What should I be feeding my Guinea pigs?

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I have 2 male Guinea pigs and I normally feed them a scoop of dry food per day, some lettuce, some cucumber and another veg or a bit of apple.

Is this okay? They are over a year old and very healthy and happy, however, a family member visited today and said I was feeding them far too much.

How much hay do you give them?

Sorry forgot to add that to the op. They have unlimited access to hay.

Should be 80% hay and then dry food and then fresh stuff to give them Vit c . Like carrot or kale

Red peppers are very good for vit c.

Thank you, yes I give them a couple of slices of red pepper maybe once or twice a week, and also put vitamin drops in their water.

They are "big" but I don't think they are fat.

Like humans, they need a balance of diet and exercise. Where do they have access to space-wise for the majority of the day?

I had a Guinea pig as a child, however, my mum looked after it in the main! I just want to make sure I'm looking after them correctly, which I thought I was, but now I'm not sure.

They've got a tunnel, little box, and a sheltered area for sleeping. They also have the hanging sticks and some ball toys. The cage is in the hall so they're always around people and they love being cuddled and held. I take them out at least once a day for an hour. Is that enough?

Is there anything else I should be doing?

Sounds like they are well loved and cared for.
I think they need lots of good quality hay and they need vitamin c so orange segments are good. They love dandeloins too.
My DD is convinced they don't know when they are full so our two have a bowl dry food between them in the morning which they always finish then they have fruit and veg in the late afternoon/ early evening as well as continous supply of Timothy hay.

We were told when we bought ours that the fresh veg needs to vary, and the only veg they can have everyday is green peeper. Apple and carrot should only be an occasional treat. Everything else seems fine.

How big is the cage?

Is it pellets or muesli-style mix? Pellets are best as they can just pick their favourites out of the muesli one and get an unbalanced diet. I would say a small eggcup of pellets is enough per day as you really want them mostly eating hay. This is particularly crucial for boars as they are prone to faecal impaction when older so need lots of fibre (a year isn’t old, by the way! Guineas can live to 6-7 easily, and my eldest was 9 when she died!)

Too much lettuce is diuretic, as is too much dandelion. I would cut that right back. Cucumber is fine. Apple should be an occasional treat (as should carrot). Try spring greens (the dark green cabbage), kale, spinach, broccoli. They love broccoli stalks. Hide it around their cage so they have to hunt it out.

Thank you @Tygertiger I appreciate your advice.
They have a big cage and plenty of space to run around. They have different levels/ spaces and things to play with.

I will change to the pellet mix; you're correct, they just pick out their favourite pieces from the bigger muesli mix 🤣

Tbh Guinea pigs don’t really need or like different levels. A cage on one level which is big is better than a smaller, multi-level cage. C&C cages are the best, if you could fit one in. Anything from Pets at Home is too small.

Could you join a few FB groups to pick up tips? Cavy Corner is good X

There's a great Facebook group called Guinea Pigs UK with good advice.
I've attached their guide to veg - peppers are a great one to give daily to ensue they get their vitamin C.
Definitely pellets not muesli type food - science selective or Burgess are good.
It's great that you give unlimited hay, that's the most important thing.

This.

The most important veg you can give them is anything dark Green - greens, kale, broccoli etc. They don’t make their own vitamin c so they need to get it from their food. Most good quality nuggets for piggies have vitamin c added to them but a handful of kale etc everyday is good.

Sorry but an hour a day to roam/play doesn't sound like anywhere near enough! They're not hamsters and don't require multi level arrangements. Do they have an outside run (we used two puppy pens pinned together with chicken wire over the top) so they can chew grass, play etc? 23 hours a day in a cage sounds awful

In addition to the advice above I would remove the hanging sticks. They usually contain seeds which they can’t have and high sugar.

Males need a lot of space 10.soft on one level so you may want to ensure they have this to avoid them becoming territorial later. Once they fight they can’t ever go back together.

Parsley and celery leaves as treats. They'll love you forever. And watermelon when it's hot.
Pellets are best so they can't be choosy.
Mine had a large run and cosy hutch attached so they could go out in all weathers, even if just for a quick stretch and nibble.

Ours have 20g pellets and 20g fresh veg daily plus infinite hay.

i used to buy kale specifically
carrots

oh yes celery leaves