Is it bad for a guinea pig to eat hamster food?

Can you day protein, that is what is missing in the hamster food that the guinea pig needs to survive that it gets from the alfalfa base. Hamster foods are mostly hats and sugars from seeds which are not good for guinea pigs and can led to many malnutrition based illnesses. Although some foods do put vitamin C in the pellets it is not wise to depend on them getting there C form pellets they need to get it from veggies daily. The guinea pig may be existing on the hamster food but it is not healthy and could die at the drop of a hat.Why is it being fed hamster food over guinea pig food when guinea pig food is cheaper of the two?

No you cannot. Guinea pigs need a lot of vitamin C, therefore they have a lot of it in their food. Hamsters however don't need as much, and can actually overdose on vitamin C. If you can return the bag of guinea pig food, and complain to the owner. IF they don't give you a bag of hamster food, or take the guinea pig food back then if you have a friend or family member that owns a guinea pig ask the they would like to buy your guinea pig food, half price, then use the money to buy some actual hamster food. And make sure before you buy it that it is hamster food. I hate the services at most pet stores as most don't actually know anything about the animals, they just want to make the most money.

Hamster food does not contain the large amount of vitamin C that is ESSENTIAL for a guinea pig to live. The poor guinea pig may be getting very ill, especially if he/she isn't getting daily vegetables and hay. Also, hamster food often contains nuts which can be harmful to guinea pigs and corn which can be fattening.

Your friend really should have researched guinea pig care before getting a guinea pig. It is incredibly irresponsible and cruel for her to "look after" an animal with such ignorance.

Yes it is - bad diet can lead to serious health problems and eventually death!

Hamster food and guinea pig food are totally different, because the two species themselves have very different dietary needs.

Hamsters are a foraging species and produce their own supply of vit C (like most animals).

Guinea pigs are a herbivorous grazing species that like humans and monkeys do not produce vit C, so must get it in their diet every day.

Good quality guinea pig food is pelelts only (NOT a mix!) and the first ingrediant should be hay - alfalfa based for baby pigs, timothy based for adults. It should contain the right levels of fibre / fats / protein etc. It will contain a stabilised for of vit C supplement. The only really good brands of piggie food are Oxbow and Kleenmama's.

Hamster food does not contain hay or vit C, both of which are VITAL for guinea pigs. Lack of vit C causes scurvy for a start. Most hamster foods are mixed foods, containing nuts and seeds which are totally unnecessary for guinea pigs, are highly fattening and also a choking hazard. They also tend to contain cereal flakes, which guinea pigs find difficult to digest.

As well as guinea pig pellets the piggie should also have unlimited access to grass hay (eg timothy) plus at least one cup of mixed veggies daily.

Seriously - your friends pet is NOT getting a suitable diet, and this could quickly lead to serious malnutrition, sickness and death. Please try to get this animal onto a proper diet as soon as possible.

For more info check out:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/diet-nutrition...

http://www.guinealynx.info/diet.html

http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/

http://www.kmshayloft.com/

Absolutely. Guinea pigs have different nutritional needs than hamsters. For example, guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin C and so need it supplemented in their diets (like humans!) Most guinea pig specialized foods will contain a healthy amount of vitamin C, hamster foods do not have this added since hamsters produce their own vitamin C.

There are other differences too, in terms of things like fat content, moisture, fiber, etc. Guinea pig food is mainly alfalfa hay meal, with added vitamins and nutrients. Hamster food is usually mainly seeds, with crunchy grain bits. Unless it's lab blocks that you mean when you say hamster food, they look like medium-sized tan cylinders. It's my understanding that lab blocks are basically the same as hamster seed food, except in a compressed kibble form.

And yes, definitely give the piggie lots of free-choice timothy hay (I love Oxbow brand hay, or Peter's is a close second) and a fresh veggie salad daily (NO iceberg lettuce!!). Free-choice means as he finishes it, you add more. He should ideally have as much timothy hay as he wishes. Orange slices or other fresh fruits also make great piggie treats and snacks.

I would say yeah it is bad. Hamster food is for hamsters not guinea pigs. They guinea pig is not getting the proper vitamins that it needs from hamster food. Tell your friend to get guinea pig food for the guinea pig. Also tell him the guinea pig needs timothy hay, alfalfa, and veggies and fruits to stay healthy. If he/she is a first timer then this information may save the little guinea pig.

All rodent foods (hamsters, rats, mice, guinea pigs) might look the same, but they are all different in portions of vitamins and nutrition depending on what that particular type of rodent needs. If you own a hamster stick with hamster food, if you own a guinea pig stick with ginny food.

It will not hurt them but Guinea Pigs need much more vitamin C than other rodents so Guinea Pig food is highly fortified with it so unless the guinea pig has been receiving suppliments or loads of vitamin C rich fresh foods then it could have a major deficiency and will get sick.

i believe it is bad for your friend guinea pig to eat hamster food because it could get very ill. in addition it shouldn't eat hamster food, your friend should buy guinea pig food instead. i think that your friend should do research on guinea pigs or purchase a book about them

Yes. Guinea pigs need guinea pig food. That is why it is called Guinea pig food.