok.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Food & Nutrition
Why is my new guinea pig only eating hay, not pellets or veggies?
Hay is not a bad diet for guinea pigs but the do have an absolute requirement for vitamin C - this can be from vegetables/fruits (sych as peppers, dark leafy greens, brocolli or squashes), supplemented pellets or in Rose's case vitsamin C srops for her water may be helpful also
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Health & Wellness
What's the best guinea pig food? Are all nuggets the same quality?
Thanks for reaching out. If you are referring to guinea pig pellets, you should be able to read the ingredients label for nutritional value. Another idea to keep in mind is various vitamins and ingredients degrade over time. A better quality pellets, is likely to be healthier over a longer period of time. Guinea pigs should mainly eat a good quality hay, to decrease caloric intake and the help wear down teeth. Unlimited timothy hay, 1/8-1/4 cup pellets (each) per day, and 1/2 cup various vegetables daily. Keep it simple. Good luck.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My guinea pig's food has seeds. Are peanuts and seeds safe for them?
Thanks for reaching out about Fluff and including photos. Peanuts and other seeds are not healthy, too high in fat and low in nutrients. Pellets can be used as a supplement, but free choice to a good quality hay (timothy, not alfalfa) is the primary diet for guinea pigs. Since their teeth (incisors and cheek teeth) grow throughout life, hay is helpful on wearing the teeth down as it requires lots of chewing. It is also low in calories, which is good. The diet can be supplemented with 1/4 c of fresh vegetables. Good luck.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Training & Behavior
My guinea pigs eat pellets by day, hay by night. Is that normal?
As I'm sure you know hay is very good for them, often though gubiea pigs will prefer the pellets as they are tastier. It really doesn't matter when they eat their hay as long as they do. I would let them eat their pellets in the day time and then they can just have hay at night.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Training & Behavior
Why are my young guinea pigs constantly hungry? Are they growing?
If your guinea pigs are still young (under a year) then they are probably just needing extra calories because they are growing. I would recommend to offer them as much fresh hay as they want. Continue to restrict the amount of pellets because overfeeding them can cause unwanted weight gain. you can add in extra veggies as needed. I hope this helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Can my guinea pig eat only romaine lettuce daily with other veggies?
Guinea pigs require plenty of fresh water, grass or hay, and pellets. They can have up to 1 cup of vegetables per day, but that doesn't mean they need that much. Romaine lettuce is fine in moderation. This site provides a list of cavy--safe foods and detailed dietary instructions. I hope this helps. http://www.happycavy.com/what-can-guinea-pigs-eat/
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Is my 6-month-old brown guinea pig overweight? What should I do?
Just looking at pictures makes it hard to see if your Guinea Pig is overweight. Maybe a little bit? Just make sure that she gets LOTS of hay, a decent pile of greens, not too many pellets (and the pellets should be timothy based pellets with no junk food in them) and very limited treats and you should be ok.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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