Feeding Chinchillas, Degus and Guinea Pigs
Warning: Do not change your pet's diet suddenly. Always make changes slowly and one at a time to avoid digestive upsets. If your pet develops diarrhoea feed hay and pellets only and take him to see the vet - it may be nothing to do with his feed. If you have an elderly pet that has always done fine on the feed it is getting it may not worth changing things at all. If you have any concerns about your pet's health he needs to see a vet as soon as possible.
This is a new page about my thoughts on feeding small herbivores, most notably chinchillas, degus and guinea pigs. Some of this differs slightly from conventional wisdom and is my own opinion. If anyone knows of any proper scientific trials into any of the issues here I would be interested: contact me. Much of it is also relevant to rabbits, but since I have little experience with them can I recommend the pages by the Rabbit Welfare Association if you want more information. Also have a look at the rodents and chewing page and the teeth and emergency feeding page for more information about teeth health. Apologies for the three animals being mixed together, but a lot of the information is relevant to all of them and this page has been written as a bit of a huge brain dump for its first version.
In summary:
Make any changes slowly and one at a time
Most of the diet should be good quality hay
Limit the amount of pellets fed
If you feed mix do not replace until every scrap has been eaten
All small rodents like and need fresh vegetables
Don't feed commercial treats
Dried grass and herb products are good supplemental feeds
Introduction
Rodents have teeth that grow continually; not just their front teeth, but their molars at the back. This is because their diet is naturally tough and requires a lot of chewing - if their teeth did not grow then they would soon wear out. In captivity this means they need appropriate food that mimics their natural diet. Teeth problems can be very common, particularly in chinchillas and degus, but are also a risk in rabbits and guinea pigs. There's more on chinchillas on the emergency feeding for chinchillas page. The problem is likely to be a combination of their longevity in captivity, bad breeding and pet foods just their diet just not giving the molars enough wear. There is little that the pet owner can do about the former, but you can prevent malocclusion due to poor diet.
Hay and Forage
Some people get very uptight about the relative merits of pellets, but the most important thing is plenty of good quality forage food such as hay. The majority of the diet for all three types of animals should be a good quality hay - I find that a good quality Timothy Hay such as Oxbow Western Timothy is liked best by small and furries and this encourages them to eat more. The guinea pigs even prefer it to their pellets. This type of hay cannot be grown in the UK and has to be imported which makes it quite expensive. It is possible to buy it in bulk on the Internet if you shop around. Try the pet shopping page for some online sources.
Failing this you can also get UK grown timothy hay or a good quality meadow hay which can be bought from horse feed suppliers by the bale. Hay should smell sweet and not be dusty or musty when the bale is broken. For some reason the stuff sold bagged in pet shops for small pets often doesn't seem to be very nice - I'm particularly disappointed with the new timothy hay sold by Pets at Home.
You can get a range of different hays (Oxbow has an ever expanding range) which are suitable and other forage products such as dried herbs which make a good supplement to increase forage in the diet.
Another type of forage that is very popular is alfalfa (or Lucerne). There is a lot of discussion about it being too high in calcium to feed daily, and people tend to get terribly uptight about it. The theory being that the high level of calcium/oxalate can cause kidney or bladder stones. It's almost a folk lore thing passed down through web sites and the generations of guinea pig and chinchilla keeper. I'm not convinced that there is any good evidence that urinary stones are linked to calcium or oxalate in the diet from plant sources (over using mineral supplements might, however, cause a problem). Generally these are more likely to be caused by a problem, such as a tumour or kidney problem messing up the balance of calcium in the body. In humans the only proven dietary link seems to be too much sugar - so another reason to avoid the commercial pet treats. If you are concerned, then restrict it to a couple of times a week in fully grown animals (growing animals can have more). But it's certainly not something to get worried about as an ingredient in pellets provided the majority of the diet is made up of good quality hay/grass. Sometimes you have to make educated choices - I find Oxbow Alfalfa Nibbles invaluable in animals that are off their food, particularly chinchillas that aren't keen on hay - and in this case I will feed it daily as adequate grinding of teeth and improving appetite is a far higher priority.
