The 7 Best Guinea Pig Foods of 2023

Best Overall

Oxbow Essentials Adult Guinea Pig Food

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Oxbow is well-known in the small pet world for its quality products and the Essentials Adult Guinea Pig food is a favorite among guinea pig owners. These small pellets have no seeds, are uniform in shape and size so that picky eaters won’t be selective, and are economically priced. They are also available in multiple sizes of bags so that you can be sure you only buy as much as your guinea pig will eat within a few months time. Larger bags of pellets may be less expensive per pound, but if you only have two or three guinea pigs, the vitamin C in the food will expire before your cavies can consume it all.

_{Key Ingredients: Timothy grass meal, soybean hulls, wheat middlings, soybean meal, cane molasses, sodium bentonite, soybean oil, salt, lignin sulfonate, limestone, yeast culture, vitamin C, vitamin E supplement | Recommended Daily Serving Size: ⅛ cup per day}

Best Hay

Oxbow Orchard Grass Hay Small Animal Food

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Schubert says orchard grass is very soft and sweet and is less likely to stick in the coats of the long-haired pig. It is also less likely to poke an eye. These characteristics make it a favorite hay among guinea pig owners and breeders.

Multiple sized bags or bales are available, so you can be sure to only buy as much as your guinea pigs will eat in a timely manner. “There never can be too much hay in the cage," Schubert says. "It is a staple that can be offered free range.”

_{Key Ingredients: 100% orchard grass | Recommended Daily Serving Size: Unlimited}

Best Treats

Supreme Petfoods Selective Naturals Woodland Loops for Guinea Pigs

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Treats should never make up more than 20 percent of your pig’s diet and should provide supplemental nutrition, or at least an additional source of fiber—more fiber is always welcome in a guinea pig diet. Selective Naturals Woodland Loops provide supplemental protein, fiber, and moisture. They have zero added sugar, no artificial colors, and safely supplement your pig with natural ingredients. Plus, they come in a unique dandelion and rosehips flavor.

Supreme Petfoods recommends feeding no more than 2-4 Loops treats per day.

_{Key Ingredients: Wheat flour, ground timothy grass hay, ground alfalfa hay, ground dried locust beans, ground peas, soy oil, flaxseed, dried dandelion, dried rosehip, natural colors Recommended Daily Serving Size: 2-4 treats per day}

Best Budget

Blue Seal Furry Friends Guinea Pig Pellets

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The cost of quality guinea pig food will decrease if you buy it in bulk, so a 25-pound bag of Blue Seal Furry Friends guinea pig pellets is a great option if you are on a budget. However, 25 pounds of guinea pig food is more than a two year supply of food for one cavy, and since the vitamin C expires after four months from the date it is milled, much of the food will be wasted if you have less than six cavies. Because of this, this large bag of food is not a good choice if you only have a few cavies. However, Blue Seal food is “tried, tested, and true,” according to Schubert. Blue Seal does offer a 5-pound bag of this food but it may be more difficult to find. Other quality foods including Oxbow also offer 25-pound bags of food, which will be more cost effective per pound as well.

_{Key Ingredients: Dehydrated alfalfa meal, wheat middlings, soybean meal, soybean hulls, wheat flour, cane molasses, vegetable oil, calcium carbonate, salt, monocalcium phosphate, vitamin C, hydrolyzed yeast, vitamin E supplement | Recommended Daily Serving Size: ⅛ cup per day}

Best Organic

Oxbow Organic Bounty Adult Guinea Pig Food

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Oxbow’s Organic Bounty food is a high-quality option if you are looking to feed organic food to your guinea pig. “Oxbow makes a superior food so on a small scale, if you only have a couple of guinea pigs, I recommend feeding this,” says Schubert. A 3-pound bag of food is a great size if you only have one or two guinea pigs, because it will help ensure that you are always feeding fresh food with effective vitamin C. This food has the USDA organic seal which means the ingredients are grown by certified organic farmers, but the price point will be higher than other foods.

_{Key Ingredients: Organic grass hay, organic canola meal, organic wheat straw, organic sunflower meal, organic barley, organic flax seed, yeast culture, sodium bentonite, limestone, salt, vitamin C, organic dandelion leaf | Recommended Daily Serving Size: ⅛ cup per day}

Best for Baby Guinea Pigs

Oxbow Essentials Young Guinea Pig Food

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Schubert suggests that the best food for baby guinea pigs is "a higher protein food that is around 18 to 22 percent protein.” That means that Oxbow’s Essentials Young Guinea Pig food is a great choice for guinea pigs less than six months of age. These pellets contain no seeds and have a minimum of 18 percent protein in each serving. They are also made from alfalfa hay and not timothy or orchard grass to provide the different nutrients growing cavies need. Guinea pig owners also rave about how their growing pigs love this formula.

_{Key Ingredients: Timothy grass meal, soybean hulls, wheat middlings, soybean meal, cane molasses, sodium bentonite, soybean oil, salt, lignin sulfonate, limestone, yeast culture, vitamin C, vitamin E supplement | Recommended Daily Serving Size: Unlimited}