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can guinea pigs eat yams

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Yams?

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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 grapes?

Can Guinea pigs eat grapes?

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Grapes are another luxury fruit which are always a big favourite, but can guinea pigs eat grapes and if so what effect do they have on them?

can guinea pigs eat grapes?From eating them ourselves, we know that grapes should be eaten in moderation as too many can cause stomach problems. I know this oh too well!

My daughter is a great fan of grapes and can eat them morning, noon and night so we always have them around the house, so can guinea pigs eat grapes as well?

I decided to dig a little deeper and find out whether this was a viable options and found some things to think about before giving grapes to your guinea pig.

Here are the nutritional values for red or green grapes

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 288 kJ (69 kcal)
Carbohydrates 18.1 g
Sugars 15.48 g
Dietary fiber 0.9 g
Fat 0.16 g
Protein 0.72 g
Thiamine (vit. B1) 0.069 mg (6%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.07 mg (6%)
Niacin (vit. B3) 0.188 mg (1%)
Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.05 mg (1%)
Vitamin B6 0.086 mg (7%)
Folate (vit. B9) 2 μg (1%)
Choline 5.6 mg (1%)
Vitamin C 3.2 mg (4%)

As you can see grapes are quite low in vitamin c so adds no value to guinea pigs in that aspect. They also have quite a high sugar content.

source: wikipedia

7 Considerations to make before giving your guinea pig grapes

Some owners have given guinea pigs grapes without any problems, so if you do feed them grapes, please bear these things in mind;

  1. If you do give your guinea pig grapes then be sure to only do this 2-3 times a week.
  2. They are more of a treat than a staple meal.
  3. If you do feed your guinea pig grapes give them seedless grapes so you guinea pig doesn’t choke on any seeds from seeded grapes.
  4. A maximum of two at a time is enough for them. Any more could cause them problems.
  5. It is worth cutting them in half for them so that the guinea pig eats the easily. It will make them easier to chew for the guinea pigs and stop any potential of choking.
  6. Grapes are high in sugar which is the reason that you should give them to your guinea pigs sparingly as its not good for their tummies.
  7. Do be aware that owners in the past have complained that grapes have caused kidney problems for their guinea pigs.

When I cut up some grapes for my guinea pig ‘rocket’ he didn’t take to them and left them well alone.

It really does depend on what your guinea pig likes as to whether they will take them or not.

Verdict – can guinea pigs eat grapes?

Yes, guinea pigs can eat grapes. But taking all the considerations into account, it is your prerogative if you want to give grapes to your guinea pig. Do take care though and give them one or two at the maximum to ensure that they don’t get a tummy upset.

Over to you…

Have you given grapes a try with your guinea pig? How have they taken to eating them?