home Analyzes Bell pepper for guinea pig. Animal products. Vitamins and minerals

Bell pepper for guinea pig. Animal products. Vitamins and minerals

You've probably seen a guinea pig at least once. Many people even held this creature in their hands. Guinea pigs are very cute and funny rodents that make funny sounds. You can buy them both at the pet market and at the pet store. In addition, there are special nurseries where such rodents are bred. There aren't very many of them now. If we talk about those located in Russia, then a striking example is the nursery guinea pigs"Fili."

Feeding your guinea pig at home

If you were fascinated by this cute little animal and decided to have it at home, then first you should carefully think about what you will feed it. We will talk about this in our article. The guinea pig is a herbivorous rodent. Everyone knows that plant food rough and nutritious. For this reason, to provide for yourself necessary substances, animals must eat a lot. If such rodents live in nature, they eat a huge amount of (fresh) vegetation. These animals eat almost always, not knowing that there are such concepts as dinner, breakfast and lunch. Food should enter the animal’s intestines in small portions almost continuously. This is the only way to ensure the best possible processing. rough food your pet's body.

So, what does a guinea pig eat? We found out that greens. There's a lot in it ascorbic acid. Due to a lack of vitamin C, the animal may experience health problems. This is because ascorbic acid supports normal condition walls blood vessels. necessary for complete immune protection.

Good sources of ascorbic acid are sprouted oats and green grass. A rodent needs about twenty milligrams of vitamin C per day. During the period of gestation, a pig will need a little more ascorbic acid - about 30 milligrams per day.

This microelement is also found in lettuce, rose hips, sweet peppers and, of course, fresh herbs. You can add 5 mg of vitamin C to rodents' drinking bowl (you can buy it at a pet store or veterinary pharmacy). In addition, ascorbic acid is also sold in ampoules (you can even buy it at a regular pharmacy). You can also use special fortified food and supplements for rodents.

But let's return to our main topic. What does a guinea pig eat? Her diet is quite varied. All food can be divided into several subtypes: coarse, concentrates and juicy.

Roughage

This concept refers to hay and twigs. They contain no a large number of moisture, but lots of fiber. This type of food is irreplaceable. It is needed for the rodent to grind down its teeth, as well as to improve peristalsis and maintain the vital state of cellulose-processing microflora in the intestine. As you know, fiber has an absorption effect. It, like a magnet, “attracts” toxic substances to itself and carries them away, thus cleansing the intestines.

In this regard, there should always be hay in your little pet's cage. Another advantage of this product is that it spoils very slowly.

What is the best food to feed guinea pigs? Juicy feed, that is, herbs and vegetables. There should be a lot of this type of food in your pet’s diet. Let's talk about it in more detail.

Green feed

So, this food must be consumed by your guinea pig. Her diet should be varied if possible. Therefore, you can give your guinea pig meadow grass, plantain, and yarrow. Please note that greens must be chosen carefully, because some plants can be harmful to rodents.

Vegetables

What does a guinea pig eat besides roughage and fresh herbs? Of course, vegetables (parsley, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, etc.). Let's talk more about this topic. As we have already found out, guinea pigs eat lettuce, and all its varieties. This food must be fresh, as the leaves spoil in a matter of hours.

The guinea pig also enjoys eating parsley. It contains a lot of magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and vitamins. It is valued for its antiseptic properties. Offer your pet dill as well. It contains iron, potassium and carotene. Dill reduces the formation of gases in the intestines. True, this greenery should not be given in large quantities, as it contains a lot of essential oils.

Cucumbers are the guinea pig's favorite food. Cucumber juice has a weak anti-inflammatory effect. Another advantage of this vegetable is low calorie content. It is useful to give it to those rodents who need to lose weight. But you should not feed your young guinea pig only cucumbers, even though they love them very much. After all, a growing body must receive adequate nutrition.

The record holder for ascorbic acid content is sweet pepper. In addition, it contains a large amount of carotene. You need to feed the pepper in slices, but, of course, without seeds.

One more useful product for the guinea pig is carrots. It contains many vitamins, carotene, glucose and microelements.

Tomatoes should also be included in the rodent menu. They contain carotene and vitamin C. You should give your pet only ripe fruits. Green tomatoes should not be offered to rodents, as they contain solanine ( poisonous substance). When ripe it is destroyed.

Cabbage is healthy vegetable, but should be given with caution. It contains a lot of sugar, protein and vitamins, as well as organic sulfur. True, cabbage can cause severe gas formation. The rodent should be given only the top leaves of cabbage (preferably white cabbage). Although if you are new to keeping such animals, then it is better not to pamper your pet with such a product at all. It's best to give him broccoli little by little, it's not that dangerous.

Melons

What does a guinea pig eat, besides all of the above? Melons (pumpkins, melons, watermelons, etc.), which contain many vitamins and carotene. They should be given to the rodent in slices with peel. Zucchini and pumpkin are especially useful for these animals. They serve as dietary food. are a preventative against worms. In addition, they contain many vitamins and microelements. They are also an excellent source of zinc. This element is necessary for the prevention of skin diseases and maintaining the skin in good condition.

