Small Pets: Hamsters and Guinea Pigs
Hamsters and guinea pigs have very different diets, and both are easy to over-treat. Start with the food guides below.
Something wrong right now?
Phone your vet or an emergency vet first. These pages help you make that call.
Start here
Hamsters: the bowl does not tell you much
Hamsters carry food off in their cheek pouches and store it, so an empty bowl often means food has been moved, not eaten. Muesli-style mixes also invite picking out the favourite bits.
What can hamsters eat? →Guinea pigs cannot make vitamin C
Unlike most mammals, guinea pigs lack the enzyme that makes vitamin C, so it has to come from their diet. How to provide it is a conversation for your vet.
Can guinea pigs eat it? →Two animals, two diets
Hamsters eat both plants and insects; guinea pigs are plant eaters on a hay-based diet. Food sold for one is not a stand-in for the other.
Hay, and why it matters →Off food means a vet visit
A guinea pig that has stopped eating, or is reluctant to move, needs to be seen the same day. The same caution applies to a hamster that suddenly stops eating.
Find an emergency vet →Food guides
More for small pet owners
Paw Multiverse is not a veterinary practice. These guides explain what is published and help you prepare for a conversation with your vet; they never replace one.
Rabbit or guinea pig outside? Hutches, bedding and frozen water: rabbits and guinea pigs in winter.