If you are looking to buy guinea pig food in bulk, you are going to need to look for a dry food compound. These tend to last longer in terms of their shelf life (up to 200 days in some cases) which is essential when it comes to bulk food storage. There are loads of good options out there and… there are loads of bad options. However, finding the best bulk guinea pig food is trickier than you think. You need to know what food compounds to avoid, what foods use unhealthy fillers, and a host of other things.
If you are trying to get a better understanding of what guinea pigs can and can’t eat, check out my ultimate guinea pig food list here.
I have reviewed loads of different products and tried just as many in my time. For this review, I have created a few key metrics that I have measured the products against:
- Price – No one wants to be paying through the nose for food. However, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. In this review, I have tried to include things that are not too expensive but also not so cheap as to compromise the quality of the food.
- Healthy – All the foods I will recommend are healthy and designed to be consumed by guinea pigs.
- Probiotics and Prebiotics – Probiotics are essential for your guinea pigs’ immune system and gut health as well as other things. I give extra points to any food that has these essentials already mixed into it. If you are after a more in-depth understanding of guinea pigs and probiotics, check out my article here.
Best Bulk Guinea Pig Food
Small Pet Select
As far as quality goes, Small Pet Select is the top dog. If you are more focused on getting a quality, high-end product where the price isn’t really a huge factor, then I recommend getting a hold of something from Small Pet Select. These guys are very well known for their quality approach to guinea pig food from the milling process (small batch) all the way to the food products.
Price – This is certainly a bit more up there as far as price goes coming in at $30 a bag. That equals out to be $3 per pound (cheaper if you use a coupon). While there is a jump in price compared to the following recommendations, the saying ‘you get what you pay for’ holds very true in this case. Higher quality and the nicer product come with a higher price tag.
Healthy – The food is made out of a Timothy Hay-based mixture fortified with essential vitamins and minerals. None of the hay is sourced from China with all of it coming from local producers. The packaging is also produced locally (USA). On top of this, the texture of the food mixture is coarse enough to cause a natural wearing down of your guinea pig’s teeth, which is exactly what you want in a dry food mixture. Why? Guinea pig’s teeth, unlike humans, keep growing throughout their lifespan and therefore need wearing. Lastly, the mixtures are created in small batches which ensure that the product is as fresh as possible.
Side note on this, I am not sure if Small Pet Select has added vitamin c to the mixture which is something that is almost always lacking in a guinea pig’s diet. To find out more check out my article here. Alternatively, if you want to know if your little guy is getting enough vitamin c in his/her diet, feel free to use my vitamin c calculator here.
Probiotics and Prebiotics – Unfortunately no luck in this department. But, Small Pet Select has managed to, in my mind, make up for it in other departments. If you are after a probiotic supplement, check out my article here.
Side note, these guys also offer a really nice money-back guarantee, so if any problems pop up, feel free to send it right back!
Small Pet Timothy Hay
This next up is a crowd favorite. Don’t believe me? Check out the reviews here! There are a lot of bulk food options out there, especially when it comes to small pets, that will use fillers in their food. What are fillers? In simplest terms, they are nutrient low foods that are designed to bulk up a product’s weight at a low cost and with no added benefits.
Small Pet has made a deliberate attempt to prevent this from happening within their foods. Rather than compromise on quality, these guys have simply added more nutrient-rich produce to bulk up their product’s weight and the price reflects this 🙂
The only reason I didn’t put these at the top of my list was simply due to the good experiences I have had with Small Pet Select in the past. This was a tough battle between first and second place.
Price – Coming in at $65 for a 25-pound bag, this option is marginally cheaper than my number 1 choice by Small Pet Select. At $65, that comes out to about $2.60 a pound… not bad, especially considering the quality. On top of that, these guys offer a 60-day money-back guarantee, so any problems, don’t hesitate to send it back.
Healthy – Ummmmm… Yes! These guys have made a Timothy hay-based formula created with the assistance of numerous vets and guinea pig nutritionists. There is no BHA (beta hydroxy acid which is an organic unhealthy acid), BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene which is an unhealthy chemical derivative of phenol), or corn. The food is created using small batch runs which maximizes the freshness of the product and gives the food its 200-day shelf life. These guys make a new batch every 10 to 14 days which means there is no need for unhealthy preservatives. Small Pet uses a range of whole ingredients and stabilized vitamin c as well as Redmond salt.