Guinea pigs are natural grazers and grass is the idea forage. Ideally they would spend all day out grazing on the lawn in summer but, due to the risks from urban foxes and our glorious weather this is rarely practical. Grass can also be picked for them (but don't use grass clippings as they ferment quickly). If you don't have access to a lawn consider whether you have space to grow some in a grow bag or pots. Take care when picking from the wild to ensure that the grass has not been fouled by a dog, or is too close to a road or other source of pollution. Chinchillas and degus also enjoy fresh grass - particularly some of the larger grass leaves - mine also adore the large seed heads from the grass that grows from missed bird seed. Introduce small amounts, very slowly if they are not used to having it. Dried grass such as readigrass or supa forage excel is also available and is also a suitable forage for chinchillas, degus and guinea pigs.
Help my pet won't eat hay!
It's unlikely that you will find a guinea pig that doesn't like hay but chinchillas and degus are frequently quite dubious about it. For guinea pigs and degus, particularly if they are of nervous disposition it is worth giving them a big lump of hay that they can hide in and nibble on at will - "food you can hide in!".
Ideas for increasing intake include:
Look at how much other food they are getting - they just may not be hungry enough.
You may need to consider no treats and reducing the pellet ration for a while. For healthy adults it may be practical replace pellets with a bowl of dried grass on alternate days.
Try a different hay - chins in particular are inclined to turn their noses up at pet shop hay
Having a range of different types of hay might help encourage intake
Put hay in lots of places around the cage where they can have a quick nibble
Try hay and straw chew-toys - or make your own. For example, bunches of hay can be suspended or stuffed in toiled rolls.
I've never met a rodent yet that wouldn't eat Oxbow Alfa Nibbles - but see comments on frequency above
If your pet is eating poorly generally then a visit to the vet may be in order.
Pellets
The pellets and mixed feed that are sold for Chinchillas and Guinea Pigs are designed to have all the nutrients that they need, but crumble easily and do not provide much wear for teeth and are usually too high in protein and low in fibre. It needs to be bourne in mind that these foods were developed in the days when people kept rabbits for meat or showing, and then these were adapted for guinea pigs, and chinchillas were kept for pelts. So good growth and plenty of muscle and fur in youth where what was required, not long term good teeth and gut health into old age. There is a lack of good scientific research into what makes a good diet for pets, as there just isn't the same money in it as feeding cats and dogs, so it is often a case of trying to mimic what is believed to be a natural diet. In the wild these animals get a lot of exercise and graze continually on low quality grass and plant materials. I love Galen's Garden's description of the average rabbit being "the equivalent of a couch potato living on junk food, with or without good BUPA cover if things go wrong".
Mixed feeds look appetising to the owner, but can cause the additional problem of selective eating. The vitamins and minerals are often in the pellets - which are the bits most often discarded. This can be overcome by using a small amount and not replacing it until every scrap has been eaten, but it is important to make sure that disliked bits are not just dug out and discarded on the floor. Generally a pelleted food is a better idea. Try to buy a good quality feed, in an enclosed container and use by the use by date to prevent it loosing nutrients. When comparing pellets go for a pellet that is lower in protein and higher in fibre.
However, pellets are an important part of a diet as and, as previously mentioned, they contain the vitamins and minerals your pet needs. In fully grown adult animals of healthy weight the best idea is to limit pelleted food or mix to encourage more hay to be eaten. Toys such as treat balls are also useful for guinea pigs as these make them do some work for the food - I don't use a bowl at all and Smudge and Indy have to work for their dinner. Pellets can also be hidden around the cage to encourage natural foraging behaviour.
The big question is just how much you should limit pellets - some rescues recommend only feeding rabbits pellets on alternate days, replacing them with a dried grass such as readigrass or supa forage excel on the other day. I give pellets every day to my degus and chins but in amounts that run out for part of the day. Because the guinea pigs really like the hay and have to work for their pellets in the treat balls I don't tend to restrict them.
For degus the situation can be confusing. Generally need to be fed on food designed for guinea pig or chinchillas or a mix of the two. I've heard that they were originally kept for research into diabetes as they are very prone to this. I can't find an original source for this and would be interested if anyone knows of one.What is certain is that they do seem to get diabetes. Often this is if they have been allowed to get fat and/or are fed lots of sugary treats, but also sometimes in animals that have always been well cared for. Some sites describe diabetes as an inability to digest sugar. This is not the case - it is an inability to get sugar out of the blood stream and into the body tissues to use as energy. This results in high levels of the glucose (a sugar) in the blood which causes damage to the small blood vessels of the eyes, kidneys and extremities, and the large blood vessels of the heart. In order to keep blood sugar low it is important to make sure that the diet is low in sugar, and high in the complex carbohydrates that are hard to break down such as the cellulose in hay, grass and vegetables. This results in it being released very slowly into the blood as it is digested.
