Guinea pigs can eat a variety of fruits and vegetables and green leaves. However, not all fresh fruit and veg are suitable and some shouldn't be fed in large quantities or too often.
To help you find the best and safe fresh food for your guinea pigs we’ve put together a food chart showing how often and how much you can feed these foods to your piggies. You can also purchase our bestselling PRINTABLE FOOD LIST PDF.
Offer a balanced diet
A healthy diet is one that is varied as it helps give a good range of nutrients.
It’s important to remember that as well as their fresh fruit and veggies, guinea pigs need unlimited amounts of hay at all times and a portion of good quality guinea pig pellets every day.
Best greens for guinea pigs
Green leaves are extremely important in a guinea pig’s diet. Some of the best greens and ones they generally like are lettuce (but NOT iceberg), spring greens, kale, various herbs including mint, parsley, coriander (cilantro) and basil as well as foraged plants providing they are safe. Sow thistle and dandelion leaves are popular with our piggies!
Other favourite vegetables
Some of the other vegetables that are often favourites with guinea pigs are carrots, celery, cucumber, sweet peppers, corn on the cob and tomatoes to name just a few.
Vitamin C
Guinea pigs need plenty of vitamin C in their diet to keep healthy as their bodies can’t make this vitamin by itself. Because of this, some pet stores will tell you they need vitamin C supplements. A supplement is actually unnecessary as they should be getting plenty of this nutrient from their fresh fruit and veg. However, if they aren't eating fruit and veg properly for whatever reason, it may be necessary to give a supplement.
Sweet peppers (especially yellow ones), kale and parsley are great sources of vitamin C.
How much fruit can a guinea pig eat?
Fruit is high in sugar so your guinea pig’s fresh food should consist mainly of vegetables with the odd small piece of fruit now and again.
A diet that is too high in fruit can cause diarrhoea and may lead to obesity which can cause other health problems in your guinea pig so just be careful on quantities.
How much daily fruit & veg for one guinea pig
A cup or two of mainly vegetables with the odd fruit treat now and again is about the right amount of fresh food for a daily portion for one guinea pig. You can feed them just once a day, in the morning or evening or split it into 2 portions. For example, you might want to feed them pellets in the morning and fresh food in the evening or vice versa.
Can guinea pigs eat frozen fruit and veg?
Frozen fruits or vegetables are not suitable for guinea pigs so they should only be fed fresh foods. If you can’t get fresh food for any reason, see if you can forage for safe plants or weeds. You may be surprised how many of these are growing around where you live!
To discover which foods are poisonous or unsafe for your guinea pigs to eat, check out our list of dangerous foods for guinea pigs…
Quick guide to feeding fresh fruit and veggies to your guinea pigs
- Feed 1-2 cups a day of fresh food (can be foraged safe weeds or vegetables and occasional fruit)
- Don’t feed iceberg lettuce as it has little nutritional content
- Fruit should be given in small quantities and not too often
- Always wash fruit & vegetables thoroughly in case they have any pesticides etc on them
- Persist with foods they don’t like at first as they can be fussy with new tastes
- Always check the food you’re giving is safe for your piggies to eat
- Most importantly, vary their fresh food for a good nutritionally balanced diet
Below is our food chart with lots of fruits and vegetables with which you can tempt your guinea pig. If you want a printable pdf version for easy daily reference and also beautifully designed in full colour, check out our PRINTABLE FOOD LIST PDF.
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