Guinea pigs need food with higher fiber percent, which is the wrong food for ducks.
Your ducks can eat guinea pig food, but occasionally or as a snack.
The fiber level of around 18% in almost every food for guinea pigs is too much for ducks.
On the other hand, calcium level is often less than 1%, which is too low for ducks.
Feeding your ducks daily with guinea pigs could lead to nutritional disbalance, especially if you plan to feed your ducklings with this food.
Read more to find out more about feeding ducks with guinea pig food.
But First
Herbivore animals like guinea pigs or rabbits are adapted to eating only plants.
These rodents are not digesting meat.
That’s important to know because ducks are omnivorous and can eat plants and meat.
Key Takeaway – We should know how different these two animals are (and their digestive systems) and how different their food needs to be balanced if we want to keep them healthy.
What’s In Guinea Pig Feed?
As mentioned, guinea pigs are herbivores and will eat plants, most likely hay.
The digestive system needs lots of fiber that guinea pigs usually get from fresh hay.
On the other hand, we have ducks that don’t need the fiber in that immense amount as guinea pigs needs.
The protein percentage in this food is good for grown ducks, but there is not enough protein for ducklings.
You will also notice wheat, alfalfa, and soybean in commercial food for guinea pigs.
That is also okay for ducks; however, the amount of fiber will do more harm than good (looking at it long term).
You could give your ducks guinea pig food as a snack or mix a little (max 20%) into your duck’s food.
But looking at this type of food as a replacement for your regular duck’s diet is wrong.
How Much Guinea pig Food Ducks Can Eat?
If you have to feed your ducks with guinea pig food, it should only make 10 to 20% of the duck diet.
Don’t get me wrong. This food is not poisonous, and if you give them occasionally, it is not bad.
Guinea pig food contains lots of minerals and vitamins that are as good for ducks as for guinea pigs.
However, the total fat, protein, and fiber ratio is not well balanced for ducks, and it can cause malnutrition if consumed too much.
That’s even more true for ducklings in the early stages.
For Example – In commercial food for guinea pigs, you will find 20% (often even more) of crude fiber, and ducks need from 4% to 6% of crude fiber.
Ducklings only need 4%-5% of the fiber in the first three weeks, while for grown ducks, during egg production, 5%-6% of the fiber is the minimum nutrient requirement.
Should Ducklings Eat Guinea Pig Food?
If you’re new to keeping ducklings or want to know if you can feed them with guinea pig food, the answer is no.
Even though this food is not toxic, the ingredients in guinea pig food are not well balanced for the needs of young ducklings.
The protein, fat, and fiber percentage is not good enough for them, and if you are feeding your ducklings guinea food a lot, you can even hurt your duck’s health long-term.
Final Thoughts
Most people want to find new ways to cut the cost of feeding their ducks or find out what other type of food they can give their cheerful feathered friends.
As a snack, guinea pig food won’t hurt your ducks.
However, guinea pigs are rodents that eat only plants (no meat), and they need a high level of fiber every day.
Ducks don’t need that. Also, ducks are omnivorous, which means they can digest plants and meat.
So, feeding them guinea pig food long-term (and as the main food) is not a good idea. And if you overdo it, it can even cause health issues in the future.