can guinea pigs eat garden cress

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Garden Cress?

Also called mustard and cress, pepperwort, pepper grass, or poor man’s pepper, garden cress is renown for its peppery, tangy flavour and smell.

It is closely related to watercress and mustard and is often used in all kinds of culinary dishes.

image wikipedia

So if we can eat it, can guinea pigs eat garden cress?

If so, how much can they eat of it and how often?

Lets take a look at its nutritional data and in particular its phosphorus, fat, calcium, sugar and oxelate acid content.

Energy 134 kJ (32 kcal)
Carbohydrates 5.5 g
– Sugars 4.4 g
– Dietary fiber 1.1 g
Protein 2.6 g
Vitamin A equiv. 346 μg (43%)
– beta-carotene 4150 μg (38%)
– lutein and zeaxanthin 12500 μg
Thiamine (vit. B1) 0.08 mg (7%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.26 mg (22%)
Niacin (vit. B3) 1 mg (7%)
Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.247 mg (5%)
Vitamin B6 0.247 mg (19%)
Folate (vit. B9) 80 μg (20%)
Vitamin C 69 mg (83%)
Vitamin E 0.7 mg (5%)
Vitamin K 541.9 μg (516%)
Calcium 81 mg (8%)
Iron 1.3 mg (10%)
Magnesium 38 mg (11%)
Manganese 0.553 mg (26%)
Phosphorus 76 mg (11%)
Potassium 606 mg (13%)

source wikipedia

As you can see, garden cress contains a noticeable amount of phosphorus, calcium, sugar and is quite acidic.

However, the vitamin c content is fantastic and so on this basis, is really worth considering giving your guinea pig.

However, don’t feed it so regularly because of its phosphorus, calcium, sugar and acidic content.

A small amount, once a week at most, but nothing more than that.

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