A Guide to Buying Guinea Pig Treats
If you have a small yard, live in an apartment, or simply do not prefer larger pets, you might consider a guinea pig but to keep this cute animal happy, it needs the right type of home, diet, and even guinea pig treats. Obviously, with any pet, you want to do everything possible to provide the animal with a safe and clean home, as well as proper food that would keep the animal healthy and happy.
Guinea pigs make great pets for kids. They are typically easy to handle and gentle, they love being cuddled and played with, and this animal is actually quite smart. You will also find this an affordable pet, from the purchase price to overall care. After the initial investment for the cage, toys, water bottle, food dish, etc, ongoing care is inexpensive.
In fact, if you or the kids can dedicate time, you may find it possible to teach the pet a few tricks using guinea pig treats as incentive. In addition to purchasing a variety of treats at your local pet store or pet supply store, you can also make treats at home. The two greatest benefits of homemade snacks are that you have more freedom to get creative with ingredients and the price is much less than what you would pay in a retail store.
If you prefer to make your own guinea pig treats, you can conduct a search online where you will find all sorts of recipes. However, we wanted to show you how simple the process is by providing a basic recipe. All you would need to do is mix one cup of flour, one cup of guinea pig pellets, two-thirds cup vegetable oil, which can be alternated with water, six tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil, and two tablespoons of honey. Mix the ingredients well, roll out, and cut into fun shapes. Bake the snacks for 20 minutes in a 350-degree oven, cool, and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
The key to buying or making guinea pig treats is to use ingredients you know your pet loves. However, snacks also need to be considered healthy. Most veterinarians recommend any treat should account for 20% or less of the animal’s daily diet. With that, you would know the animal is getting needed nutrients but not being overfed, which could lead to a weight problem.
Other foods that make great guinea pig treats are slices of apple, grapes, pitted cherries, blueberries, and even bananas. When using fresh fruit, be sure any pits and seeds are removed. In addition to serving the guinea pig fresh options, fruits could also be dehydrated and made into a crunchy snack but one that has not lost its nutritional value or flavor. This animal also loves baby carrots, parsley, lettuce, onions, cabbage, beans, and potatoes. Regardless of the food chose, it needs to be no larger than the tip of your thumb since these animals have small mouths and throats.
Along with the types of ingredients that can be used for making guinea pig treats, certain foods should be avoided. For instance, your pet should never be given dairy products, meat of any kind, or sweets, especially candy. While you can use nuts as snacks, due to the high fat content, they should be used in small quantities or on an occasional basis.
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