Can Guinea Pigs Eat Grapes?

Answer to the question Can Guinea Pigs Eat Grapes? is Yes, guinea pigs can eat grapes. Though there is no evidence that eating grapes could cause any effect on guinea pigs, in some dogs eating grapes could cause kidney failure according to the studies. But we can’t say for sure that grapes will not affect guinea pig’s kidney.

Further, there is another worry about feeding grapes and that is grapes have high sugar content. Mainly veterinarians suggest that green grapes are a source of empty calories in cavies. They recommend grapes to be an occasional treat than a continuous part of guinea pig’s diet.

Grapes can be used as a tasty treat to offer when you train your guinea pig. Many guinea pig owners confirm this from their own experience and they also state that giving your guinea pigs grape can make them do anything when they develop a taste for grapes.

When you offer grapes to your guinea pigs, some pigs just nibble and leave it. That’s a clear sign that they are not interested of this sweet treat.

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Let’s Discuss About The Health Benefits Of Grapes For Your Small Pet.

You might be providing grapes just because your pet loves it but there are some other advantages of giving grapes if you want to have a healthy guinea pig. The main advantage is its nutritional value.

Vitamin C

Grapes are rich in vitamin C which helps to increase testosterone and nitric oxide. Vitamin C is a highly influential antioxidant and mainly known for building up a strong immune system against viruses and colds.

This is very important for guinea pigs who live outside with challenging weather conditions and for the ones that could get sick easily.

Vitamin C benefits to guinea pig’s body in various ways. Vitamin C helps to maximize the production of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is considered as the happiness hormone and it could drastically improve your pet’s mood.

Fiber

Grapes are a good source of fiber. Fiber is very important in the guinea pig diet and it will help to maintain good digestion and keep things consistent in the body.

You might be thinking that cleaning the guinea pig cage always is a problem. But it is a good sign that your pig is healthy. The diet which is low in fiber could lead to serious health issues and constipation.

In a balanced diet for guinea pigs, you can use grapes as a good source of fiber and it helps to reduce blood pressure and improves your pig’s energy and physical performance.

As mentioned earlier, vitamin C is a great antioxidant and it would help to build up the cells against the harm from free radicals. These substances can lead to cell damage and eventually break all the way to tear down DNA stored in nucleus. DNA is the genetic code which interprets how the batteries are created and when DNA gets damaged it can cause imperfections. Gradually these imperfections could result in building up cancerous tumors.

Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential nutrient which helps guinea pigs to have strong bones so it could prevent injuries. Also magnesium acts to fix mood and encourages learning. One of the main advantage of magnesium is it helps sleeping by relaxing muscles and further it acts to tension and anxiety.

Magnesium maximizes the production of testosterone as well.

Calcium

Just as magnesium, calcium is also helps to strengthen bones in guinea pigs. Calcium helps with muscle contractions so your guinea pig will be strong as it gets old. When considering age groups calcium is very important to baby guinea pig and pregnant guinea pig as they have high necessity.

Iron

Iron creates red blood cells, which helps to improve the circulation of oxygen and increase energy levels.

Potassium and Phosphorus

Phosphorus and potassium can be found in grapes but not huge quantities.

If your cavy is suffering from a heart related health issue, its condition can be fatal. You need to address that kind of situation early to avoid any unpleasant circumstances. You all know the best saying when it comes to health and that is “prevention is always better than cure”. Potassium is good at maintaining optimum blood pressure levels and acts in favor of kidney and bladder.

Phosphorus is good for guinea pig’s bones and teeth.

Resveratrol

Resveratrol is another antioxidant which attracted public attention in recent years. The reason is resveratrol is used to explain the inspection on humans who were on Mediterranean diets likely to live longer even though they have fatty and salty foods.

Resveratrol is found in red wine and particularly in grapes which helps to amplify the effectiveness of the mitochondria. Mitochondria are the main energy source in cells and also they are responsible for turning glucose to functioning ATP.

By improving the efficiency of mitochondria, resveratrol will increase the energy levels and extend the life expectancy by decreasing the quantity of damaging waste which is created as a byproduct of this procedure.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are found in grapes especially in red grapes and in red grape skin. Antioxidant levels are high and antioxidants work as molecules to combat free radicals in guinea pig.

You may wonder about this process and participating parties but the main thing you need to know is by fighting free radicals antioxidants help to decrease the possibility of heart diseases for your guinea pigs, diabetes, cancer and other health conditions.

Grapes Help To Reduce Cholesterol Levels In The Body

You all are aware that cholesterol is harmful to humans. Just remember cholesterol is not only bad for humans but also for guinea pigs. Grapes can help with removing the unnecessary cholesterol in guinea pigs.

