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can guinea pigs eat sunflowers

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Sunflowers?

Helianthus or sunflower is a genus of plants comprising about 70 species in the family Asteraceae.

The common name, “sunflower”, typically refers to the popular annual species Helianthus annuus, or the common sunflower, whose round flower heads in combination with the ligules look like the sun.

This and other species, notably Jerusalem artichoke, are cultivated in temperate regions and some tropical regions as food crops for humans, cattle, and poultry, and as ornamental plants.

The largest sunflower field is located in Tuscany, Italy. (source)

Can guinea pigs eat sunflowers?

Unfortunately, they are not good for them to eat and will harm a guinea pig if eaten.

For more foods that guinea pigs can and can’t eat, check out our guinea pig food list

can guinea pigs eat sugar snap peas

Can guinea pigs eat sugar snap peas?

Sugar snap peas, are a cultivar group of edible-podded peas that differ from snow peas in that their pods are round as opposed to flat.

The name mangetout (French for “eat all”) can apply both to snap peas and snow peas.

Snap peas are often served in salads or eaten whole.

They may also be stir-fried or steamed.

Before being eaten, mature snap pea pods may need to be “stringed,” which means the membranous string running along the top of the pod from base to tip is removed.

Over-cooking the pods will make them come apart.

Snap peas, like all other peas, are pod fruits.

Can guinea pigs eat sugar snap peas?

Let’s take a look at their nutritional data and find out more.

In particular, their acidic, water, sugar, fat, salt, calcium, and phosphorus content is of most interest as far as guinea pigs are concerned.

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 176 kJ (42 kcal)
Carbohydrates
7.55 g
Sugars 4.0 g
Dietary fiber 2.6 g
Fat
0.39 g
Saturated 0.0039 g
Monounsaturated 0.021 g
Polyunsaturated 0.089 g
Protein
2.8 g
Tryptophan 0.027 g
Threonine 0.099 g
Isoleucine 0.161 g
Leucine 0.228 g
Lysine 0.202 g
Methionine 0.011 g
Cystine 0.032 g
Phenylalanine 0.090 g
Tyrosine 0.099 g
Valine 0.273 g
Arginine 0.134 g
Histidine 0.017 g
Alanine 0.058 g
Aspartic acid 0.228 g
Glutamic acid 0.448 g
Glycine 0.072 g
Proline 0.063 g
Serine 0.125 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A equiv.
beta-Carotene
lutein zeaxanthin
(7%) 54 μg
(6%) 630 μg
740 μg

Vitamin A 1087 IU
Thiamine (B1) (13%) 0.15 mg
Riboflavin (B2) (7%) 0.08 mg
Niacin (B3) (4%) 0.6 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5) (15%) 0.75 mg
Vitamin B6 (12%) 0.16 mg
Folate (B9) (11%) 42 μg
Choline (4%) 17.4 mg
Vitamin C (72%) 60 mg
Vit E (3%) 0.39 mg
Vitamin K (24%) 25 μg
Minerals
Calcium (4%) 43 mg
Copper (4%) 0.079 mg
Iron (16%) 2.08 mg
Magnesium (7%) 24 mg
Manganese (12%) 0.244 mg
Phosphorus (8%) 53 mg
Potassium (4%) 200 mg
Sodium (0%) 4 mg
Zinc (3%) 0.27 mg
Other constituents
Water 88.89 g

Source Wikipedia

Analysis

As you can see, sugar snap peas contain a huge amount of water, a hint of salt, quite a bit of phosphorus, a little calcium and sugar, a lot of acidic content and a lot of acidic content.

This means that guinea pigs can eat them in small amounts.

How should sugar snap peas be prepared for guinea pigs?

Two or three at a time should be more than sufficient for a guinea pig. Make sure they are well cut up and washed before you fed them to a piggie.

They will enjoy sugar snap peas very much so be careful with how much you feed to them, as they will eat as much as you give them.

For more foods that guinea pigs can and can’t eat, check out our guinea pig food list

can guinea pigs eat sunflower seeds

Can guinea pigs eat sunflower seeds?

The sunflower seed is the fruit of the sunflower (Helianthus annuus).

There are three types of commonly used sunflower seeds: linoleic (most common), high oleic, and NuSun developed for sunflower oil.

Each variety has its own unique levels of monounsaturated, saturated, and polyunsaturated fats.

The information in this article refers mainly to the linoleic variety. (source)

Can guinea pigs eat sunflower seeds?

Let’s take a look at their nutritional data and find out more.

In particular, their acidic, water, sugar, fat, salt, calcium, and phosphorus content is of most interest as far as guinea pigs are concerned.

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 2,445 kJ (584 kcal)
Carbohydrates
20 g
Sugars 2.62 g
Dietary fiber 8.6 g
Fat
51.46 g
Saturated 4.455 g
Monounsaturated 18.528 g
Polyunsaturated 23.137 g
Protein
20.78 g
Vitamins
Thiamine (B1) (129%) 1.48 mg
Riboflavin (B2) (30%) 0.355 mg
Niacin (B3) (56%) 8.335 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5) (23%) 1.13 mg
Vitamin B6 (103%) 1.345 mg
Folate (B9) (57%) 227 μg
Choline (11%) 55.1 mg
Vitamin C (2%) 1.4 mg
Vitamin E (234%) 35.17 mg
Minerals
Calcium (8%) 78 mg
Iron (40%) 5.25 mg
Magnesium (92%) 325 mg
Manganese (93%) 1.95 mg
Phosphorus (94%) 660 mg
Potassium (14%) 645 mg
Sodium (1%) 9 mg
Zinc (53%) 5 mg
Other constituents
Water 4.7 g

source wikipedia

As you can see, sunflower seeds contain a little water, a hint of salt, a huge amount of phosphorus, acidic content, and fat content.

