Burgess Pet Care

Guinea Pigs, also known as Cavies, make wonderful pets. They are small, gentle creatures who typically have a good nature, rarely biting when handled correctly. Many people do not know that when cared for in the correct manner a guinea pig can live as long as eight years or more.

Feeding your guinea pig a good diet of quality food is important and there are a number of things you should consider about your guinea pig’s diet:

Complete Food?

We believe that no single guinea pig food can be labelled as “complete”. Your pet’s dietary requirements are complex so you need to feed a combination of foods to satisfy his needs.  You should instead look for guinea pig food which is labelled as “Complementary”. Complementary guinea pig food will be a mix of several core elements. These elements should include hay and grass, which deliver fibre, nuggets, fresh greens and water.

The problems with feeding muesli

Guinea Pig Muesli is not the ideal diet for your pet, certainly if that is all you are feeding to him. Muesli might look attractive, with a mix of ingredients and colours, but an attractive appearance will not meet your pet’s needs. Because of the mixture of ingredients within the muesli your pet could quickly become a fussy, “selective” eater. The sweet elements within the muesli will appeal to his taste buds, so it is likely he will eat these first, ignoring the elements which are more healthy.  Selective feeding can lead to an unbalanced diet lacking in calcium, phosphorous and vitamin D.

Muesli can also lead to dental health problems. Your guinea pig needs to forage on fibre and needs to gnaw. Hay is naturally abrasive and helps to wear down the teeth. Foraging is a natural behaviour for your guinea pig and in addition to keeping teeth in good shape it helps to prevent boredom, improving mental and emotional health. For this reason, hay should make up the bulk of your pets diet.

Complementary Food

Burgess Excel is the UK’s number on Vet approved food for guinea pigs and to ensure good overall health you should seek to offer your guinea pig all elements of the Excel Feeding Plan. When you feed the plan as a whole you will be offering your pet the vital fibre, nutrients, vitamins and minerals that your fibrevore needs to live a happy, healthy life.

Did you know that Burgess Excel is the UK’s Number One Vet Approved Food for Fibrevores?

To help you feed your guinea pig a diet that is both tasty and nutritious we developed the Excel Five Step Feeding Plan. Has your cavy tried it yet?

The feeding plan delivers all the essential fibre, nutrients, vitamins and minerals that guinea pigs need  – we like to think of it as health and happiness in 5 simple steps.

A closer look at the Excel Five Step Feeding Plan for Guinea Pigs:

Step 1 – Herbage and Forage

Premium quality hay and grass foods should provide the bulk of your guinea pig’s daily diet. Hay and grass are especially good for dental health because they contain high levels of beneficial fibre that help wear down teeth. Your guinea pig’s teeth are always growing and if you allow them to become overgrown you can cause significant pain and even potentially fatal problems.

Step 2 – Excel Guinea Pig Nuggets

Burgess Excel nuggets contain 100% natural, wholesome ingredients packed full of beneficial fibre to aid digestive health. In addition, the nuggets deliver vitamins, minerals and prebiotics. It is important to note that Excel Guinea Pig nuggets are not a muesli mix – each nugget is identical which helps to prevent selective feeding.

Step 3 – Excel Nature Snacks

Our Excel Nature Snacks are ideal for guinea pigs, both nutritionally and for their emotional well-being. When fed by hand they encourage bonding between animal and owner as they encourage interaction. They can be hidden within the daily amount of hay to promote foraging and they can be offered on a daily basis because they contain nothing other than natural ingredients.

Step 4 – Fresh Greens

Your guinea pig will enjoy fresh greens each day, but there are certain foods you should avoid. There are several plants which are poisonous to guinea pigs including bindweed, bryony, buttercup, bluebell, crocus, daffodil, dock, foxglove, hyacinth, laburnum, poppy, ragwort, sorrel, antirrhinum (snapdragon), tulip and yew. Never feed these to your guinea pig.

You can offer: apples, asparagus, basil, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe melon, carrots and carrot tops, cauliflower leaves and stalks, celery, chicory, Chinese parsley, coriander, cucumber, dill, garden cress, grapefruit, mangoes, oranges, parsley, parsnips, peas, red cabbage, red chard, romaine lettuce, Savoy cabbage, spinach, strawberries, tangerines, tomatoes, turnips and water cress.

Step 5 – Fresh Water

You should offer a plentiful supply of fresh water on a daily basis.

If your guinea pig has not yet tried the Excel Five Step Feeding plan then why not give it a try today? Excel Guinea Pig is available through our own dedicated web shop or from all good pet food retailers.