What else would a guinea pig enjoy?

The diet of rodents must be balanced. Therefore, their diet should include fruits and berries. For example, rowan is useful. It contains a lot of ascorbic acid, carotene and the latter element increases the strength of blood vessels.

Pears and apples contain pectins, carotene and a lot of sugar. In addition, guinea pigs eat with pleasure various berries, oranges and bananas.

Concentrates

These are high-calorie foods. They contain a lot of protein and carbohydrates. This group of feeds includes grains, legumes and seeds. Also included in this category are ready-made feed. Products based on herbal flour are especially well eaten. Adult animals should be given approximately twenty grams per day. Lactating and pregnant females, as well as young individuals, need more (about forty grams each).

Feeding technology and precautions

How to feed guinea pigs correctly? It is best to give concentrates in the morning and at night. And put succulent food in the cage when you are at home, so that the remnants of this food can be removed after the meal. The rodent should always have hay in its cage, as well as a mineral salt stone.

Please note that guinea pigs cannot tolerate starvation. A rodent that refuses to eat for some reason may develop dehydration and exhaustion. If you notice anything wrong with your pet, do not hesitate and contact a doctor immediately.

Guinea pigs have a habit of constantly chewing something. It can serve them badly. After all, abundant consumption and sedentary lifestyle life can lead to the development of obesity. This pathology, unfortunately, very often appears in domestic rodents. Have you noticed that your pet has gained weight? Take steps to lose weight immediately. After all, animals that are obese lose their ability to reproduce, and their immunity also decreases.

In order to make the right guinea pig, recommendations veterinarians should be considered first. After all, each rodent is special, and it is possible that your pet will need more green vegetables, or, conversely, some foods will need to be removed because the pet has gained excess weight.

A little conclusion

Today we tried to figure out what guinea pigs eat. Healthy food for a rodent it is plant food, especially various greens. Carefully select food for this animal, only then will it please you for a long time. Remember that proper nutrition for your guinea pig is the key to its health.

Making a diet for a guinea pig: This question tops the list of tasks that we mentally form when carefully carrying home a funny pet from the pet store. What do guinea pigs eat? Offhand, each of us will say that this must be some kind of grass and grains, perhaps bread. Yes, I remember the seller talked about hay, recommended some kind of food... What kind of food do rodents like? How much grain can they be given per day? What products are included in the ideal menu for rodents of the pig family?

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Diet

Of course, you can reduce feeding your pet to giving him “store-bought” food twice a day. He will eat it, but is it right to eat it? – Yes, if the animal was imposed on you, and your humanistic principle obliges you to give it food. No, if the guinea pig appeared in your house for a reason. In this case, you care about the state of her health and whether she will live a year longer.

When deciding what to feed your guinea pig, it is better to choose between the following options:

mixed nutrition;
natural diet.

Mixed nutrition involves feeding both ready-made grain or granulated mixtures and juicy fresh food. Such food can be fruits, melons (melon), sorrel...

Organizing natural nutrition at home will require a lot of effort from the owner. But the feeding process will bring immeasurably more pleasure! And the result - an active, healthy pet with shiny fur - will certainly please you!

Berries and fruits

Fresh fruits and berries are not only treats for guinea pigs, but also vitamins and minerals that pets need. Fruit can be given daily, depending on your pig's personal preferences and veterinarian recommendations.

As general recommendation Experts advise not to overfeed your pig with sweet fruits. Like no other pet rodent, guinea pigs are susceptible to frequent disorders digestion. And an overabundance of tangerines, apples, and pears on the animal menu can lead to failures of this kind.

Tangerines should be given to your pet with special caution. On the one hand, the pig’s body does not produce vitamin C, richest source which are citrus fruits. On the other hand, tangerines belong to the group allergenic products. Tangerines can be offered a slice a day, carefully observing the reaction of the pig’s body.

Green feed

Rodents of the pig family love green food. When collecting dandelion or alfalfa leaves for your pet, choose places away from busy highways.

Rodents of the pig family happily eat clover, nettles, and leaves. Chinese cabbage, sorrel. Greens can be selected individually, experimenting with foliage (celery, fennel, basil), shoots and excluding bulbous vegetables. Whatever greens you choose, sorrel, spinach, lettuce - everything that guinea pigs eat must be washed.

In winter, the choice of green food inevitably narrows to the store assortment. So that as much as possible more types Your pet could eat lush greens even in winter; you can grow green food yourself. The owner of a guinea pig shares tips on how to do this in this video.

In addition, for the winter it is necessary to prepare hay for the pigs, by eating which the rodents wear down their teeth. Branches of fruit trees are also suitable for stitching.

You can also dry the leaves of sorrel, alfalfa, and clover. Even in dried form, these products contain a large amount of vitamins and microelements.

With the onset of spring, dry hay is gradually replaced by seasonal greens. This transition should be controlled, it should be as gentle as possible so as not to provoke digestive upset. It is not recommended to give grass that is wet from dew or rain to pets.

Grain feed

One of the components of a properly formulated guinea pig diet is grain feed. Rodents will eat wheat, corn, barley grains, lentils, peas, soybeans, sunflower seeds, and oats. You can also give them corn grains in small quantities.

