When you buy and bring home your new guinea pig, you will have to feed it.
If you forgot to buy guinea pig food at the pet store, then don’t worry. There are several human foods that guinea pigs can eat. They are able to eat Brussel sprouts in moderation and they should never be cooked.
Guinea Pigs and Brussel Sprouts
Yes, you will be happy to know that if you have Brussel sprouts in your home, guinea pigs can eat them. Guinea pigs love to eat the leaves of the brussel sprout and many caretakers shred the leaves off of several sprouts and place them in a bowl.
Components of a Guinea Pig’s Diet
The guinea pig’s diet consists of 80% hay, so hay should be the main food it eats. Usually, owners of a guinea pig will leave a brick of hay in the cage for them to nibble on all day long.
2. Vegetables and Fruits
When it’s time to serve them vegetables, caretakers put the vegetables, like brussel sprouts, in the cage with them on a small plate. Guinea pigs need to eat about a cup of vegetables a day. Vegetables provide them with many nutrients and vitamins that they cannot make themselves. When it comes to fruits, caretakers should only feed them a few bites worth. And fruits should not be an everyday snack. Too many fruits are bad for their health, as they will develop high blood sugar and obesity.
Guinea pigs need pellets because they are full of fat and essential amino that their bodies cannot create. But don’t overfeed them. Guinea pigs only need two tablespoons of pellets a day.
What Happens in Guinea Pigs Eat Too Many Vegetables?
We said before that hay should be 80% of a guinea pig’s diet. The other 20% should be vegetables that they can eat and pellets. If a guinea pig eats too many vegetables, and not enough hay, they can be in intestinal distress. Too many vegetables in a guinea pig’s diet cause diarrhea, vomiting, gas, bloating, uncomfortableness in the stomach, and constipation.
Vegetable Serving Sizes for a Baby and Adult Guinea Pig
The amount of vegetables a guinea pig should eat as a baby or as an adult is actually the same amount. Guinea pigs, no matter their age, need to eat at least one cup of vegetables a day. Even though baby guinea pigs are small and one cup may seem like a lot, they need a lot of calcium to grow big and strong. As a guinea pig grows into adulthood, you don’t have to increase the amount of vegetables they eat. This is because guinea pigs don’t need that much calcium as an adult, so the amount of vegetables they eat stays the same at one cup.
How Brussel Sprouts is Good for Guinea Pigs
When a guinea pig eats brussels sprouts, they will be able to absorb several important nutrients from the vegetable. Having a wide variety of vegetables to dine on each week will improve and strengthen their health.
First, brussel sprouts have a lot of antioxidants, which keeps your keeps them healthy and increases the strength of their immune system.
The fiber in the brussel sprouts helps to keep the guinea pig pooping a healthy amount and prevent constipation.
The calcium in the brussel sprouts helps them develop strong bones as a baby and help them maintain their bones as an adult. It also contributes to their fur thickness.
4. Vitamin C
Brussel sprouts also have a lot of vitamin C, which will prevent guinea pigs from developing scurvy.
What Happens If Guinea Pigs Get Too Much Calcium?
If a guinea pig receives too much calcium in its diet from brussels sprouts or any other vegetables, they can develop several health problems. One common problem they will get is bladder or urinary stones. Another problem they might develop is called bladder sludge, which is when the urine becomes thick, and it becomes harder to urinate.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Cooked Brussel Sprouts?
No, absolutely not. If you want to give guinea pigs brussel sprouts, or any other vegetable, to eat, you should never give it to them cooked, All of the food that they eat should be raw. Plus, cooked food usually has fewer minerals and vitamins. Poor nutrition will cause the health of a guinea pig to weaken, and they could get sick.
Other Vegetable Guinea Pigs Can Eat
Guinea pigs can eat many foods that humans can eat as well. Guinea pigs are herbivores, so that means they only eat plants. But, no matter what type of vegetables do you have, make sure only to feed guinea pigs one cup per day.
Some of the vegetables that are good for guinea pigs are:
- And cabbage
Foods that Guinea Pigs Cannot Eat
Along with cooked food, here are some other types of food that you shouldn’t your furry little friend.
- meat – guinea pigs are complete herbivores, so their bodies weren’t made to digest meats.
- Chocolate – even if the chocolate is without any dairy, you cannot feed this food to guinea pigs. Doing so would cause extreme intestinal distress
- Any part of the potato plant. Potatoes have toxic compounds in their fiber, skin, and plant leaves, so your guinea pigs could die if they eat it.
- A guinea pig is a herbivore, so it lives off only plants.
- The main staple of its diet is hay
- Guinea pigs can eat brussel sprouts, but only in moderation. Brussel sprouts, or any other vegetable, should not be its main food
- Brussel sprouts have many vitamins and minerals that are good for guinea pigs, and hamsters and also capybaras
- Guinea pigs can eat many types of vegetables, but not all of them.
- Both as babies and as adults, guinea pigs need to eat a cup of vegetables a day.
- Guinea pigs can develop scurvy.
- Even if the food is a vegetable, guinea pigs cannot eat cooked food
- Too much calcium can cause urine to thicken in the bladder of a guinea pig.