Probiotics and Prebiotics – Unfortunately no luck in this department as well.
Forti Diet Pro
I have recommended plenty of Kaytee products in the past, and there is a reason for that. With Kaytee being in the business for over 150 years, they have developed a pretty in-depth knowledge of what is required when it comes to food for your guinea pig.
The Forti Diet Pro comes in bags up to 25 pounds, so it will definitely last you a while.
Price – As far as bang for your buck goes, this is pretty darn good. At $30 for a whole 25-pound bag, you’re looking at roughly $1.20 per pound. Depending on how many guinea pigs you have, this should definitely last you a while.
Healthy – There are a few points to note here in regards to the healthiness of this food. First off, the make-up of the food itself. The food is made up of natural antioxidants along with alfa, soy, corn, and numerous other whole grains. The only issue I have with this product is the corn they use. For a full list of all the ingredients please click here. On top of this, the consistency of the food itself is made so that a wearing down of your guinea pig’s teeth takes place naturally.
Probiotics and Prebiotics – This food gets a big tick in this category. Fortunately, the probiotics in this formula are part of a dry mixture of compounds which means they will survive for a long time in storage. I am not 100 percent certain as to what the probiotics in this compound are, however, considering the fact that the food was created with a guinea pig’s diet in mind I would imagine the probiotics are added with a guinea pig in mind.
Oxbow
Fourth up on my list is Oxbow’s bulk guinea pig food produce. This product is a Timothy Hay-based compound. Unlike the alfa pellets that these guys also sell, this mixture has a lower level of protein, calories, and calcium. This product is by no means designed to be an end-all-be-all in terms of diet, but the reality is, that none of these food mixtures are. This food is best consumed with other whole raw foods that you can supplement your guinea pigs’ diet with.
One more note: this food mixture is targeted toward full-grown guinea pigs. This is not the best food for pregnant or young guinea pigs (under six months).
Price – Coming in at $42 this food is definitely right in the mid-range as far as prices go. All factors considered though… $42 for 25 pounds is pretty damn good.
Healthy – This food has designed with adult guinea pigs in mind. The formula was made to contain stabilized vitamin c as well as an optimum calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. The was formulated by Oxbow to promote your guinea pig’s health to the highest level.
Probiotics and Prebiotics – Unfortunately this mixture doesn’t have any pre-established dormant bacteria cultures. However, I can always recommend the Bene-Baks formula which you can check out here.
Kaytee Fiesta (again)
I feel like recommending two things from the same company is a bit unfair, but when something is good, I can’t really be blamed. Unlike the previous Kaytee product I mentioned (Forti Diet), this mixture has a vitamin c additive. As mentioned previously, guinea pigs do not produce their own vitamin c so it is up to us to supplement their diet with this essential vitamin. If you want to find out more, check out my article here.
Price – This is certainly the cheapest of all the recommendations I have made. Coming in at $27 per 25 pound bag, you are paying just over a dollar per pound.
Healthy – The mixture is made, using a coarse enough material so as to promote positive dental wear. Kaytee makes the mixture using a compound of alfalfa, grains, seeds, vegetables, and fruits. Like the previous recommendation from Kaytee, this product also contains healthy antioxidants along with the above vitamin c. The variety within the food (the fruit and vegetables) helps create a more balanced diet that other whole foods tend to lack. For a full list of the ingredients feel free to check out the link here.
Probiotics and Prebiotics – Fortunately, this product contains healthy probiotic cultures. Unfortunately, the cultures are not specified. Once again, if you are interested in learning more about probiotics and how they relate to your guinea pig check out this article here.
One More Point
Before I sign off, it is important to note that none of these foods act as an all-in-one solution for your guinea pig’s diet. You need to add variety for your guinea pig, think fruits and vegetables, and the occasional treat. There is a whole range of treats you can look at giving your guinea pig that can help vary their diet from time to time. Feel free to check out my guinea pig treat article here to get some inspiration. Think of guinea pigs as people, in this case, no one wants to eat the same food day in and day out, guinea pigs are the same. I have also created an infographic highlighting what guinea pigs can and can’t eat and a more in-depth article as to why they can’t eat certain foods.
Conclusion
Well, that wraps up my review of the best bulk guinea pig foods currently on the market. If you have any questions or suggestions, please throw them up in the comments section. I love hearing what you guys have to say and I am more than happy to get back to you. Lastly, feel free to explore my website and tell me what you think!