can guinea pigs eat grapes?

Can Guinea pigs eat grapes?

Grapes are another luxury fruit which are always a big favourite, but can guinea pigs eat grapes and if so what effect do they have on them?

can guinea pigs eat grapes?From eating them ourselves, we know that grapes should be eaten in moderation as too many can cause stomach problems. I know this oh too well!

My daughter is a great fan of grapes and can eat them morning, noon and night so we always have them around the house, so can guinea pigs eat grapes as well?

I decided to dig a little deeper and find out whether this was a viable options and found some things to think about before giving grapes to your guinea pig.

Here are the nutritional values for red or green grapes

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 288 kJ (69 kcal)
Carbohydrates 18.1 g
Sugars 15.48 g
Dietary fiber 0.9 g
Fat 0.16 g
Protein 0.72 g
Thiamine (vit. B1) 0.069 mg (6%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.07 mg (6%)
Niacin (vit. B3) 0.188 mg (1%)
Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.05 mg (1%)
Vitamin B6 0.086 mg (7%)
Folate (vit. B9) 2 μg (1%)
Choline 5.6 mg (1%)
Vitamin C 3.2 mg (4%)

As you can see grapes are quite low in vitamin c so adds no value to guinea pigs in that aspect. They also have quite a high sugar content.

source: wikipedia

7 Considerations to make before giving your guinea pig grapes

Some owners have given guinea pigs grapes without any problems, so if you do feed them grapes, please bear these things in mind;

  1. If you do give your guinea pig grapes then be sure to only do this 2-3 times a week.
  2. They are more of a treat than a staple meal.
  3. If you do feed your guinea pig grapes give them seedless grapes so you guinea pig doesn’t choke on any seeds from seeded grapes.
  4. A maximum of two at a time is enough for them. Any more could cause them problems.
  5. It is worth cutting them in half for them so that the guinea pig eats the easily. It will make them easier to chew for the guinea pigs and stop any potential of choking.
  6. Grapes are high in sugar which is the reason that you should give them to your guinea pigs sparingly as its not good for their tummies.
  7. Do be aware that owners in the past have complained that grapes have caused kidney problems for their guinea pigs.

When I cut up some grapes for my guinea pig ‘rocket’ he didn’t take to them and left them well alone.

It really does depend on what your guinea pig likes as to whether they will take them or not.

Verdict – can guinea pigs eat grapes?

Yes, guinea pigs can eat grapes. But taking all the considerations into account, it is your prerogative if you want to give grapes to your guinea pig. Do take care though and give them one or two at the maximum to ensure that they don’t get a tummy upset.

Over to you…

Have you given grapes a try with your guinea pig? How have they taken to eating them?

12 thoughts on “Can Guinea pigs eat grapes?

  1. I have three guinea pigs. Zuzi, Darling, and HoneyAmber and they just love grapes so I give them bits and pieces of half a grape and they absolutely love grapes but from what I been reading about kidney failure I’m afraid now to give them anymore.

  2. never thought of grapes exept today and my guinea pig ninja ate a bit of a grape and he liked it (I think that grape juice got onto his ear)

  3. My Guinea pig loves grapes but only has them every few days so not often, I was worried after reading about the seeds on a different page but you have made me feel better saying seeds are OK for them if the grapes are cut up (I cut sizzles into tiny pieces)

  4. I have my guinea pig grapes once; but had a REALLY bad experience with it. He had stomach issues, and ultimately the vet told me that it was not a good idea to give them any; however it was really weird because he gobbled them right up and seemed to like them a lot. But take this with a grain of salt because like the article said, each piggie will react differently to different fruits 🙂

  5. I have two Guinea pigs market and murk I just wanted to make sure it was okay for theam to eat grapes cud if anything where to happen to theam I don’t know what I would do

  6. “Geo” has been getting grapes on the vine once or twice a week since we got him and absolutely loves them and we have had NO problems at all. He is almost 3.

  7. My Piggies Sister just died and she will eat anything in front of her but then we gave her a Grape and she wasn’t Sad anymore and I guess that’s her happy food haha.

  8. I am a new piggie mom of two board and decided to use red seedless grapes quartered after reading this article. I plopped them in their cuddly cup on my lap and they gobbled up the grapes. They then made their way onto my chest and stared at me until they nodded off. Best bonding experience yet! I literally cried it was so cute.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *