Guinea Pig Fun



People have different methods of supplemental feeding that they have found that works for them; this is the method that works best for me and what I use.  When syringe feeding , I use a 35cc syringe, put my finger over the tip, and use a teaspoon to put the cream-of-wheat consistency Critical Care (or Supreme Petfoods' RecoveryPlus) into the top of the syringe. I tap it to get the air out and then slowly insert the plunger. I have to make sure that I don't plunge it straight in or else the force will send the Critical Care all over the wall. I continue tapping to get the air out as I push the syringe in and I make a note of how much is in the syringe. I do not put the syringe tip back into the molars but instead place the syringe tip in the space between the front and back teeth angled slightly toward the back of the mouth. I slowly plunge a small amount in and then stop so the guinea pig can eat and swallow it. If I do it too quickly, the guinea pig will end up wearing it. Be sure to have a towel on your lap to keep both you and the guinea pig clean.


IF YOU HAVE NO CRITICAL CARE OR RECOVERYPLUS, you can create something similar by covering and briefly soaking plain guinea pellets with water until you get the desired consistency needed for the syringe feeding.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT USE RECOVERY SINCE IT DOES NOT HAVE VITAMIN C ADDED.ONLY USE RECOVERYPLUS WHICH HAS VITAMIN C ADDED. The correct box or packet has a guinea pig on it whereas the other one only has a rabbit.


Download Dosage Chart


PLEASE NOTE, others have successfully used the smaller syringe. SandyF prefers to feed her guinea pigs Critical Care with a 1cc syringe and she has taken some awesome photos to guide you if you choose to use the same method. Click here for her photos and instructions. The same link takes you additional photos by GPF that show how to give Oxbow's Critical Care or a similar supplement. 

Jackie's Guinea Piggies' website has an excellent page on how to hand feed your guinea pig. Be sure to check it out!


At one point I listened to others and tried using a 1cc syringe (with the end tip cut off and filed smooth to enlarge the opening). I have found that there is no way for me to get the cream-of-wheat consistency into a 1cc syringe. Instead I would need to water it down to get it into the syringe. If I do this I would need to do a lot of syringe feedings to even get near the amount that needs to be given had it not been watered down. When I used the small syringes (instead of the larger one given to me by my vet) Jasmine didn't gain weight since she wasn't getting the higher concentration and amount of the Critical Care prescribed by the vet. When I went back to using the syringes that the vet gave me that I had used previously, she got the higher intake of Critical Care and gained weight and recovered. The syringe that I use is in the photo above. Critical Care may also be sprinkled over pellets or vegetables. When less water is used, the mix may be spooned into a small dish or placed on a soon or formed into a ball and served that way


How to give Critical Care or RecoveryPlus