In a properly designed pig menu, the share of grain feed should not exceed a third of the total food volume.

What are the consequences of an excess of grain in a pet’s diet?

Overly nutritious grain feed will inevitably lead to excess weight gain.
Grains are a source of a number of vitamins and microelements, but not all. By increasing the proportion of grain feed, the owner thereby reduces the intake of those substances into the animal’s body. useful substances, which are not present in grain. – They are present in greens, fruits and berries that a pet could eat in a day with a different ratio of diet components.

The animal eats grains only raw. An exception is made only for bread, which some pigs love so much. It is not recommended to give fresh white bread, let alone black bread - only well-dried bread! Rather, it should be bread crumbs. Feel free to give your pet a cracker or two a day: she will sharpen her teeth on it. In addition, the pig’s body will receive the full range of B vitamins contained in the bread.

Combined feeds

Delicate greens, fragrant berries, ripe fruits, juicy vegetables and shoots, fragrant hay in sufficiently provides the rodent's body with the necessary substances. This is a natural and the best diet for your pet that can only be provided at home.

At the same time, they attract attention different types good feed with herbal and fruit granules. Mixtures may also contain different kinds grains, honey, dried fruits. And, although without granulated feed rodents of the pig family could do just fine; some owners still buy ready-made mixtures for their pets.

But, no matter how much manufacturers claim exceptional benefits ready-made mixtures, you should not make even a seemingly standard food the basis of your pig’s diet.

And you shouldn’t offer your pet food that contains:

bone meal (in the wild, rodents of the pig family do not consume products of animal origin!);
preservatives;
corn based syrup;
fructose;
nuts.

Water and salt

The drinking bowl should be filled with fresh water once a day. If a rodent eats a mixed diet, it will drink more water than if it were on natural diet. After all, juicy green food contains a lot of liquid, unlike dehydrated food.

If the animal's body does not receive enough fluid, the pet risks getting sick. Organs will be affected genitourinary system, in which stones can form.

The pet needs salt. Like a block of chalk, a wheel of salt is placed between the bars of the cage. Salt contains minerals, necessary for the normal development of the rodent. Feeling a lack of these substances, the guinea pig licks the wheel.

Pink wheel with salt

“Forbidden fruits” for rodents

What should you not feed guinea pigs? These rodents are not just vegetarians, they are vegans. That is, in conditions wildlife An adult pig would never even think of drinking milk, much less eating meat. Guinea pigs are not predators.

At home, when preparing food for your pet, you need to take into account the following food taboos:

Overripe (or unripe) fruits, rotten vegetables, damp grains, expired feed, food from the owner’s table - all this is also “ forbidden fruits» for rodents.

Although sorrel is included in the list of permitted foods, it should be given to the pig in small quantities.

Feeding regimen and technique

Healthy adult guinea pigs are fed twice a day, while pregnant guinea pigs and babies are fed up to four times a day. With two meals a day, rodents are offered succulent food for “breakfast,” and grain or a grain mixture and greens are prepared for “dinner.” In winter, greens are replaced (or supplemented) with hay.

It may be an unpleasant surprise for first-time owners to learn that pigs (even piglets!) eat their own feces. But this is how nature has established it: it is in this unusual way that colonies of beneficial bacteria enter the pig’s body. If you do not allow your pet and her cubs to eat your litter, this will immediately have a negative impact on the health of the animals.

Daily ration

Once the owner decides what to feed the guinea pig, he should pay attention to feeding standards.

Let's give an example daily ration adult from the pig family:

Some veterinarians recommend feeding guinea pigs milk in the amount of 0.025 liters per day, regardless of season and age. Let us beg to differ with them. Rodents should not be accustomed to milk, because nature has not provided their body with enzymes that help digest dairy products.

You should be careful about your pet, because the given nutritional standards may vary depending on:

degree of animal activity;
health conditions;
age.

So, pregnant females need more food. Therefore, the volume of food eaten for them increases by 30%.

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Video “What to feed guinea pigs?”

Guinea pigs are unpretentious eaters. As follows from A. Brem’s book “The Life of Animals,” “they eat various parts of plants - from roots to leaves, they equally consume grains and succulent plants,” so feed your little pet not that difficult.

At the same time, guinea pigs require a certain amount of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins, that is, the animals' diet should be quite varied. Moreover, along with proper nutrition animals need to move a lot. Guinea pigs living only in a cage simply consume more food than they need out of boredom, but if they have the opportunity to frolic, they satisfy their hunger only when necessary.

Treats

Sometimes, as a treat, guinea pigs can be given juicy fruits, but very little. It is best to use apples, pears, strawberries, grapes and tomatoes.

Roughage

Guinea pigs are given mainly in winter. Highest value of these has legume and legume-cereal hay. The so-called “vitamin hay”, rich in carotene, which is prepared from well-leafed alfalfa, clover, and shadow-dried nettle, is very valuable. "Vitamin hay" is used to feed pregnant and lactating females and young animals. When giving hay, you need to pay attention to its quality: the color should be green, and the smell should be pleasant and aromatic. Swamp hay is not suitable for guinea pigs.