Grapes Are Great For Eyes

Many people know carrot, as a great vegetable to help with eye health. Grapes are also a great guinea pig food supplement which could potentially enhance eye health of cavies. The nutrients included in grapes act as a guard in opposition to eye defects and other eye related health conditions.

Provide protection from diseases and infections

There are nutrients found in grapes which help to protect your cavies from viral, bacterial and yeast infections. So feed grapes regularly to pet so it will help to maintain proper health. As mentioned earlier Vitamin C improves the immune system and the function in your pet’s body.

Extend the life expectancy

In overall the nutrients in grapes helps to increase endurance and life expectancy of guinea pigs.

Prevent Inflammation

Resveratrol which is found in grapes consists of great anti-inflammation properties.

Avoid Constipation And Boost Digestion

Grapes consist of water and essential dietary fiber which help to maintain a smooth digestion system.

Prevent Allergies

Grapes could help with abbreviating various allergies due to its anti-inflammation properties.

Drawbacks Of Grapes

The main drawback of grapes is that grapes contain rational quantity of natural sugar. Normally this is not a huge issue but if you feed grapes regularly to your guinea pig, it can cause surplus sugar intake and further result in various health conditions such as obesity and diabetes and more related health issues.

Guinea pigs are known to build up a strong desire for grapes once they get to know the sweet taste of grape. They won’t be addicted to any of these sweet foods unless they have access to it. Humans are also very addicted to foods and other things when they have unlimited access to it. If you feed many grapes in short intervals your guinea pig will addict to them easily which is not a good thing in health wise.

To avoid this addiction limit your feeding amount and the frequency of grape treats you offer to your pet. While you feed grass hay and other guinea pig pellets to your pet feed grapes as a special treat.

How You Can Serve Grapes To Your Cavy

Main thing is to decide the best grapes for your guinea pig. You must choose ripe and fresh grapes to offer to your pet. Unripe and rotten grapes are not suitable to feed as they can cause serious digestion issues to your pig.
Then you need wash the selected grapes well. You need to rinse out all the chemicals from grapes as they are sprayed with pesticides. So wash properly before you serve grapes to your cavy.
After get all grapes and cut in half. Then remove the grape seed from all the cut ones. You need to make sure to remove all the seeds before you serve them to your guinea pig.
Finally you can serve grapes by hand or in a small bowl. Remove any remaining grapes after your pig finishes eating. If you leave uneaten grapes or any residue for a while bacteria can be developed on them which is not a positive thing for your pig.

Can Grapes Kill Cavies?

As you are aware pesticides are sprayed on grapes. Those pesticides are very harmful to your pet and sometimes could even kill your pet. It is very important that you wash everything such as fresh vegetables and fruits thoroughly before you serve to your cavy.

Let’s forget choking for a moment, grapes could be fatal if they contain certain microorganisms and parasites. After eating such grapes your guinea pig could be seriously ill.

How Many Grapes Can I Give My Guinea Pig?

Never overfeed your cavy with grapes because it can lead to several health problems as grapes contain high amount of sugar. Reserve grapes as a special treat and serve in small quantity to your pig. Monitor your pets as you feed them specially if your pigs are overweight. So it’s a vital thing that you don’t overfeed them.

How Often Should Guinea Pigs Eat Grapes?

Serve your pet a grape or two as a treat once or twice a week.

Can They Eat Grapes With Seeds?

Grape seeds are small, slippery and round in shape. If you are providing grapes with seeds, those could cause choking hazards so always remove the seeds before you serve them.

You can simply cut the grape into half in middle to expose any seeds. Then carefully clean out grape seed from your finger tip or using the knife that you sliced the grapes. You can also try feeding seedless grape to your pet.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Grape Vines And Grape Leaves?

Do not feed grape vines or grape leaves to your guinea pig. You can keep the odd stem when offer a grape. Do not risk your pet’s life by experimenting things as you like to feed them, if you really love them as a responsible guinea pig owner. When it comes to hay you have several options such as timothy hay, alfalfa hay etc but all plants leaves and grass are not safe for guinea pigs.

Can Guinea Pigs Have Grapes That Are Dried?

Dried grapes or raisin are not good for guinea pigs as they have high sugar content. Fresh fruit is always better as it is less concentrated than dried fruit. Always feed fresh food to your pet to maintain good health.

Can Guinea Pigs Have Frozen Grapes?

No, unfortunately they can’t have frozen grapes. The reason is it’s too cold for guinea pigs to eat and could cause stomach problems. Feed fresh ripe grapes to guinea pigs because fresh grapes are herbivores and guinea pigs love to eat a fresh grape than a frozen one.