Can Guinea Pigs Eat Human Food? Let's Discover -

When my guinea pig is in the living room I notice that he looks curiously when I eat something. As if to say give me some of your lunch to try.

Guinea pigs should always eat hay as their main food, because it provides them with the healthy ingredients they need, such as fiber.

That’s why I researched to check whether guinea pigs can eat human food and whether it is dangerous for their health and digestive system.

Can guinea pigs eat human food?

It depends, guinea pigs can eat some types of human food such as broccoli, peas, and artichokes, while certain foods are harmful to them such as avocados, onions, potato tops, and the like.

Guinea pigs cannot eat meat, minced meat, and other food that humans can consume.

That’s why care must be taken when giving human food to guinea pigs, you should always know if they can or cannot eat a certain type of food.

In today’s article, you will find out which human food guinea pigs can eat, which they cannot eat, and similar questions related to the topic.

Table of Contents show

Can guinea pigs eat human food?

Guinea pigs can eat certain human foods such as vegetables and fruits, but not all types of human foods. Also, Guinea pigs must not eat cooked human food because they will not use enough of all the nutrients.

Guinea pigs must not eat grains, nuts, dried beans, and other types of food that are harmful to their health.

You must be careful not to give them human food that is rich in sugars, carbohydrates, and fats because it is bad for their health.

When giving human food to guinea pigs you should always only give them small, moderate amounts, as it is not their staple food.

The basic food for guinea pigs is always hay, which provides them with nutrients, fibers, and other necessary nutrients for their growth, development, and healthy digestive system.

What human food can guinea pigs eat?

As we said guinea pigs can eat certain types of human food, here are some of them:

A vegetable

Guinea pigs love to eat vegetables, but you must be careful to always give them fresh vegetables, it is the best choice for them.

There are many more nutrients in fresh vegetables than in cooked ones, and at the same time, fresh vegetables are easier to digest in the digestive system of guinea pigs.

Guinea pigs can eat small amounts of vegetables or in percentage it should be 10-15% of the daily diet because the first place is always the hay with a representation of about 70-80% in the diet.

Vegetables must always be washed well before being given to guinea pigs because some vegetables are grown using pesticides that are harmful to guinea pigs.

Here are some vegetables that are great for guinea pigs:

Peas – are rich in minerals and vitamins, you just have to be careful about the amount you give to the guinea pigs.
Tomatoes – a great source of vitamin C and hydration for guinea pigs, just don’t let them eat tomato leaves and stems.

Peppers – an excellent vegetable rich in vitamins and minerals that will improve the health of guinea pigs.
Spinach – is a great food for guinea pigs, just don’t overdo it because it has a lot of oxalates which can be harmful to guinea pigs.
Carrots – rich in vitamin C can be given once or twice a week to guinea pigs.

Celery – a rich source of vitamins C, and B, and minerals, which prevents the occurrence of scurvy and helps them to have a normal body weight.
Green beans – a great vegetable that when fresh and raw offers vitamins C and K to improve the health of guinea pigs.
Artichoke – for better work of the digestive system of guinea pigs because it has a lot of fiber and vitamin A.

There are also many other vegetables that can be eaten by guinea pigs such as kale, cauliflower, zucchini, broccoli and many others.

Fruit

Guinea pigs can also eat fruit in moderation, as fruit usually contains a lot of sugar and can cause diabetes and other health problems.

However, in moderate quantities, guinea pigs can eat the following types of fruit:

Pears – a healthy and tasty fruit that will help guinea pigs get more vitamin C, A, and K, as well as calcium.
Apples – help the guinea pigs to have better digestion of food, but you have to be careful about the amount because it contains high amounts of sugar.
Kiwi – in small quantities is a great food for guinea pigs because it has a lot of vitamin C, which helps with better immunity, and protection against scurvy and other health problems.

Peaches – provide lots of minerals and vitamins and are good for guinea pig dental health.

In addition to these fruits that we have listed, guinea pigs can also eat other fruits such as papaya, strawberries, blueberries, and others.

The only thing you have to be careful about is the amount, never give them too much because fruit is not a primary food for guinea pigs.

What human food can guinea pigs not eat?

Guinea pigs must never eat meat. Unlike humans, guinea pigs cannot eat meat, as their digestive system is not adapted to processing and processing meat products.

Guinea pigs can only eat plant food. Apart from meat, other human food that guinea pigs are not allowed to eat is the following:

bread

onions
garlic
dairy products

nuts

If by chance the guinea pigs still try any of the above foods, they can only get complications with the digestive system and health.

Adverse effects of human food that guinea pigs cannot eat

Here are some examples and tips of what will happen if guinea pigs try to eat human food they shouldn’t.

Fattening of guinea pigs

If guinea pigs eat chocolates, butter, and similar foods then they can only increase their body weight.

At the same time, they may have stomach aches because their digestive system will not be able to process the food properly.

All this leads to the emergence of various diseases that can only threaten their health and life.

The danger of stones in the bladder

Under no circumstances should guinea pigs eat dairy products as this will lead to bladder stones.

Dairy products contain a lot of calcium that will not be able to be fully processed and the guinea pigs will have a build-up of this mineral in the bladder and form stones.

Except for stones in the bladder, guinea pigs cannot eat dairy products because they are lactose intolerant, they cannot digest dairy food.

They may just have stomach pains, problems with the digestive system, and other health problems.

Stomach problems

Guinea pigs cannot eat human food that is high in fat because they will have severe digestion problems.

Stomach infections, flatulence, diarrhea, and other problems may occur.

For example, if guinea pigs get diarrhea, they can die in a few days, so they must not eat this kind of food under any circumstances.

Too much sugar

Guinea pigs cannot eat human food such as:

chocolate
juice

cakes

Eating such foods rich in sugar will cause diabetes and related diseases.

Obviously, they can’t eat sweet things like we humans do, best to give them only fruits and vegetables.

Avoiding nuts

Guinea pigs can suffocate if they eat nuts, so it’s best to avoid this kind of food for your little friends.

Nuts such as peanuts can get stuck in their throats and cause guinea pigs to suffocate.

Apart from the danger of suffocation, guinea pigs can only get worse from nuts because of their high fat content.

The danger of death of guinea pigs

Some types of human food are healthy for humans and improve their health, but are deadly for guinea pigs.

Foods such as garlic and onions are poisonous to them and can kill our little friends.

Therefore, never leave garlic and onions near the guinea pigs, because if they try to eat then it will be too late to save their lives.

FAQs

Can guinea pigs eat cooked chicken?

Guinea pigs cannot eat cooked chicken because their digestive system cannot process meat, they can only eat plant food.

Why can’t guinea pigs eat cooked food?

Guinea pigs can only eat raw food because when the food is processed or cooked, the natural composition of the food changes, and their digestive system will have a problem with such food.

Can guinea pigs drink boiled water?

There is no need to give the guinea pigs hot or boiling water. It is quite enough for the guinea pigs to give them ordinary water at room temperature.

Conclusion

Guinea pigs can eat human food such as vegetables and fruits. The main food of guinea pigs will always be hay, while human food can be represented by 15% of their daily diet.

Guinea pigs are not allowed to eat garlic and onions, and they are not allowed to eat dairy products, because these types of food can damage their health and digestive system.

Guinea pigs must never eat meat, because their digestive system is not adapted to this type of food, they can only eat plant food.

Finally, give them human food such as cucumber, apple, carrots, cauliflower, pears, and other types of food that are healthy and they can freely eat in moderate amounts, along with hay and drinking clean and fresh water.