Green feed

Are the main and most important integral part diet. They are cheap, rich in nutrients, easily eaten and absorbed by guinea pigs, and have a beneficial effect on their productivity. All seeded legumes and cereal grasses can be used as green fodder: clover, alfalfa, vetch, lupine, sweet clover, sainfoin, peas, seradella, meadow rank, winter rye, oats, corn, Sudan grass, ryegrass; meadow, steppe and forest grasses. Especially valuable are legumes and legume-cereal mixtures, rich in protein, vitamins and minerals.

Grass is one of the main and cheapest feeds. With a sufficient and varied amount of natural and seed herbs, you can get by with a minimum of concentrates, giving them only to lactating females and young animals up to 2 months.

In order to ensure that there is sufficient green food in the guinea pigs’ diet from spring to late autumn, care must be taken to create a green conveyor. In early spring, winter rye can be used; among the wild ones - nettle, mantle, wormwood, burdock, early sedge and young shoots of willow, willow, aspen and poplar.

In the first half of summer, the most suitable green conveyor crop is red clover. Among wild plants, small forbs can be good food at this time.

The need of guinea pigs for green food can be successfully covered by various wild herbs: nettle, burdock, plantain, yarrow, hogweed, bedstraw, wheatgrass (especially its roots), sage, heather, tansy (wild mountain ash), dandelion, young sedge, camel thorn, as well as rapeseed, milkweed, garden and field thistle, wormwood and many others.

Some wild herbs- wormwood, tarragon, or tarragon wormwood and dandelion - should be fed with caution. These plants are well eaten by animals, but have a harmful effect on the body. Dandelion is given up to 30% of the daily norm of green food, but it is not recommended to feed wormwood and tarragon, or tarragon wormwood.

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) - perennial herbaceous plant from the nettle family (Urticaceae) with a creeping rhizome. Stems are erect, ovate-oblong, up to 15 cm long and up to 8 cm wide, coarsely toothed along the edges, with petioles.

Nettle leaves are very rich in vitamins - they contain up to 0.6% ascorbic acid (vitamin C), up to 50 mg% carotene (provitamin A), vitamins K (up to 400 biological units per 1 g) and group B. This is a natural vitamin concentrate. In addition, nettle leaves contain a lot of protein, chlorophyll (up to 8%), starch (up to 10%), other carbohydrates (about 1%), salts of iron, potassium, copper, manganese, titanium, nickel, as well as tannins and organic acids

Nettle has a high nutritional value, containing 20-24% protein ( vegetable protein), 18-25% fiber, 2.5-3.7% fat, 31-33% nitrogen-free extractives. It contains a lot of vitamin K, calcium salts, potassium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and others.

Its leaves and young shoots are used primarily for the prevention and treatment of vitamin deficiencies, which most often appear in late winter and early spring. The method of use is the simplest - powder from dry leaves is added to food.

Leaves are harvested during budding and flowering of nettles (blooms from May to autumn, fruits ripen starting in July). Often the leaves are rubbed with a mitten along the stem from bottom to top, but you can mow or cut off the shoots, dry them slightly, and then thresh the leaves on a clean litter and throw away the thick stems. Usually the tops of young shoots are plucked and dried, tied in bunches. Drying of nettle raw materials should be carried out in ventilated rooms, in attics, in sheds, but always in a place protected from direct sunlight, as they can destroy some of the vitamins.

Young nettle leaves are especially nutritious in early spring. Fresh nettle must first be boiled for 2-3 minutes in water, then lightly squeezed and, after chopping, added to the wet mixture.

Grass meal made from nettles also has high feeding qualities. In terms of the content of substances necessary for the body, it is superior to flour from a mixture of timothy and clover and is equivalent to alfalfa flour. Nettles are collected before flowering (June-July) - later they lose some beneficial features. The plants are mowed or picked and the leaves are allowed to wither a little, after which the nettle no longer “bites”.

In winter, dry crushed leaves are added to the grain mixture or boiled for 5-6 minutes until softened in a container with a closed lid. After cooking, the water is drained, and the resulting mass is lightly squeezed and added to the feed.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Wigg. s.l.) is a perennial herbaceous plant from the family Asteraceae (Compositae, or Asteraceae), with a fleshy taproot that penetrates deeply into the soil (up to 60 cm). The leaves are collected in a basal rosette, from the center of which in spring leafless hollow flower arrows 15-50 cm high grow. They end in a single inflorescence - a basket 3.5 cm in diameter with a two-row brown-green wrapper. Leaves vary in shape and size. They are usually planum-shaped, pinnately lobed or pinnately lanceolate, 10–25 cm long and 2–5 cm wide, often with a pinkish midrib.

It blooms from April to June, the fruits ripen in May-June. Most often, the period of mass flowering does not last long - two to three weeks in the second half of May and early June.

It grows in a variety of habitats: in meadows, forest edges, clearings, gardens, fields, vegetable gardens, vacant lots, along roads, on lawns, in parks, near homes.

