Snacks for guinea pigs: rewarding, taming and something to do

For guinea pigs, a snack is above all a tool. With a small tasty bite, a shy guinea pig learns that your hand means something good. A snack to gnaw on or pick apart gives a guinea pig in an indoor enclosure something to do. And an edible tunnel or hideaway combines enrichment with a place to crawl into. As long as you keep snacks small and the basics of hay, guinea pig food with vitamin C and fresh vegetables are in order, they are simply part of a varied guinea pig life.

In this category, the snacks from Zooply, our own premium brand, come first. Zooply specialises in herbs and snacks, because that is where things most often go wrong for many animals: too sweet, too fatty or too much. We use Zooply every day for the guinea pigs in our shop in Bodegraven and in our breeding facility. You will also find a wide choice of chew and hay snacks from JR Farm, Esve, Trixie, Flamingo and Zolux.

At a glance

• ✓ Snacks are an extra: a small part of the menu, never instead of hay or guinea pig food.
• ✓ For guinea pigs, preferably choose snacks based on hay, grasses, herbs and vegetables.
• ✓ Give snacks with fruit, seeds, peanuts or grains sparingly.
• ✓ Snacks are not a reliable source of vitamin C; that comes from guinea pig food and fresh vegetables.
• ✓ Use snacks mindfully: for taming and as a foraging game, not as a fixed habit from the bowl.

What will you find in the Snacks category?

Zooply Field range: edible enrichment

The Zooply Field range consists of Hare Field, Flower Field, Heath Field, Meadow Field, Reed Field and Dune Field, each 85 grams. They are made from green oats with pieces of millet spray and a natural eye-catcher, such as a dried hare's tail grass, a daisy, sea lavender, strawflowers, amaranth or beach lavender. You push a bunch in between the bedding or place it by a hideout or tunnel. Guinea pigs nibble off the green oats and pull the whole thing apart. It gives the enclosure a natural look and your guinea pigs something to explore. Millet spray is a type of grain; let your guinea pigs mainly eat the oats and the greenery, and stick to the occasional bunch.

Zooply Nibble Mix

According to the product information, Zooply Nibble Mix is a varied snack mix containing, among other things, seeds, grains and dried vegetables. You can choose between 200 grams or 2.5 kg. For guinea pigs, this is a mix to use in small amounts: a few pieces from your hand or hidden in the hay. Precisely because it contains seeds and grains, you don't give it as a daily bowlful.

Snacks made of hay and grasses

For guinea pigs, this is the most natural group. The Esve Timothy Hay rolls (100 grams) are available with apple, marigold, cornflower, bell pepper, parsnip, beetroot, rosehip and carrot. For the cornflower variety, the product page states a crude fibre content of 31.2%, so it is high in fibre. The Esve Pet Bouquets (Haverland, Knaagveld, Knabbelstruik, Tarweakker and Weidegewas) are bunches of grains, grasses and herbs. You will also find the JR Farm Hay block with flowers, the Trixie Hay bale with blossom mix, the JR Farm Hay and flower cake and the JR Farm Hay bowl with fruit. From the bunches with ears of grain, your guinea pig mainly eats the stalks and leaves; the kernels are high in starch, so don't give them every day.

Edible tunnels and hideaways

The Trixie Hideaway with carrot (15 × 12 × 25 cm and 21 × 16 × 30 cm), the Trixie Tunnel with hay and vegetables (ø 6.5 × 20 cm and ø 9 × 30 cm) and the Flamingo Tubez chew tunnel with fruit or carrot are enrichment and snack in one. A guinea pig crawls into it and gnaws on it at the same time. For an adult guinea pig, choose the largest size; a guinea pig doesn't like to stay in a tunnel that is too cramped. Remove an edible hideaway once it has become wet or dirty.

Chew snacks made of wood and willow

The JR Farm Willow ball with apple, the Snack hanger, the Wooden chew roll with carrot and the Flamingo Fruit bowl made of untreated birch wood combine chew material with something tasty. They keep a guinea pig busy and give it something firm to gnaw on. The Trixie Tower with mountain hay and seeds and the Trixie Hay rack with corn and hay made of bark wood also belong in this group.

Grain-free snacks

JR Farm has a large grain-free range, including chew rolls with nettle and carrot, dandelion and sunflower, or marigold and banana, chew drops, Mini Hearts, lucky carrots, chew sticks (also as a 450-gram pack with vegetables or flowers), the Lucky Quartet, bonbons, the party cake and the Grainless de luxe sticks. Grain-free suits a guinea pig better than a snack full of grains, but do look at the other ingredients as well: snacks with banana or other fruit are still sweet.

Chew sticks, drops, crackers and biscuits

The Zolux Chew sticks (2 pieces, 110 grams) are available with plum, Jerusalem artichoke, oats, vegetables, carrot, peanut, orange and beetroot. You will also find the Trixie Forest Fruit Drops and Crackers (dandelion, carrot, beetroot), the Flamingo Vegetable biscuits and many JR Farm snacks such as the Fruit Cake, Vegetable Rings, Nibble Hearts, Nibble Cushions, Chew Marbles, Fruities, Cherry Heart, Sushi Rolls and the Gourmet Plate. These are pressed or baked snacks that often contain grains, seeds or fruit. They are handy as a reward, but for guinea pigs you really give them as an exception. We do not recommend the sticks with peanut for guinea pigs.

