Pellets are marketed as food, but they're actually a very small and sometimes optional part of the guinea pigs daily diet. The vast majority of their fiber, protein, and essential nutrients come straight from hay and fresh vegetables.

Feeding pellets

Guinea pigs only need 1-2 tablespoons of pellets per day to thrive. Do not offer unlimited pellets. Overfeeding pellets will cause obesity, and it can lead to the formation of bladder stones.

Ultimately, it helps to think of pellets less like a meal and more like a multivitamin. Pellets are great for filling in whatever nutritional gaps your hay and fresh vegetables might miss, but too much of a good thing can have drawbacks. So it's best to use them simply as a supplement rather than a dietary staple.

One important thing to keep in mind: never rely on pellets as the only source of vitamin C. While pellets are fortified with many vitamins and minerals, these compounds can deteriorate quickly. Offering fresh vegetables every day helps ensure your guinea pigs receive a reliable source of vitamin C.

You can serve pellets in a bowl or scatter them throughout the cage. Scattering is ideal for enrichment, as it prevents fighting, stops dominant guinea pigs from gorging on others' portions, and promotes natural foraging behaviors. Some owners also use a plastic treat ball to slowly dispense pellets and encourage exercise.

Choosing pellets

Pellets are designed to help your exotic pet get the proper balance of vitamins and minerals. However, many pet food companies still base their formulas nutrition guidelines from Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals, which has not been updated since 1995. This means many products on the market rely on outdated information and may not fully meet the needs of guinea pigs today.

Always read package labels and ingredients very carefully. If a suitable, high-quality option is not available, we generally recommend feeding no pellets at all rather than offering an inferior product.

Here's what you should pay attention to on the label:

• Grass as the first ingredient: The first ingredient should always be grass (e.g. timothy hay, orchard grass or meadow hay).
• No alfalfa: Do not use pellets that list alfalfa (lucerne) anywhere in the ingredients. Alfalfa is a legume—not grass—and it's very high in calcium oxalates which is known to cause bladder stones. 
• Avoid high-oxalate ingredients: Steer clear of feeds containing other ingredients high in calcium oxalates, such as clover, spinach, sweet potato, raspberry leaves, parsnip, and cress.
• Avoid unsafe foods, extras and fillers: Don't buy pellets containing beans, nuts, seeds, dairy, corn, or added sugars like honey, corn syrup, and refined sugar.
• Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio: Look for a ratio in the range of 1.4 to 1.6 (calcium) to 1 (phosphorus).

Recommended pellets

We compared dozens of pellets from around the world, and here are the brands and formulas we are comfortable feeding our own guinea pigs.

North American Pellets (2024)

• Oxbow Essentials Adult Guinea Pig Food
• Oxbow Garden Select Adult Guinea Pig Food
• Oxbow Organic Bounty Adult Guinea Pig Food
• Oxbow Simple Harvest Adult Guinea Pig Food
• Science Selective Grain-Free Guinea Pig Food
• Small Pet Select Guinea Pig Food Pellets
• Sunseed Vita Balance Adult Guinea Pig Food
• Sunseed Vita Natural Timothy Guinea Pig Diet
• Sweet Meadows Guinea Pig Premium Timothy Pellets

External link to analysis of North American Pellets.

European Pellets (2024)

• Beaphar Nature Guinea Pig Grain Free
• Burgess Excel Indoor Guinea Pig Nuggets
• Oxbow Essentials Adult Guinea Pig food
• Small Pet Select Premium Guinea Pig Food Pellets
• Supreme Selective Naturals Grain Free Guinea Pig Food

External link to analysis of European Pellets.

Pellet-free diets

Pellets are a convenient way to provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals to your guinea pig–but they’re not entirely necessary to keep your guinea pig healthy and thriving. When you offer unlimited hay and a wide variety of fresh vegetables, pellets become optional. And a pellet-free diet is often recommended for adult guinea pigs with a history of bladder stones.

Before you transition

Switching away from fortified pellets requires careful planning:

• Boost the vegetables: Guinea pigs on pellet-free diets typically require 2-3 cups of fresh vegetables every day.

• Balance key nutrients: Combine bell peppers (for phosphorus and vitamin C) with dark leafy greens (for calcium, iron, and omega fatty acids) to maintain a proper nutritional balance. Use our diet calculator to experiment with different rotations.

• Alternative options: If your guinea pig struggles with traditional pellets, consider 100% timothy pellets with zero added vitamins or minerals instead. We like Exotic Nutrition's timothy pellets, but any brand should work.

Pellet-free diets can be a bit overwhelming for new owners. Because removing pellets shifts how your guinea pig gets their nutrients, it takes some extra planning to get right. It's always a good idea to do thorough research, and check in with an experienced exotic veterinarian to ensure your meal plan is well-balanced.