Dandelion leaves and roots have nutritional value. The leaves are rich in carotenoids (provitamin A), ascorbic acid, vitamins B1, B2, and P. They are used as a bitter that stimulates appetite and improves digestion. Dandelion roots contain inulin (up to 40%), sugars, malic acid and other substances.

The leaves of this plant are readily eaten by guinea pigs. They are a source of vitamins and mineral salts. Dandelion leaves are fed to animals early spring until late autumn in unlimited quantities. The bitter substance contained in the leaves promotes blood circulation, enhances digestion and stimulates appetite.

Great plantain (Plantago major L.). They are herbaceous perennials that grow like weeds everywhere. Plantain leaves are rich in potassium and citric acid, they contain the glycoside aucubin, the enzymes invertin and emulsin, bitter tannins, alkaloids, vitamin C, and carotene. The seeds contain carbohydrates, mucous substances, oleic acid, and 15-10% of a kind of fatty oil.

Among the herbs there are also highly poisonous ones, which can cause feed poisoning and even death in guinea pigs. These plants include: cory (dog parsley), hemlock, poisonous weed, celandine, foxglove, purple or red foxglove, lily of the valley, hellebore, larkspur (horned cornflowers), henbane, raven's eye, nightshade, datura, anemone, poisonous sow thistle , wolf berries, night blindness, marsh marigold, meadow lumbago, self-seeded poppy, bracken fern, marsh wild rosemary.

Various waste from garden and melon crops, leaves and shoots of some trees and shrubs can be used as green fodder. Good results are obtained from feeding cabbage leaves, lettuce, potato and carrot tops. Potato tops should be mowed only after flowering and always green. Tomato, beet, rutabaga and turnip tops are given to animals no more than 150-200 g per head per day. Feeding more tops causes diarrhea, especially in young animals.

A nutritious and economically profitable forage crop is young green corn, which contains a lot of sugar and is readily eaten by guinea pigs. Corn is used as green food from the beginning of its emergence into the tube until the panicle is thrown out. It is given to adult animals up to 70% and to young animals up to 40% or more of the daily requirement of green food. Best results corn produces in combination with alfalfa, clover and other herbs.

Spinach (Spinacia oleracia L.). The leaves of young plants are eaten. They contain a variety of vitamins, are rich in protein and salts of iron, phosphorus, and calcium. 100 g of spinach contains a lot of potassium - 742 mg. High temperatures quickly wilt spinach leaves, so for long-term storage spinach is frozen, canned or dried. Fresh frozen, it can be stored at -1°C for 2-3 months.

Kale is an excellent food from late August until early winter. Thus, kale can be fed to animals until late autumn and during the first half of winter.

Juicy feed are introduced into the diet in autumn-winter, when the supply of greenery stops. Succulent foods include root vegetables and melons. All of them are well eaten by animals, have high dietary properties, are rich in easily digestible carbohydrates, but are relatively poor in protein, fat and minerals, especially such important ones as calcium and phosphorus.

Yellow and red varieties of carrots, containing a lot of carotene, are the most valuable succulent root vegetable food. They are usually fed to females during pregnancy and lactation, to breeding males during the mating period, as well as to young animals.

Among other root vegetables, animals readily eat sugar beets, rutabaga, turnips, and turnips.

Rutabaga (Brassica napus L. subsp. napus) is cultivated for its edible roots. The color of the root vegetables is white or yellow, and top part it, protruding from the soil, acquires a green, reddish-brown or purple tan. The pulp of the root vegetable is juicy, dense, yellow, less often white, sweetish, with a specific taste of mustard oil.

The rutabaga root contains 11 - 17% dry matter, including 5-10% sugars, represented mainly by glucose, up to 2% crude protein, 1.2% fiber, 0.2% fat and 23-70 mg% ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamins B and P, potassium salts, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, sulfur. Root crops are well stored in basements and cellars at low temperatures and remain practically fresh all year round.

Root crops and leaves (tops) are readily eaten by domestic animals, so rutabaga is grown both as a food and as a forage crop.

Carrots, or table carrots (Daucus sativus (Hoffm.) Roehl) - a biennial plant from the Zotaceae family - are a valuable forage crop; its root crops are readily eaten by all types of livestock and poultry. Special varieties of fodder carrots have been developed that differ large sizes root crops and, therefore, high yields. Not only root vegetables are used as food, but also carrot leaves.

Carrot roots contain 10-19% dry matter, including up to 2.5% protein and up to 12% sugars. Sugars provide the pleasant flavor of carrot roots. In addition, root vegetables contain pectin, vitamins C (up to 20 mg%), B1, B2, B6, E, K, P, PP, calcium salts, phosphorus, iron, cobalt, boron, chromium, copper, iodine and other trace elements. But carrots give special value high concentration in the roots of the coloring matter carotene (up to 37 mg%). In humans and animals, carotene is converted into vitamin A, which is often deficient. Thus, eating carrots is beneficial not so much because of its nutritional properties, how much due to the fact that it gives the body almost all the necessary vitamins.