So, as with guinea pigs and chinchillas, a degu's diet should be based on good quality hay, vegetables and small amounts of pellets. The only real difference is that it is advisable not to feed them dried fruit at all because of the high sugar content. It is also vital that degus are not allowed to get fat. This is another reason to feed them limited pellets and it's also a really good idea to get them a wheel for exercise. Try the pet shopping page for some online sources.
There are some pellets designed specifically for degus coming onto the market which may be worth trying - but it's always worth getting onto forum or discussion group and trying to find someone who has experience of it first. Mistakes do sometimes happen in the development of new food. If you use chinchilla pellets try to find one without molasses in the mix - which isn't always possible. I've used Burgess Supa Guinea Excel for the degus for some years and they seem to do fine on it.
Chinchillas can also get diabetes and come from an environment where they have evolved to live on a very poor quality diet - so the advice for degus to limit pellets, don't feed sugary treats, don't allow them to get fat and make sure they get plenty of exercise also holds. It is also very bad for guinea pigs to get fat (see below for help on overweight pets).
Vegetables
I like to feed quite a lot of fresh veggies as no matter how carefully you put known vitamins and minerals into a pelleted food you
can never replace all the antioxidants and phytochemicals in fresh food. Whenever I hear someone on a discussion board going on about how expensive they are I want to slap them with a damp lettuce - they cost peanuts compared to the potential savings in vets bills. If you visit a market you can often get 'free' seasonal vegetables such as the tops from carrots and Brussels sprouts.
It has always been common practice to feed veggies to guinea pigs and they enjoy a wide range including greens, broccoli, peppers, carrots and fruit such as apple. They also love fresh grass (not grass clippings as these can ferment in the stomach ) and safe wild plants such as dandelion (in moderation) and groundsel. There are lists of safe plants on the Internet - I couldn't manage to track down one whilst writing this but it's always worth asking on a forum (search to see if it's already been asked first). Always make sure that anything collected from the wild isn't moldy, isn't picked from anywhere close to a main road where it can get polluted or has been fouled by a dog. And give it a good wash before feeding. The rule is that if you are in doubt then don't feed it. Mine always wheek their little furry heads off when dinner is being prepared because they know that all the spare bits such carrot and pepper tops and cauliflower leaves are coming their way. I've had to stop my practice of opening the kitchen door and lobbing it into the pen as Smudge comes towards you at high speed and can get hit by flying food.
If your guinea pig hasn't been fed a lot of greens then build up slowly. Guinea pigs seem to be more grazers than chinchillas and degus - they are best out on the lawn all day grazing on grass and brought into their cage for hay and pellets at night. Make sure that they have access to water and shade and are safe from predators when out - urban foxes can be active during the day in town gardens so make sure your pet is safe. Piggies with pink ears and noses also need to be protected from sunburn.
Recently there has been a discussion going on about the value of vegetables for chinchillas. Traditional wisdom is that fresh food upsets chinchilla's delicate stomachs. But in the wild they eat a range of including plant stems, leafs, roots, fruit and seeds. For more information on wild diet see the Save the Wild Chinchillas website. Some of us have started to introduce fresh and dried fruit vegetables to our chinchillas diet. Dark green leafy vegetables are very good sources of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients/antioxidants and broccoli, dark greens and dandelions are often popular. Fruit such as banana or apple is often popular, but probably best fed in small amounts because of the sugar - banana can be a godsend with a chinchilla with a sore mouth after dental surgery though. Vegetables can be dried either carefully in an oven or using a dehydrator if chins are really fussy about fresh.
There has been a discussion on the use of a hay and veggies diet consisting mostly of hay, dried herbs and vegetables and fresh vegetables for chinchillas with dental problems. Some chinchilla owners have been using this on advice of their vets to try to maximise wear on the chinchillas molars and increase the time needed between dental ops. Anecdotally it appears interesting - but always discuss something like this with your vet before trying it.For more information on these topics why not join in a discussion at chinchillas unlimited. There is a particularly good thread here.
Degus also enjoy a range of vegetables. Because of their potential issue with sugar it is probably best not to feed dried fruit at all. However human diabetics are allowed small amounts of fruit so tiny scraps of fresh (about the size of a finger nail) very occasionally shouldn't be a problem.
