Tag Archives: foods that guinea pigs eat

can guinea pigs eat potatoes

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Potatoes?

Potatoes are one of those vegetables that are cooked in so many different ways.

It is very hard to keep track of how many different ways you can cook them, from baked potatoes, sautéed, fried, chips, roasted, boiled, mashed potato to name but a few and they are such a popular vegetable the world over.

We have them most days in our home and they’re a big favourite with all our family.

So if our guinea pigs could eat them, it would be pretty good!

So can guinea pigs eat potatoes?

The straight answer is no they can’t unfortunately

 

So why can’t guinea pigs eat potato?

can guinea pigs eat potatoesUnfortunately, potatoes contain harmful toxins which could be poisonous to guinea pigs.

If they do eat them there is a danger that they could become quite ill.

A secondary issue is that potatoes are very high in carbohydrates and are not very nutrient rich, so providing them as a food for guinea pigs will not benefit them in any way.

If they do happen to nibble on them, then your piggie should be fine but do monitor them for any after-effects.

image flickr

Can guinea pigs eat potato peel?

No they can’t eat potato peel as its also toxic for them to eat. This also includes any kind of potato skin.

Can guinea pigs eat mashed potato?

Unfortunately for the same reason they can’t eat proper potatoes. They are very toxic for them. They also can’t eat cooked food.

Can guinea pigs eat baked potato?

Unfortunately this refers to any baked or cooked potato. It is better to steer clear of giving any kind of potato to guinea pigs.

 

For more foods that you and can’t feed to your guinea pigs, check out our guinea pig foods section.

can guinea pigs eat ham

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Ham?

With thanksgiving approaching, there may be those wondering if guinea pigs can eat ham?

Cooked Ham is one of those foods that is especially popular around fall and winter time especially in the festive seasons.

 

So if we can eat it….

Can guinea pigs eat ham?

 

Unfortunately guinea pigs can’t eat ham.

This is because guinea pigs can’t eat meats at all. This includes cold and processed meats.

They also can’t eat cooked foods which are also bad for them

can guinea pigs eat hamSo why can’t guinea pigs eat meat?

The reason is that guinea pigs are herbivores and therefore can’t digest meat at all.

image flickr

What would happen if I gave my guinea pig ham?

If they are presented with it they may have a nibble at it but will quickly turn off it.

Guinea pigs are naturally quite curious and love to sniff out new foods. Even when I present my finger to my piggies they have a nibble at it 🙂

 

So it isn’t worth attempting to feed your piggies ham at all.

If you do want your guinea pigs thanksgiving or Christmas foods, give them raw veggies which haven’t been cooked yet.

 

Check out other foods that guinea pigs can and can’t eat in our guinea pig foods section

can guinea pigs eat yams

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Yams?

Often confused with sweet potatoes, yams are a big favourite especially around thanksgiving time for many families to have with their meals.

As members of the Dioscoreae family, there are about 200 different varieties of yam
with flesh colours varying from white to ivory to yellow to purple while their thick skin comes in white, pink or brownish-black .

They have a long and cylindrical shape and their exterior texture is rough and scaly.

can guinea pigs eat yamsTheir taste is earthy and hardy, with most varieties having minimal sweetness.

Specific types of yams include Dioscorea alata (Hawaiian yam), Dioscorea batatas (korean yam) and Dioscorea esculenta (sweet yam).

Can guinea pigs eat yams?

Can guinea pigs eat yams and if try can, how much of them can be eaten?

For the sake of showing good guinea pig care, let’s dig a little deeper and find out what it contains why checking out its nutritional data.

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

image flickr

Yam
Amount Per 100 grams
Calories 118
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.2 g 0%
Saturated fat 0 g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 9 mg 0%
Potassium 816 mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 28 g 9%
Dietary fiber 4.1 g 16%
Sugar 0.5 g
Protein 1.5 g 3%
Vitamin A 2%
Vitamin C 28%
Calcium 1%
Iron 2%
Vitamin D 0%
Vitamins B-6 15%
Vitamin B-12 0%
Magnesium 5%

Source google

As you can see it does contain a lot of good vitamin c and are very good for guinea pigs.

So they are good for piggies although they do contain a good percentage of potassium and so should only be eaten every few days.

Yams are best served to guinea pigs raw which is the state that they will appreciate them.

Cam Guinea Pigs eat Cooked Yams?

Don’t give them cooked yams at all as they can’t eat cooked food.

Yams can be purchased at any good supermarket or grocery store.

 

For other foods that guinea pigs can and can’t eat, check out our guinea pig foods section.

 

Can guinea pigs eat celery?

Celery is a great vegetable that is tasty and crunchy so it seems like it could go down well with guinea pigs.

Celery is just fine for guinea pigs to eat but there are certain considerations and things you might want to take note of before you feed it to your guinea pig.

It can be purchased from any supermarket that you have close to you. There are no special types that   you need to buy. Any of the varieties will do.

can a guinea pig eat celery

image: Wikipdeia

10 considerations to make when you feed your guinea pig celery

  1. It has a high water content and so it can cause mouth sores and diarrhoea if given too much to the Guinea Pig. It can also make them a little diuretic which means they pee a lot.
  2. The strings of celery that are peeled off the stalks of celery can very easily get caught in their teeth and throats and intestinal tracs.
  3. Do feed it to your guinea pig in moderation, a few times a week should suffice to ensure that your guinea pig gets a well balanced diet.
  4. It is worth cutting up the celery sticks into long strips to ensure that you can negate the stringy parts of the celery so that your guinea pig doesn’t get any lodged in its throat.
  5. Another way to cut up celery sticks is to cut them into half inch pieces. This is another way to ensure that the guinea pigs and ingest them properly.
  6. Mix it up with other vegetables and foods so that your guinea pig doesn’t get bored at all at meal times. Make meal times as interesting as possible for them
  7. Consider celery to be a treat for them at not their main staple meal which should be Timothy hay, vitamin c fortified guinea pig pellets and clean water.
  8. You can feed your guinea pig’s the celery leaves as well. Some may even prefer these to the actual celery sticks.
  9. If your guinea pig doesn’t take to it then don’t worry. Some guinea pigs like it, some don’t. Try some other vegetables with your guinea pig to see if they like those instead.
  10. Sometimes it might be worth peeling your celery sticks to get the strings off.

 

Can a guinea pig eat celery?

Celery can be a great treat for your guinea pig if it is fed in moderation so do go ahead and feed it to your cavy. Its great chopped up and mixed with other vegetables as well to give your guinea pig some variety.