Turnips (Brassica rapa L.) are grown for their edible root. The pulp of the root vegetable is juicy, yellow or white, with a peculiar pleasant taste. They contain from 8 to 17% dry matter, including 3.5-9% sugars, represented mainly by glucose, up to 2% crude protein, 1.4% fiber, 0.1% fat, and 19-73 mg% ascorbic acid (vitamin C), 0.08-0.12 mg% thiamine (vitamin B1), a little riboflavin (vitamin B2), carotene (provitamin A), nicotinic acid(vitamin PP), potassium salts, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, sulfur. The mustard oil it contains gives the turnip root its specific aroma and pungent taste. In winter, root crops are stored in cellars and basements. The best preservation is ensured in the dark at a temperature of 0° to 1°C, especially if the root crops are sprinkled with dry sand or peat chips. Turnip fodder is called turnips. Not only root vegetables are used as food, but also turnip leaves.

Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L. subsp. esculenta Guerke), a biennial plant from the goosefoot family, is one of the best succulent forages. Root vegetables of different varieties differ in shape, size, and color. Typically, the root vegetable of table beet does not exceed half a kilogram weight with a diameter of 10-20 cm. The pulp of root vegetables comes in a variety of shades of red and crimson. Leaves with a heart-shaped-ovate blade and rather long petioles. The petiole and central vein are usually intensely colored burgundy color, often the entire leaf blade is red-green.

Both root vegetables and leaves and their petioles are eaten. Root vegetables contain 14-20% dry matter, including 8-12.5% sugars, represented mainly by sucrose, 1-2.4% crude protein, about 1.2% pectin, 0.7% fiber, and also up to 25 mg% of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamins B1, B2, P and PP, malic, tartaric, lactic acid, potassium salts, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium. The content of vitamin C in beet petioles is even higher than in root vegetables - up to 50 mg%.

Beetroot is also convenient because its root vegetables, compared to other vegetables, have good shelf life - they do not spoil for a long time during long-term storage, and are easily preserved until spring, which allows you to feed them fresh almost all year round. Even though they become rough and tough, this is not a problem for rodents; they willingly eat any beets.

Special varieties of beets have been bred for feed purposes. The color of fodder beet roots is very different - from almost white to intense yellow, orange, pink and reddish. Their nutritional value is determined by the content of 6-12% sugar, a certain amount of protein and vitamins.

Potato, or tuberous nightshade (Solarium tuberosum L.) is a perennial herbaceous plant from the nightshade family. The tubers are used as food. They contain 25% dry matter, including 14-22% carbohydrates, represented mainly by starch, 1-3% protein, 0.3% fat, and up to 1% ash.

Potato tubers have nutritional value primarily due to the starch they contain. About a fifth of the tuber's mass is pure starch. In the human and animal bodies, starch is broken down into simple sugars. And they are absorbed by the body, giving energy to the tissues.

But potatoes are famous not only for their starch. It also contains proteins, so necessary for the body, as well as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamins B1, B2, B6, PP, K. Young tubers are richer in vitamins. And although the content of proteins and vitamins in potatoes is small, due to the fact that it is consumed in large portions, a noticeable amount of these substances enters the body. Potatoes also contain carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the body. Tubers with yellowish flesh are richer in them. Potassium contained in potatoes is also very important for the body. It enhances kidney function and helps eliminate excess salts. Raw potato tubers and fresh juice from them have healing properties.

Root and tuber crops, especially in winter, play an important role in feeding animals. Root vegetables (turnips, beets, etc.) should be given raw, chopped; They are first cleared of soil and washed.

Vegetables and root crops are prepared for feeding in the following way: they are sorted, rotten, flabby, and discolored root crops are discarded, soil, debris, etc. are also removed. Then the affected areas are cut out with a knife, washed and cut into small pieces.

Melon crops - pumpkin, zucchini, watermelon - contain a lot of water (90% or more), as a result of which their overall nutritional value is low, but they are eaten by animals quite readily.

Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L var, giromontia Duch.) is a good forage crop. It is grown for its fruits. The fruits reach commercial (technical) ripeness 40-60 days after emergence. In a state of technical ripeness, the skin of zucchini is quite soft, the flesh is juicy, white, and the seeds have not yet become covered with a hard shell. The pulp of squash fruits contains from 4 to 12% dry matter, including 2-2.5% sugars, pectin substances, 12-40 mg% ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Later, when the squash fruits reach biological ripeness, their nutritional value drops sharply because the pulp loses its juiciness and becomes almost as hard as the outer bark, in which a layer of mechanical tissue, sclerenchyma, develops. Ripe zucchini fruits are only suitable for livestock feed.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Cucumbers suitable for food in the biological sense are 6-15-day-old ovaries. Their color in marketable condition (i.e. unripe) is green; when fully biologically ripe, they become yellow, brown or off-white. Cucumbers contain from 2 to 6% dry matter, including 1-2.5% sugars, 0.5-1% crude protein, 0.7% fiber, 0.1% fat, and up to 20 mg% carotene ( provitamin A), vitamins B1, B2, some trace elements (in particular iodine), calcium salts (up to 150 mg%), sodium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, etc. It is especially worth mentioning the glycoside cucurbitacin contained in cucumber. Usually we don’t notice it, but in cases where this substance accumulates, the cucumber or its individual parts, most often the surface tissues, become bitter and inedible. 94-98% of the mass of a cucumber is water, therefore, the nutritional value of this vegetable is low. Cucumber promotes better absorption others food products, in particular improves fat absorption. The fruits of this plant contain enzymes that increase the activity of B vitamins.

