Hey there, GuineaGang!
Finding healthy food for ourselves can be enough of a challenge, so when we add the diets of our guinea pigs into the mix, there are bound to be some missteps. Don’t fear, don’t despair. GuineaDad’s here.
To start, let’s clarify our terms. For a healthy daily diet, guinea pigs need:
- Constant access to fresh drinking water
- A constant supply of fresh hay
- About ⅛ Cup of high quality guinea pig pellets (ideally fortified with vitamin C)
- 1 Cup of fresh fruits and vegetables (more veg than fruit)
We all know that our guinea pigs need a constant supply of pellets, vegetables, and fresh hay available to them, and constantly finding fresh food for your pet can sometimes feel like a full-time job.
If your local pet stores all somehow run out of your guinea pig’s brand of pellets, ordering online with 1-2 day delivery should be available in most areas, and as long as your guinea pig has plenty of hay to eat, they should be fine without pellets for a day or two.
Most pet stores should have some kind of guinea pig safe food pellets available, but it’s highly preferable to keep your guinea pig’s diet consistent, by using the brand of pellets that they’re used to. If it’s necessary for you to change brands due to scarcity or an allergy, try to do it gradually, by slowly adding portions of the new pellets to their old ones. Dwindling down the proportions of old pellets over the course of a week or two, until the new pellets have fully replaced them. Continue monitoring your piggies’ digestive health to be sure that the new food is agreeing with their tiny sensitive stomachs.
Now, we know that guinea pigs need a fresh supply of Timothy hay or Orchard hay to munch on throughout the day to keep their digestive systems working properly, as well as to maintain good dental health. You want your little one to get the best nutrition available, and also life gets busy, so sometimes you may find yourself needing an emergency restock. In these urgent situations, don’t despair.So, you may ask, “What do you do if you’ve accidentally run out of hay?”
Breath. Collect your thoughts.
Then go get your phone or computer.
Make sure location services on your smart device are turned on, then a quick google search for “pet stores in my area” or “guinea pig hay near me” should yield useful results in most areas.
The best tip here, especially if your options are limited, is to know exactly what you’re looking for. Timothy Hay is the most nutritious hay for your guinea pigs. It’s usually widely available and will serve most piggies’ needs best. If your guinea pig is allergic to, or won’t eat Timothy hay, or if it’s unavailable, Orchard hay is a solid 2nd choice.
If neither of these options are available, Google isn’t helping you, and you’re totally out of hay for your pet, any local farm is likely to be able to provide you with some dried grass or hay to tide you over. Just make sure to check with the farmer that they don’t use any pesticides or fertilizers on it, as those can be very harmful to your piggy. Fresh grass from a lawn (not lawn clippings) can also be a good short-term option, provided you can be certain there have been no pesticides, fertilizers, or other chemicals used on the grass. Farmers are usually the safer option, as they should be well-informed about any chemicals used on their farms. It’s their job!
With luck, one or more of these options has yielded a positive result for you, and the emergency has since subsided. The best long-term solution to this problem, however, is a strategy that reduces or eliminates these urgent situations altogether. This is where GuineaDad’s autoship delivery option comes in to ease your mind and feed your piggies on a regular and dependable schedule. If you’re outside of the U.S., you may need to allow for a few days’ variation from the postal service, but otherwise you’ll never have to worry about where or when to get more hay for your guinea pigs ever again. This intense alleviation of stress and mental unburdening will surely free up enough brainpower for you to become the next prolific artist of your generation or philanthropically-minded titan of industry, and we’ll all benefit, so no need to thank us. :)
If you’re just starting to run low on hay, or want to set yourself (and your piggies) up for success next time, click here: https://guineadad.com/products/guineadad-nourish-series-guinea-pig-timothy-hay-bar-5-pack and select the “autoship” delivery option to ensure you’ll never run out of hay for your furry friends again.
Making life better for you and your piggies one hay bar at a time…
~ GuineaDad
