Foods you should never feed to your guinea pig…ever!
Jul 15th, 2008 by omidog
Just like cats and dogs have dietary limitations and unsafe foods to eat (chocolate, for example), guinea pigs have some special food needs too! When you think about a guinea pig, you probably don’t think too much about what they eat. Hay and pellets, right? Seems low maintenance enough. But the truth of the matter is, a happy and healthy guinea pig deserves supplementary treats that provide nutrients and taste delicious. The key here is knowing what foods are safe for your guinea pig to eat, and what ones aren’t.
Thankfully, I’ve got a nice list here of foods to NEVER feed your guinea pig, EVER! And there’s an excellent rule of thumb when thinking about what to feed your precious piggie for a snack - if you’re not sure, don’t take the chance. This list isn’t exhaustive, so if you see something in your fridge that you’d love to feed to your little piglet but don’t want to wind up with an emergency trip to the vet, best to eat it yourself and find something else for your little one to munch on.
You can find a more exhaustive list of foods to not feed your guinea pig, as well as foods that your guinea pig will love over at my Squidoo Lens - “Guinea Pig Care 101 part 4 - What Your Guinea Pig Can and Cannot Eat”. Feel free to ask any questions!
Some foods you should never feed to your guinea pig…EVER!
- Iceberg lettuce
- Any type of cabbage
- Potato peelings
- Shelled nuts or seeds
- Dairy Products
- Any processed, sugary foods like candy or soda
- Chocolate or other caffeine-containing products.
- Cookies/bread*
- the full list and the explanations behind many of these no-no foods.
Many of these are common sense, but some like cabbage or iceberg lettuce may be confusing when you start to think about it. When in doubt, reach for a nice big slice of red pepper or a baby carrot to feed to your guinea pig and they will be your friend for life!