Edible tomato, or common tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill). Not only fully ripe, but also unripe, green fruits are used for food. In fresh fruits - 4.4-8% dry matter, including 1.5-7% sugars, represented mainly by monosaccharides (glucose and fructose), up to 1.6% crude protein, starch, fiber, pectin substances . They also contain up to 55 mg% ascorbic acid (vitamin C), 0.8-1.2 mg% carotene (provitamin A), 0.3-1.6 mg% thiamine (vitamin B1), 1.5-6 mg % riboflavin (vitamin B2), pantothenic, nicotinic, folic, citric and malic acids, mineral salts, vitamin K. Consumption of tomatoes causes increased excretion gastric juice, which promotes better absorption of food.

Concentrated and other feeds

Cereals, cakes, bran, mineral and vitamin supplements.

Grain feed

The best grain food for guinea pigs is oats. Wheat, barley, corn, sunflower seeds, lentils, millet, peas, peanuts, vetch, soybeans and their waste are also fed. Grain feed makes up approximately 30% of the total feed balance.

It is not advisable to feed guinea pigs with a single grain mixture, and simply put, it is impossible - their productivity decreases and obesity is possible. This is explained by the fact that grain mixtures, despite their high energy nutritional value, are deficient in some vital amino acids, minerals and vitamins (A1, B12, C, D). To increase the value of feed, it is necessary to include in the diets in addition to grain mixtures: in summer - fresh greens, and in winter - grass meal or hay, root vegetables and vegetables.

Amazing cute animals - guinea pigs! They bring a lot of joy and are not at all whimsical.

Be ready!

Don’t forget about pigs for a long time; they don’t like being alone at all, since in nature these animals live in packs. If your guinea pig lives in a cage, then you will often see how, bored, he will stand on his hind legs and begin to call you with a whistle. Don't forget to take her out of her crate so she can run around and interact with family members. If your pet moves freely around the apartment, then do not forget to provide him with a separate hole so that he can have privacy and hide from danger.

In a standard 40*40 cage, instead of bedding, you can use hay, shavings or straw, as well as wood litter for cat litter. Granular wood filler perfectly absorbs liquid and eliminates odor, and guinea pigs also chew it. It is not advisable to use small sawdust, as they can get into the pig’s eyes and respiratory tract.

Features of feeding!

Feeding guinea pigs is quite easy, of course the food from your table will not suit them, but their diet is quite simple. It is better to feed your pet 2-3 times a day at a certain time, so as not to lead to the development of diseases digestive system. The best food for guinea pigs, experts believe: wheat bran, oats, carrots and various grasses in the summer, and hay in the winter. For an adult you need: half a kilo of grass, or 60g of hay; approximately 100 grams of vegetables and fruits plus grain or bran - 50 grams and a little granulate - 10-20 grams.

Food must certainly contain approximately 5 mg of vitamin C, since in the process of evolution guinea pigs have lost the ability to synthesize it, and it is not always contained in food. The diet must include seeds, grains, potatoes, vegetables, grass, dandelions, lettuce, turnips, beets, cabbage, tomatoes, apples and hay. It is best to give ready-made food, which is available in pet stores, but if you still give home-prepared food, then be sure to adhere to the following proportions: coarse fiber - 15%, crude protein - 20% and animal protein - 4%, and hay and water in sufficient quantities. Pregnant females need to increase the glucose content in the feed.

Contraindicated!

Do not give your guinea pigs: red cabbage, cheese, sausage, meat, eggs, sweets, unripe or overripe fruits and berries, as well as damp, moldy, rotten or contaminated food, and scraps from your table.

Do not radically change your diet to avoid indigestion.

Guinea pigs are a category of pets that need our attention and care a little more than cats or dogs. It just so happened that due to special characteristics intestines of these rodents, for normal operation digestive system, and wellness, they should receive everything that the animal would receive in the wild.

Let us consider with you the general aspects of feeding guinea pigs, what they should add to their diet, and what should not be added. Let's try to figure out what guinea pigs eat?

If you provide your animal with a complete and balanced diet, you will not only save it from the occurrence of various types of diseases, but also make its life much longer.

You should feed your guinea pig two to three times a day. It is recommended to give succulent food in the first half of the day, and dry food in the second.

And don’t forget one small nuance: the guinea pig’s body does not have a mechanism for producing vitamin C, so every day the animal should add 5 to 25 milligrams of ascorbic acid per 250 milliliters of liquid to its drink. If your pig receives multivitamin complexes along with the food, then ascorbic acid in the water can be excluded.

Don’t forget that salt is vital for guinea pigs at any age. For an adult, this is about one and a half grams, and for a young pig, half a gram.

