Can guinea pigs eat cherimoya

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Cherimoya?

Grown throughout South Asia, Central America, South America, Southern California, Portugal, southern Andalucia [La Axarquia] and South of Italy, the Cherimoya is a fruit native to the Andes region of South America.

They are large fruits that measure between four and eight inches long and four inches wide.

They are heart shaped and green in colour with a bumpy skin. However on the inside it has white flesh that has a soft custard-like texture tasting like a mix between strawberries, pineapples and bananas.

They can usually be purchased in farmers markets but you would be hard pressed to find them in your a average grocery store.

Info source http://spanishfood.about.com/od/seasonalspanishfoods/a/chirimoyas.htm

Image source Wikipedia

So can guinea pigs eat Cherimoya, and if they can how much of them can be eaten?

Let’s take a look by checking out its nutritional data.

In particular, we are interested in its acidic, sugar, phosphorus, fat and calcium content as these are most pertinent to guinea pigs.

Ripe cherimoya fruits
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 313 kJ (75 kcal)
Carbohydrates 17.71 g
– Sugars 12.87
– Dietary fiber 3 g
Fat 0.68 g
Protein 1.57 g
Thiamine (vit. B1) 0.101 mg (9%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.131 mg (11%)
Niacin (vit. B3) 0.644 mg (4%)
Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.345 mg (7%)
Vitamin B6 0.257 mg (20%)
Folate (vit. B9) 23 μg (6%)
Vitamin C 12.6 mg (15%)
Vitamin E 0.27 mg (2%)
Calcium 10 mg (1%)
Iron 0.27 mg (2%)
Magnesium 17 mg (5%)
Manganese 0.093 mg (4%)
Phosphorus 26 mg (4%)
Potassium 287 mg (6%)
Sodium 7 mg (0%)
Zinc 0.16 mg (2%)

Source: USDA Nutrient Database

As you can see cherimoya contains a little phosphorus, a hint of calcium and fat, but they are a little acidic and contain quite a bit of sugar.

They do also contain a healthy amount of vitamin c.

So guinea pigs can eat cherimoya, but only once or twice a week in small amounts due to its sugar content.

However, peel away the skin and get rid of the skin and just give them the inside flesh as the skin especially is inedible and the seeds may cause chokage.

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