Corn cobs, grow kit and gnawing stones

Corn cobs from JR Farm and Trixie are hard and give plenty of chewing work, but corn is high in starch; give a piece and remove the rest. The Trixie Grass growing kit is a lovely addition: you grow fresh grass yourself, and fresh grass is exactly what a guinea pig is designed for. The JR Farm gnawing stones made of natural clay with flowers or herbs are meant for gnawing on. Guinea pigs that already get guinea pig food don't need extra minerals, so don't offer them permanently.

Which snacks suit guinea pigs best?

Guinea pigs are herbivores designed for grasses, leaves and herbs. The closer a snack is to that, the better it suits them. A handy order for choosing:

• First: snacks made of hay, grasses, herbs and leaves, such as the Zooply Field range and the Timothy Hay rolls, and fresh grass from the growing kit.
• Next: grain-free snacks with vegetables and herbs, and chew snacks made of untreated wood or willow.
• Sparingly: snacks with fruit, grains, corn or seeds, drops and biscuits.
• Preferably not: snacks with peanuts or other fatty nuts and seeds.

Using snacks for taming

Guinea pigs are prey animals and get frightened by a hand coming from above. So sit calmly next to the enclosure, at eye level if possible, and hold a small piece of snack flat in your hand. Let your guinea pig come to you. Repeat this for a few minutes every day and avoid sudden movements. After a while, your guinea pig will come to you of its own accord when you sit by the cage. Use small snacks that are easy to break for this. Instead of a snack, you can also use a piece of fresh vegetable.

Snacks as enrichment

A guinea pig in an indoor enclosure has less to explore than a guinea pig grazing outdoors. Snacks help to make up for that. Push a Zooply Field bunch in between the bedding, put a hay roll in a tunnel or hang a snack hanger low down by a hideout. Guinea pigs don't climb, so never hang a snack so high that they have to stand up or jump. Vary things to keep it interesting. Remove leftovers that have become wet.

How many snacks should you give?

There is no fixed number, but there is a clear limit: your guinea pig should simply carry on eating hay afterwards. If you see that the hay is being left, that your guinea pig is getting heavier or that the droppings are getting softer, give fewer snacks. Also count dried herbs and fruit as extras. Hay-based snacks can be given more often than baked snacks with grains or fruit.

Never give your guinea pig snacks if it is not eating or seems ill. If your guinea pig is eating less, producing fewer droppings, is lethargic or losing weight, contact a vet with knowledge of rodents.

Useful combinations

Snacks are the most fun when the rest of the menu and the enclosure are right:

• Hay: unlimited Zooply hay remains the main food, even when you give snacks.
• Dried herbs: Zooply leaves and flowers are a natural alternative to snacks for mixing through the hay.
• Gnawing wood: for those looking for more chew material without extra food.
• Tunnels: for hiding snacks in as a foraging game.
• Guinea pig food: the daily pellets with vitamin C that your guinea pig always needs.

Frequently asked questions about snacks for guinea pigs

Which snack is the healthiest for my guinea pig?

The snacks closest to the natural menu: hay, grasses, herbs and leaves. Think of the Zooply Field range, the Timothy Hay rolls or fresh grass from the growing kit. Baked snacks with grains, fruit or seeds are tasty, but suit a guinea pig less well, so only give them now and then.

Can guinea pigs have corn cobs?

A piece of corn cob now and then is fine. The hard cob gives plenty of chewing work, but the kernels contain a lot of starch. So give a small piece, remove the rest and don't give it daily.

Are grain-free snacks better for guinea pigs?

Grain-free suits a guinea pig better, because grains are high in starch. Even so, grain-free is not automatically low in sugar: snacks with banana, apple or other fruit are still sweet. So read the ingredients and preferably choose grain-free snacks with vegetables and herbs.

Can I give snacks to give my guinea pig extra vitamin C?

No. Even if a snack contains bell pepper or rosehip, the amount of vitamin C is uncertain. Your guinea pig needs guinea pig food with vitamin C and fresh vegetables such as bell pepper every day. Snacks are an extra, not a supplement.

My guinea pig only eats snacks now and leaves the hay. What now?

Stop all snacks and extras for a few days and give only hay, a fixed portion of guinea pig food, fresh vegetables and water. Refresh the hay more often and, if you like, mix in a pinch of Zooply herbs. After that, you can start using snacks again in very small amounts. If your guinea pig still eats little or produces fewer droppings, go to a vet with knowledge of rodents.

Snacks for guinea pigs at Knaagplaza

At Knaagplaza, the webshop of 't Knaagplein, you will find snacks for guinea pigs to reward, tame and make the enclosure more fun. Zooply is our own premium brand, which we use every day for our own guinea pigs. Give snacks mindfully and in small amounts, alongside unlimited hay, guinea pig food with vitamin C and fresh vegetables, and your guinea pigs will enjoy them the most.