can guinea pigs eat strawberries

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberries?

Strawberries are a fantastic fruit that are especially appreciated in summer or on valentines day even.

They are a real luxury, that people love to have with desert, chocolate, champagne. The list goes on…

But if we’ve bought them for ourselves, then can my guinea pigs have them as well?

Not wanting my guinea pig to miss out, I decided to investigate a bit further as I wanted to know…

  1. Whether they could be eaten or not but also
  2. Whether they were any good for them?
  3. Whether there were any dangers I need to be aware of ?

This is what I found..

Strawberries are absolutely fine for Guinea Pigs to eat in small amounts on a once a week basis. But whether your guinea pig will eat them is another thing.

Every Guinea Pig has its own taste for food just like humans and so it depends on whether they take a fancy to them as to whether they will eat them.

When I put them down for my Guinea pig ‘Rocket’ he did not take to them at all so I will steer clear of buying them for him in future.

can guinea pigs eat strawberries

Why you need to be careful with giving your Guinea Pig strawberries

However (there’s always a ‘however’), just be careful about how many strawberries you give to your guinea pig.

A single serving should equate to no more than one strawberry per week

The reason for this is that strawberries are high in sugar and will give your Guinea Pig diarrhoea or issues with digestion if you give them too much.

Because of the high sugar content, they can damage the guinea pigs teeth if too many are given to them.

They are also acidic and so can make a Guinea Pig’s lips sore if they have soft lips, too many strawberries can exacerbate the problem.

Make sure that you wash the strawberries before hand to remove any pesitcides of insects that may have got onto them.

Although you can serve them whole to your guiena pig, it is better to slice them up for them so that they are easier to bite into and ingest.

Can I give strawberry stems to my Guinea Pig?

Strawberry stems are just fine to be given to your guinea pig. In fact they make take to them more than the strawberry itself. Its always worth experimenting with these things as long as the food does not harm the guinea pig. I tried some with one of my guinea pig’s and he loved them!

Can guinea pigs eat strawberry leaves?

Strawberry leaves are good for your guinea pig to eat as they will help with the stomach digestion of the strawberry. Two or three strawberry leaves at a time will be plenty for a guinea pig.

In summary

So ‘can Guinea Pigs eat strawberries?’

In short, ‘Yes’.

Although I wont be giving my Guinea Pigs strawberries any time again soon, its not to say that they wont take to them.

How have you found your Guinea Pig with Strawberries?

Drop a comment below

9 thoughts on “Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberries?

  1. My guinea pig named Pinny Gig … (true story lol) LOVES strawberries and I appreciate the input of including the leaves with them for digestion purposes. I googled if it was safe to give him some and was glad to get the info I have now. It will be a once a week treat as he gobbled the few pieces about equivalent to one large berry.

    Thanks for the Intel. 🙂

  2. I haven’t fed my piggies (Pumpkin, Raindrop, and Buttercup) strawberries yet, but im sure that they may like them! Thanks for the tip online guinea pig care! 😀

  3. I have fed my guinea pig, Geronimo, wild strawberries and he absolutely adores them! He waits to eat the berries until they are about room temperature, but he eats the leaves and stems immediately.

  4. My 3 girls Thana, Lilith& Aeron just love strawberries! I never knew that they can eat the stem! so I’ve been ripping the leaves off the stem and just giving them that. good to know! Thank you^.^

  5. My guinea pig (rosemarie or zoiden or rosie lol) loves all things vegifables mostly lettus from what ive learned and i love strawberrys we have lots gonna gover her one in thw morning and fallow these steps ill give her the whole straberry in slices including the stem and leaves so yeah thanks for the tip!

  6. Scuff had his first taste of strawberry this evening – and loved it. Glad I found this site though, or else I would’ve let him have them until they ran out! Now I know better, and will ration it to a weekly treat. 🙂

  7. My 4 guinea pigs aren’t particularly fond of strawberries, but they love the stems and leaves! Your page was very helpful! Thank you!

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