Chia seed is obtained most commonly from Salvia hispanica of the Lamiaceae family.
Other plants referred to as “chia” include “golden chia” (Salvia columbariae) and the flowering herbaceous perennial Salvia polystachya, which is rarely cultivated and the seeds are not used.
The seeds of Salvia columbariae are used medicinally and for food.(source)
Can guinea pigs eat chia 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 486 kcal (2,030 kJ)
Carbohydrates
42.1 g
Dietary fiber 34.4 g
Fat
30.7 g
Protein
16.5 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A equiv. (7%) 54 μg
Thiamine (B1) (54%) 0.62 mg
Riboflavin (B2) (14%) 0.17 mg
Niacin (B3) (59%) 8.83 mg
Folate (B9) (12%) 49 μg
Vitamin C (2%) 1.6 mg
Vitamin E (3%) 0.5 mg
Minerals
Calcium (63%) 631 mg
Iron (59%) 7.7 mg
Magnesium (94%) 335 mg
Manganese (130%) 2.72 mg
Phosphorus (123%) 860 mg
Potassium (9%) 407 mg
Zinc (48%) 4.6 mg
Other constituents
Water 5.8 g
As you can see, chia seeds contain a huge amount of phosphorus, fat and acidic content, plus a little water.
This means they are not a good food for guinea pigs to eat.
If they were to eat one or two of them, they will be fine. But eating a large amount of them may make them sick.
For more foods that guinea pigs can and can’t eat, check out our guinea pig food list.
