Shell - and anyone else that knows about guinea pigs

[meriad]

daft question and just being curious because I don't really know much about them. What fruit or veg are they NOT allowed? Reason I ask is that I'm looking after my neighbours cats. She also has two guinea pigs - very cute brown things. In the mornings they get either spinach, lettuce, celery or carrots and in the evening they get just a bit of fresh green stuff but I top up their dry food bowl and they get a handful of dried grass.

I went shopping last night and bought some cabbage to give them which they loved that and I've got some left over apples at work that I'll be taking home for them tonight.

But just being curious, can they also have things like grapes?

What is a definite no-no (if there is one) to feed them?


And finally - they have a water bowl in their cage; if I buy them a water bottle to hang on the side of it, will they know what to do with it do you think? Reason I'd be buying it is that said neighbour doesn't have a lot of money - is on benefits and all the animals in her house are rescues / fosters. She gets provided a lot of the stuff but I think a water bottle will be nicer for the pigs and I don't think they're that expensive?

[Kaz]

There is a guinea pig safe food chart on here

Guins are smart, ours soon worked out how to use a water bottle, and it's very kind of you Ria to buy them one xx

[Rodo]

Hi! We used to have 7 guinea pigs at one time when our kids were young. It's a long time ago, but there are a lot of things you shouldn't feed them I remember. You can get special pellets from the pet shop. Carrots they love. Our g.p.s were in the garage and they could hear when I was chopping some carrots for them and would start to squeak!! They like a bit of lettuce and that's alright. Most fruits are not good and some are poisonous. I think ours basically lived off the pellets/carrots/some lettuce diet and seemed alright. Hay of course, which would be in the bottom of their cage - they will chew that too.

Water bottle - yes they soon learn to drink from that - never fails.

[Kaz]

Ours always squeaked like mad for the choppings from our greens, and they had an outside run that Mick built, which every few weeks we lifted and moved to another part of the lawn as they munched the lot

They are such lovely characters, I still miss ours, but with two terriers here now it's a no-no

[meriad]

thanks everyone

Kaz that list is very informative, thanks. I've printed it off. And thanks all for the comments about the water bottle; I'll see if I can pop by Pets at Home tomorrow on my way home and get one

[Rodo]

Oh that's right Kaz, we used to do a run on the lawn and move it about. I had forgotten about that.

They sulk you know - we used to sometimes see one that had got upset and it would turn its back on us and go into the corner. I loved them.

[meriad]

these two are very cute.

[Kaz]

They do sulk, and get indignant, and demand attention! I loved ours too, I cried when Squeaky had to be put down

[miasmum]

Well I haven't looked at the list, so it will be interesting to see if I am right or wrong

I give lots of kale or greens, romaine lettuce, carrot, peppers, celery, grass

I feed a small amount and only occasionally of spinach, parsley, apple (chopped very thinly as it can burn their mouths), dandelions. grapes

I never feel iceberg lettuce

They have pellets and meadow hay and in the winter readigrass, which is basically dried grass

so how did I do?

[meriad]

oops, I gave them some apple yesterday that they devoured - cut the pips out as I read they weren't that good for them. And I cut it into 8ths.... they're OK today

But otherwise you're spot on