Guinea Pig Fresh Food Calculator
How many greens, vegetables and fruit does your guinea pig need a day? Enter its weight – we use the German veterinary welfare guideline and show UK guidance to compare.
Weight of one guinea pig
Adult guinea pigs usually weigh 1.5–2.6 lb (Merck). A kitchen scale is the most accurate.
How many animals?
We use this weight for each animal.
Fresh food a day
about 13 oz
6.4 oz (180 g) each, for 2 animals together
- Greens (grasses, herbs, bitter lettuces)
- 9 oz (250 g)
- Vegetables
- 2.6 oz (75 g)
- Fruit at most
- 1.3 oz (35 g)
- Per week
- 5.6 lb (2.5 kg)
UK guidance is lower: PDSA suggests about 2 cups of vegetables a day for all of them.
What can guinea pigs eat? · Fresh food for rabbits
Hay is always available on top, as much as your pet wants – it isn’t counted here (TVT).
The amount assumes a hay-only diet. The TVT gives no amount for pets that also graze.
Fruit is a limit, not a must: UK and US sources give fruit only as an occasional treat (PDSA, Merck).
Introduce new foods slowly, over two to four weeks (PDSA).
How we calculate
Fresh food a day = 200 g × weight in kg (German TVT guidelines no. 157 and 159), about 3.2 oz per pound. Of that, 70% greens, 20% vegetables and no more than 10% fruit. For several animals we add the amounts up. Cups to compare: Merck, about 1 cup of vegetables per 2 pounds (rabbits); PDSA, one cup per guinea pig.
The short answer
The German veterinary association for animal welfare (TVT) recommends about 200 g of fresh food per kg of body weight a day for guinea pigs on a hay-only diet: 70% greens such as grasses, herbs and bitter lettuces, 20% vegetables and no more than 10% fruit. A 2.2-lb (1-kg) guinea pig gets about 7.1 oz (200 g): 4.9 oz greens, 1.4 oz vegetables and at most 0.7 oz fruit. UK guidance is lower: PDSA suggests about one cup of vegetables per guinea pig a day. Hay must always be available, and vitamin C should come from fresh food (TVT).
Fresh food by weight
| Weight | Per day | Greens | Vegetables | Fruit at most |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 lb | 4.8 oz | 3.4 oz | 1 oz | 0.5 oz |
| 2 lb | 6.4 oz | 4.5 oz | 1.3 oz | 0.6 oz |
| 2.5 lb | 8 oz | 5.6 oz | 1.6 oz | 0.8 oz |
| 3 lb | 9.6 oz | 6.7 oz | 1.9 oz | 1 oz |
| 3.5 lb | 11 oz | 7.8 oz | 2.2 oz | 1.1 oz |
For one animal, following the German TVT: 200 g per kg of body weight, 70% greens, 20% vegetables and no more than 10% fruit, on a hay-only diet. The guidelines cover rabbits up to 3 kg (6.6 lb) and guinea pigs up to about 1.5 kg (3.3 lb); rows above that are only a rough guide. In ounces (1 oz = 28 g); the calculator shows grams too.
Questions
How much fresh food does a guinea pig need a day?
The German TVT recommends about 200 g per kg of body weight (about 3.2 oz per pound) for guinea pigs that otherwise get only hay. PDSA suggests about one cup per guinea pig a day, and NC State about 1/2 cup of greens per 2 pounds.
What counts as greens and what as vegetables?
In the TVT guideline, greens are grasses, herbs and bitter lettuces, and vegetables are things like fennel and bell peppers, with only a few root vegetables. PDSA recommends at least five to six different kinds a day.
How much vitamin C does a guinea pig need?
At least 10 mg per kg of body weight a day from food, more for pregnant or sick guinea pigs (Merck). Bell peppers are a good source (NC State). Merck and PDSA don’t recommend adding vitamin C to the drinking water.
How much fruit can a guinea pig have?
No more than 10% of the fresh food (TVT), so at most 0.7 oz (20 g) a day for a 2.2-lb guinea pig. Merck’s chapter for vets advises against sugary fruit altogether, and PDSA gives it only in very small amounts.
Why do UK and US sources suggest less?
They count in cups: about one cup per guinea pig (PDSA) or 1/2 cup of greens per 2 pounds (NC State). The TVT amount is higher. If your guinea pig isn’t used to much fresh food, increase it slowly over two to four weeks (PDSA).
Does this work for heavier guinea pigs?
The TVT guideline covers guinea pigs up to about 1.5 kg (3.3 lb). Above that, the calculator keeps going, but the amount is only a rough guide.
Related
- What can guinea pigs eat?What works as fresh food, what only now and then, and what is toxic – every answer with a source. Hay remains the basis, plus vitamin C every day.
- Rabbit Fresh Food CalculatorHow many greens, vegetables and fruit does your rabbit need a day? Enter its weight – we use the German veterinary welfare guideline and show US guidance to compare.