Last Updated on January 3, 2023 by israel
As with all herbivores, most of guinea pigs food should be hay and fresh vegetables., do you own a pet guinea pig? And are you wondering or asking the question, “can guinea pigs eat strawberries?” well, in this blog post, I will be answering that question, and I will also be listing a few fruits and vegetables you can feed your guinea pigs.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberries?
Guinea Pigs can eat strawberries. Strawberries are rich in vitamins, e.g., vitamin C and Vitamin k, which are beneficial to guinea pigs. It is essential to know that excess consumption of strawberries can harm your guinea pig since strawberries are rich in sugar and citric acid.
The vitamins and antioxidants in these fruits are good for your guinea pig’s immune system and overall health.
Guinea pigs like strawberries because they taste good and are good for them. They are a good source of vitamins C and K, as well as antioxidants and other healthy compounds. In addition to making your guinea pig healthier, these nutrients can help keep its skin and fur in good shape.
Besides the fact that strawberries contain a lot of vitamins and provide a lot of nutrition to guinea pigs, it is also essential to know that guinea pigs enjoy eating strawberries.
Strawberries can serve as a great side dish for your guinea pigs, they would love it, but you should be careful not to feed them too much.
READ: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Radishes?
Can Baby Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberries?
They can, but they shouldn’t eat many strawberries. They should eat tiny quantities. Too many strawberries can be harmful to your baby guinea pigs.
READ: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Pears?
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberries Leaves?
Guinea pigs can eat strawberry leaves in tiny quantities, but feeding them to your guinea pigs is not recommended. Strawberry leaves have little nutritional value and contain oxalates harmful to guinea pigs.
However, some people allow their guinea pigs to eat the leaves of strawberries, but vet doctors don’t recommend it.
READ: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Mangoes?
What Nutrients Do Strawberries Contain?
Strawberries offer a variety of nutrients and vitamins to both humans and animals here are a few of the nutrients that can be found in 100g of strawberries.
- Vitamin C (59.6mg)
- Fructose (2.62g)
- Ash (0.34g)
- Iron (0.26mg)
- Potassium (161 mg)
- Phosphorous (23 mg)
- Calcium (17mg)
- Water (90.8g)
- Citric Acid (700g)
Source: Food Data Central US Department Of Agriculture
There are many more vitamins and nutrients in strawberries the above list is just a few of them.
READ: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Blueberries?
Advantages Of Feeding Strawberries To Your guinea pigs (Health Benefits)
There are many health benefits of feeding strawberries to your guinea pigs; here are some of the significant health benefits of feeding strawberries to your guinea pigs.
- Stronger Muscles: strawberries are rich in vitamins and help build and develop stronger muscles for guinea pigs and humans.
- Stronger Bones: strawberries contain a fair portion of calcium. Calcium helps build bones. So blueberries do help in strengthening the bones of humans and guinea pigs.
- Longer Life: Fruits, in particular, can increase the life span of guinea pigs because of the additional vitamins that strawberries provide.
- Prevents Constipation: It helps to prevent constipation because of the water and fiber content.
READ: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Raspberries?
Disadvantages of OverFeeding Strawberries To Your guinea pigs
In as much as strawberries provide a lot of vitamins and nutrients to guinea pigs, it is very, very dangerous to feed a lot of strawberries to your guinea pigs; here are some of the disadvantages of providing your guinea pigs with too many strawberries.
- Stomach Upset: strawberries contain too much sugar and citric acid, which can cause stomach upset when consumed in much/large quantities.
- Stooling: Your guinea pigs can start frequently stooling whenever it consumes too many strawberries.
There are many other disadvantages of overfeeding your guinea pig’s strawberries.
READ: Can Rabbits Eat Blackberries?
Preparation Of Strawberries for guinea pigs.
You can use the following guide to prepare strawberries for your guinea pigs.
If you want to give your guinea pig strawberries, you should do so slowly and in small amounts. Start by giving your pet just a few slices or a handful of berries and see how they react. If they seem to like them and don’t have any problems digesting them, you can slowly give them more.
- Select good ripen strawberries.
- Wash the strawberries with clean water.
- Remove the stems of the strawberries as this part is not recommended to be given (fed) to guinea pigs.
- Smash strawberries; you can dice the strawberries in small bits or chips (Optional)
- Make sure to remove the strawberry leaves when feeding your guinea pigs.
READ: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Radishes?
How Often Should I Feed My guinea pigs Strawberries?
As we’ve already said, guinea pigs shouldn’t get too many strawberries. As a general rule, they should only eat about one or two small strawberries or a few slices of strawberry per week. This will give them some of the benefits of strawberries without putting too much sugar into their bodies.
A good rule of thumb is that your guinea pig shouldn’t get more than 10% of its daily food from strawberries. For example, if your guinea pig usually eats 20 grams of hay per day, you can give them about 2 grams of strawberries as a treat.
For Adult Guinea Pigs:
You can feed an adult guinea pig strawberries twice a week, It shouldn’t exceed this number to reduce the risk of overfeeding.
READ: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Cilantro?
For Young Guinea Pigs:
You should feed young or baby guinea pig strawberries once in a week so as not to cause stomach upset for them.
READ: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Celery?
What Fruits Can I Feed My guinea pigs?
Guinea pigs can eat a variety of fruits, these fruits should be consumed moderately and not too much. You can also feed your guinea pigs the following fruits and vegetables:
- Cabbage
- Radishes
- Zucchini
- Bell Peppers
- Cilantro
- Asparagus
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
Remember that guinea pigs should only get these foods as treats. Their main food should be hay and a guinea pig pellet with added vitamins and minerals. Also, you should thoroughly wash any fruits or vegetables you give your guinea pigs to get rid of any pesticides or other harmful substances. Always add new foods to your guinea pig’s diet slowly, and keep a close eye on their health to make sure they can handle them.
Conclusion On Can guinea pigs Eat Strawberries?
From this blog post, we can say that the answer to the question “Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberries?” is Yes, guinea pigs can eat strawberries. Strawberries are rich in vitamins, e.g., vitamin C and Vitamin k, which are beneficial to guinea pigs. It is essential to know that excess consumption of strawberries can harm your guinea pig since strawberries are rich in sugar and fruity acid.
Strawberries provide lots of nutrients and vitamins but should be fed moderately to your guinea pigs.
This post was written by Israel for Animals District.