Guinea pig main menu

In order for food to provide the guinea pig with the maximum amount of substances necessary for life and health, it must consist of the following types of food:

hard food;
hay;
green feed;
fresh fruits and vegetables.

If possible, each component should be present in the guinea pigs' diet daily.

Grain mixtures

The daily rate of grain consumption by a rodent should be at least 30 percent of the total amount of food for the day. Finding such food will not be difficult, and on the shelves of absolutely any pet store, you will find representatives of both domestic and imported manufacturers.

The basis of such feeds will most often be:

Along with seeds, such feeds may contain combined feeds in the form of granules and grass granules with added vitamins.

It is absolutely not difficult to make such food yourself by purchasing everything you need at the agricultural market. If you make this yourself, note that the favorite ingredient in these piggy mixtures is oats. There should be a little more of it in such food than other cereal components.

Feeding cereals and solid foods is generally very important point in the life of a rodent. This is a natural mechanism for grinding down a creature's ever-growing teeth. If you allow excessive growth of teeth, there will come a time when the animal simply cannot eat and dies.

Green feed

This type of food for guinea pigs is the most natural. Plant fibers maintain the functioning of the pig's intestines at the proper level and supply the rodent with many useful substances. It is worth remembering that not every green herb will be beneficial for your pet.

Plants whose consumption has a positive effect on guinea pigs:

Try to avoid feeding the animal with armfuls of plants, as only a couple of twigs poisonous plant will be enough for the animal to develop serious problems with health. The grass should always be fresh and thoroughly washed.

Hay

This type of food is the most important in their diet. Such food in the daily volume of food should be at least 20 percent. Together with the normalization of intestinal function, hay is an integral part in the mechanism of teeth grinding in these rodents.

Just like grain feed, you can find hay at any pet store or prepare it yourself. Make sure that the dry weed you buy in the store does not have any traces of moisture or mold.

Wet or rotted hay will definitely not benefit your pet. The presence of this product in the pig’s diet is especially important. winter period feeding. Although not in the same quantity as in green grass, hay still contains elements necessary for the animal.

When making hay yourself, the same rule applies as when choosing grass. Carefully inspect the grass harvested as hay. Keep weeds and poisonous plants away.

Vegetables and fruits

The amount of vegetables and fruits your pig will consume per day should be about 30 percent of the animal's body weight. It is still preferable to feed vegetables, and give fruits as a treat.

Due to the significant content of sugars and fruit acids in fruits, a guinea pig may develop some diseases when overeating fruits.

The most favorite vegetables and fruits for pigs are:

It is advisable to alternate these products. Give at least three to five varieties of such food per day to ensure that you receive the maximum range of vitamins. It is advisable to give cherries, plums, pears and peaches as treats in extremely small quantities due to their high sugar content.

Other feeds

This item will be interesting for owners whose pets are especially active and spend a lot of energy throughout the day. For such live creatures, the diet includes foods with a high fat content.

Such products include:

Flax seeds.
Sunflower seeds.
Sesame seeds.
Nuts.

Accordingly, if your pet leads a sedentary lifestyle, then you should avoid such products. Also, many rodents enjoy eating wheat bran.

An important element in nutrition are fresh branches of fruit trees and shrubs. Guinea pigs can eat them, just like hay. They help wear down your pet’s teeth and replenish the necessary supply of minerals in the body.

Foods to Avoid

What should you not feed your pet? This will be important when you tell a child, if there is one in the family, about feeding a guinea pig. After all, your child, out of the kindness of his heart, can treat a fluffy to his favorite candy, which will cause serious problems for the animal.

Moreover, try not only not to feed them, but also to limit the animal’s potential contact with these products during walks.

Healthy Supplements

Not just food plant origin helps the guinea pig get the maximum amount of useful elements for the body. Various nutritional supplements can also come to the aid of grass and twigs.

Such additives include:

meat and bone meal.
This product allows the animal to compensate for the deficiency of animal proteins;
fish fat.
Mainly given to young animals to strengthen bones and increase the amount of vitamins for growth in the body;
boiled milk.
It is used most often for feeding young animals. It must be fresh. A product without heat treatment can introduce infection into the animal’s body;
water.
Of course, this is not a supplement, but something that is vitally necessary for all living beings. Especially in winter, when feeding will be carried out with dry food and dry hay;
ascorbic acid.
The body does not produce vitamin C, so its level should be replenished with ascorbic acid;
feces.
For rodents, eating their own feces is one of the most important aspect in the matter of maintaining intestinal microflora. In addition, it is an additional source of microelements.

Conclusion

When you approach the question of what your guinea pigs will eat at home, you should show maximum attention and responsibility.

You need to take care of a varied diet to give your pet the maximum amount of useful elements for growth and development.
Controlling the purity and quality of feed is very important. Diseases in guinea pigs occur extremely quickly, and if an animal becomes ill, in just a couple of days it can reach a level at which the pet’s life is in danger.
Grain feed, hay and twigs of bushes and fruit trees must be present in the guinea pig's diet. Grinding teeth is no less important than taking care of your pet’s entire body. Without the ability to grind down its teeth, the rodent will not be able to eat and will die.

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