This means that they can’t eat them unfortunatley

Sunflower seeds are just tooo high acidic and phosphorus content plus fat content to be eaten by guinea pigs. If they were to nibble one or two, they would be fine but they shouldn’t eat large amounts of them or part of their regular diet.

For more foods that guinea pigs can and can’t eat, check out our guinea pig food list.

can guinea pigs eat stringless beans

Can guinea pigs eat stringless beans?

Can guinea pigs eat stringless beans? Stringless beans were first created in 1984 when farmers created a way to grow string beans without a fibrous strip running down the bean.

Today just about all beans that are grown and sold in supermarkets and farmers markets today are of the stringless variety. (source)

Can guinea pigs eat stringless beans?

Yes, they can eat them in small amounts a few times a week as part of a balanced diet, but they will enjoy them and eat all you give to them.

For more foods that guinea pigs can and can’t eat, check out our guinea pig food list.

can guinea pigs eat string

Can guinea pigs eat string?

Can guinea pigs eat string?

There is no harm in them chewing it as long as they don’t swallow it.

If they swallow it they are in big trouble, so it is not worth having it in their cage where they can access it.

If you do have any string accessible to them in their cage, it would be worth taking it out so they can’t reach it and there isn’t any risk of they swallowing it.

Once a guinea pig chews it then just keep an eye on them to see if there are any ill effects but they shouldn’t do more than chewing a little of it as it won’t be very appetizing for them.

For more things that guinea pigs can and can’t eat, check out our guinea pig food list.

Can guinea pigs eat strawberry plant leaves?

Can guinea pigs eat strawberry plant leaves? Strawberry plant leaves are those leaves that are found on strawberry plants grown all over the world. They are often

Can guinea pigs eat strawberry plant leaves?

They are not the best for guinea pigs to eat at all. The main reason is like all other plants in the rose family, the leaves of strawberry plants release hydrogen cyanide gas in the early weeks of their decay process. It is a very deadly poison and this means that they become extremely toxic and must not be consumed.  (source)

For more foods that guinea pigs can and can’t eat, check out our guinea pig food list

Can guinea pigs eat string beans?

String beans are also called green beans or snap beans and they are essentially the same variety of vegetable.

They are known by their time of harvest when their pods are still green and filled with immature seeds.

String beans are beloved by gardeners around the world for their ease of growth.

They are typically eaten either raw or cooked.

Can guinea pigs eat string beans?

Yes, they can eat them in small amounts and guinea pigs will enjoy eating them as part of a well-balanced diet. Do not feed to them cooked though, just raw.

For more foods that guinea pigs can and can’t eat, check out our guinea pig food list.

can guinea pigs eat stinging nettles

Can guinea pigs eat stinging nettles?

Can guinea pigs eat stinging nettles? Urtica dioica, often called common nettle, stinging nettle (although not all plants of this species sting) or nettle leaf, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Urticaceae.

It is native to Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and western North America, and introduced elsewhere.

The species is divided into six subspecies, five of which have many hollow stinging hairs called trichomes on the leaves and stems, which act like hypodermic needles, injecting histamine and other chemicals that produce a stinging sensation when contacted by humans and other animals.

The plant has a long history of use as a source of medicine, food, and fibre. (source)

Can guinea pigs eat stinging nettles?

No they cant eat them at all. They will hurt a guinea pig if they eat them and should be avoided as much as possible.

For more foods that guinea pigs can and can’t eat, check out our guinea pig food list

can guinea pigs eat straw

Can guinea pigs eat straw?

Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain and chaff have been removed.

Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat.

It has many uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and basket-making.

It is usually gathered and stored in a straw bale, which is a bundle of straw tightly bound with twine or wire.

Bales may be square, rectangular, or round, depending on the type of baler used. (source)

Can guinea pigs eat straw?

They can nibble it, however, straw it is not as good for them to eat as hay is.

Straw can be extremely sharp and can harm them if it catches them.

Do take care with it if you give it to a guinea pig.

For more foods that guinea pigs can and can’t eat, check out our guinea pig food list.

can guinea pigs eat squash seeds

Can guinea pigs eat squash seeds?

Can guinea pigs eat squash seeds? Squash seeds are found at the center of all squashes. They are often discarded when squash is being prepared for culinary dishes, but they can be used as a culinary source as well. Squash seeds are eaten primarily by humans as a health food snack and can be toasted in the oven with a little olive oil and some salt to add taste.

So can guinea pigs eat them?

Can guinea pigs eat squash seeds?

They cant eat them at all, unfortunately. Guinea pigs are unable to eat any kind of seed as they are mainly high in fat, and a risk to guinea pigs to eat because of possible choking.

For more foods that guinea pigs can and can’t eat, check out our guinea pig food list.