One thing that is certainly true about vegetables (and hay as well) is that it is much harder to get a pet that is adult to try new things. Many chinchillas will just turn their little furry noses up at anything fresh. The trick is to just persevere. Put a small amount in and remove it if uneaten and try again another time. In my experience broccoli, fresh grass and dandelions are most popular - once they start to eat something you can usually get them to try something new if you persevere. Animals fed a range of different things from a young age seem to be more willing to try new things - they seem to decide that everything you've given them so far has been nice then it's worth trying anything that comes their way! Another trick that isn't always practical is to put them in with a non-fussy cage mate - particularly degus who will want whatever their cage mate is eating regardless of whether they like it themselves!!
Treats
Generally my advice on commercial treats can be summed up as: don't buy them. Particularly the stick seed treats and sugary 'yogurt' drops. A much better treat for degus and chinchillas is a chew toy or piece of dried veg, and for guinea pigs some nice fresh grass, dandelion or greens.
However, there are a number of specialist treats available that are suitable. These include different types of hay, dried herbs, vegetables and flowers. Try the pet shopping page for some online sources. I will just plug Chinchillas2Home who sell some great healthy treats and hays.
Dried fruit is another interesting issue. Raisins are generally fed to chinchillas and there is no doubt that they do love them. However they are very high in sugar and I would suggest not feeding more than one or two a day. Try to buy ones that don't have vegetable oil on them. They can be cut into at least 4-8 pieces with a sharp knife if you are training your chinchilla. Small treats work better for this anyway as they will run away and eat a larger one. Dried fruit of any kind is unsuitable for degus because of the sugar content, I use sunflower seeds but restrict to a couple a day because they are quite fat.
Breakfast cereals are often given to small animals, but they are generally stuffed full of sugar and salt. The main ones that aren't are Shredded Wheat and Porridge Oats which are both suitable for chinchillas and degus in small amounts.
Branches from non toxic trees such as apple are popular with all three species and help keep the incisors worn.
It's worth bearing in mind that if you have a lot of members in your household your pet may be getting multiple lots of treats - try to come to agreement about how many treats and who will give them. Oh and keep treat pots away from small children and visiting adults who have had a drink as this only leads to spherical rodents.
Water
Your pet should always have access to unlimited, clean water from a bottle. Bowls can get dirty and tipped over and shouldn't be used. Bottles should be cleaned and replaced regularly and never allowed to go green as the algae allows bacteria to grow. One way to remove algae is to put some rice and soapy water in the bottle and shake vigourously. Make sure it is rinsed well and all the rice removed when you have finished. Sometimes it is just easier to chuck and replace the bottle though! I wrap a sheet of paper around my bottles to keep the light out and prevent this but of course it's great fun to pull the paper into your cage and rip it up. In the UK tap water is fine - some people use bottled water but, since there are no standards for the quality of bottled water, it is actually more likely to contain harmful bacteria than tap. If you want to use a water filter ensure that the filter is changed regularly as these can also be sources of bacteria.
A while back there were some sites around that talked about putting very diltued chlorine bleach in water for degus. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO THIS. It is potentially very dangerous and UK water is quite safe for them.
Vitamins and Minerals
As previously mentioned pellets contain all the vitamins and minerals needed in the diet. Generally any kind of vitamin or mineral supplement is unnecessary and could result in a toxic overdose if not used carefully. Don't use salt licks as small herbivores have evolved to instinctively lick sources of salt which are very rare in the wild. Free use of a salt lick will result in them getting too much - it has already been added to their pellets. Always use guinea pig (not rabbit) pellets for guinea pigs as they cannot make their own vitamin C, which is added to these pellets.
Vitamin D is an important vitamin and is used to absorb calcium. In the wild much of the vitamin D will be produced by exposure to natural light but an animal living indoors will need to get this from their pellets. I've heard vets theorise as to whether lack of natural light may be in some way to blame for teeth and bone problems in small animals. Guinea pigs benefit from time out on the lawn grazing on their natural food in natural light. Degus love a sunbathe and if it is possible to get them in natural light then do so. Chinchillas are more of a complicated issue as they tend to sleep during the day and overheat very easily and shouldn't be put in the sun. It is possible to buy natural daylight light bulbs intended for birds and reptiles and I have one in with my degus and chin, but there's no way of knowing if this helps. Under no circumstances leave your pet with no way of getting out of direct sunlight and they could overheat and burn. And beware of the neighbours cat or urban foxes - never leave degus unattended even in their cage. Vitamin D and Calcium may also be a potential issue in the Hay and Veggies diet mentioned above for chinchillas and may need to be supplemented - as already said talk to your vet before considering this.
Overweight Pets
It isn't kind to overfeed your pet and allow them to get fat - in many ways it's as unkind as underfeeding. There are a number of health problems associated with a pet being overweight:
Reduced ability to get around - leading to reduced activity and a vicious circle.
Finding it difficult to keep clean - particularly bottom cleaning.
Increased rosk of diabetes, particularly in degus.
Increased risk of heart disease, which will reduce life expectancy.
Increased risk Fatty liver which is a serious condition where fatty infiltration of the liver interferes with its function.
Strain on joints and increased pressure on feet which can increase chances of bumblefoot (nasty sores on the soles of the feet).
Warning: Under no condition starve or seriously reduce the feed of an overweight pet. Small herbiviores need to eat continuously to keep their gut functioning and should always have access to good quality hay at all times.
As discussed above, it is possible to cut out treats and reduce pellets encouraging your pet to munch on lower quality good quality hay for more of the day. There are special 'light' pellets for rabbits but I've not seen these for guinea pigs. Some brands of chinchilla pellets come in different versions such as 'growth' and 'maintenance'. Look at the ingredients and try to get a pellet that is higher in fibre and lower in protein.
However, one of the best ways of keeping your pet trim is to make sure that they get plenty of activity. This is particularly the case if you have one pet that is overweight and the other that is normal or underweight as can sometimes happen, for example, when you have one with teeth problems. Guinea pigs should be allowed the opportunity to get out of their hutch daily, or be provided with a large enough cage so that they can run laps. See the guinea pig cages page for more information. As previously mentioned chinchllas and degus really benefit from a wheel - see the wheels page for more information on getting a wheel. Chinchllas can also be allowed out in a suitably chinchilla proofed room. See the rodents and chewing page for more information,
Plenty of toys can also help to increase activity - see the environment enrichment page for more details. Animals kept on their own can often get a bit bored and depressed which can lead to them getting overweight - a friend will liven them up but you need to make sure that you have researched what sex/age is suiable and how to safely do introductions first.
One final thing is that sometimes an animal bullied by a cage mate can put on weight. It almost seems that they don't know when they will be chased away from food and so eat as much as possible just in case. I read an interesting study a while back about blue tits in the wild, which theorised this as the reason that dominant birds were leaner than others. If you suspect that there is bullying going on make sure that you have multiple sources of food in the cage and increase the number of hiding places to allow them to get away from each other.
Help my pet is loosing weight/won't eat!
I like to weigh your my pets once a month. Once they have reached their full adult weight, I try to ensure that they get enough food and exercise to keep their weight stable. An unintentional weight loss of more than 5-10% (e.g. 30-60g for a 600g chinchilla) should always be investigated by a vet as it can be an early sign of health problems.
If your pet is not eating at all and won't even take their favorite treat then the situation is urgent. They need to see the vet as an emergency as it is nearly always a sign of something serious and once the gut stops working and it is very difficult to get it going again. See the Teeth Problems/Emergency Feeding. and Rodents and Chewing pages for more information.
Final Note
This page is really all my own opinion based on my own experiences, a lot of reading, talking to other owners and my evidence-based knowledge of human nutrition. It is very easy to get terribly confused and uptight about what we feed our pets with all sorts of information from all sorts of different sources, with many people advocating certain feed regimes with almost religious zeal. Although a good diet can help improve the health of small animals the vast majority of illnesses in small animals are unconnected to nutrition. It's worth trying to give your pet the best diet that you can - but please don't think that if your pet gets ill then it's your fault. We all just do the best we can.
I remember a few years back being harranged on guinea lynx for feeding supa guinea excel to my guinea pigs because it is alfalfa based. I was desperately trying to find out if anyone else had experienced the serious health problem that one of my piggies had. Several people there implied that it was my own fault for feeding such an inferior pellet. It really upset me, especially when no-one there seemed to have any idea about the real causes and just assumed that I must be mistreating him. My guinea pigs problems was sadly most likely due to a congenital heart defect and there was little that myself, or my vet could have done for him - but I really could have done with support at the time.
If you are concerned about your pets health always take him to a qualified vet who is experienced with small animals: anyone who tells you otherwise is an idiot. However, not all vets are experienced with, or interested in, small animals so don't be afraid to find a second opinion.