Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberries?

Strawberry provides a great deal of health benefits when compared to other fresh fruits. Its sugar content is low and the nutritional value is higher than other fruits.

Even though strawberries are so sweet, they don’t really contain higher amount of sugar.

If strawberries are compared to bananas in sugar content wise, 100g of strawberries contain only 7-8 grams of sugar while 100g of bananas contain 15 to 17 grams of sugar which is almost twice as strawberry contains. So when sugar compared to other fruits, fruit sugar content can be considered as low.

As a responsible guinea pig owner, you might be wondering whether can guinea pigs eat strawberries or what will happen when you offer guinea pigs strawberries.

If you are looking forward to offer a healthy fruit to your guinea pig, letting eat strawberries will be your best choice as strawberry minimizes the chances of diabetes and obesity.

We all know that guinea pigs are picky eaters and each pig has its own desire for foods when guinea pigs eat. Even humans have their own taste for fresh food so there no wonder guinea pigs have such a desire. Though guinea pigs eat strawberry it’s just another taste for them.

So if your guinea pig is refusing to eat strawberries it’s just a normal thing that you don’t need to worry about. Usually most guinea pigs eat strawberries.

Pushing guinea pigs too hard to eat strawberries is not advised.

Even in one species individuals could have different tastes. Humans are the best example I can think of.

Table of Contents

Nutrient Value Of Strawberries

Vitamin C

When we discuss the importance of vitamin C your pet could contract scurvy which is a sickness caused by vitamin C deficiency. Guinea pig body can’t create vitamin C naturally so they need a constant supply.

This makes it so important that guinea pigs receive vitamin c through food. Strawberry contains so much vitamin C even than the same amount of oranges do.

Vitamin C mainly contributes to maintain a healthy immunity system and in overall boost your pet’s health. Vitamin C also protects against dangerous free radicals.

Though we feed all these extra food we should not miss the most important part of guinea pig diet which is grass hay such as timothy hay, alfalfa hay etc.

Fiber

When it comes to dietary fiber, strawberries contain a good amount of fiber. Fiber plays a vital role in guinea pigs digestion system as fiber helps to maintain digestion properly.

Guinea pigs should be offered fiber rich guinea pig food to stay healthy constantly.

Sugar

Though the sugar content is low, for guinea pig strawberry is a sugary fruit and can be considered as too much sugar. Strawberry has about 5% of sugar inside strawberries and this could be considered as a downside of this sweet fruit.

Feeding too many strawberries would make it difficult to regulate blood sugar levels of your guinea pigs. So always feed guinea pigs carefully at least to cover half the sugar of guinea pigs daily need.

For humans 5% is not a big issue but for small rodents this could be a concern. So limit your serves according to professional instructions.

Acid

Strawberry can’t be considered as a citrus fruit. But there is a good amount of natural acid in strawberry. So when you feed strawberries to guinea pigs, remember that strawberry contains acid and also it contains folic acid. Serving too much acidic food to your pet can cause mouth sores and other various health conditions.

Calcium

Strawberries are rich in Calcium. High intakes of calcium could lead to illness such as kidney or bladder stones. So be careful if you offer strawberry with other high calcium snacks. Strictly monitor your high calcium food serves if you are planning to do so.

Other

Now we know that strawberry is rich in vitamin C, calcium and fiber. Strawberry also contains the perfect amounts of protein, iron, magnesium, potassium and other valuable minerals in it.

These nutrients are very important for guinea pig’s development and to maintain proper health.

This sweet fruit contains even antioxidants which is good for guinea pig’s overall health.

Health Benefits Of Nutrients Which Are Found In Strawberry

Contains phosphorous and calcium

Phosphorous and calcium are essential nutrients for teeth growth, bone development and other vital nervous system requirements. So these nutrients play a vital role in a diet.

Contains high amounts of water

Guinea pigs need water to function their bodies properly. Except for drinking they do receive fresh water through some foods. Water is important to body for activities such as nutrient absorbance, to maintain body weight, to remove waste and to regulate the body temperature.

Contains potassium

Though strawberries don’t contain much potassium as bananas they have more than enough to regulate guinea pigs blood pressure.

Contains antioxidants

Strawberries contain high amounts of antioxidants. These antioxidants help to decrease inflammation and get rid of free radicals in guinea pig body. They also remove toxic waste from your cavy’s body.

Contains Anthocyanin and Quercetin

Strawberry contains these two substances and they are good at lowering the cholesterol levels in guinea pigs. They also encourage better cardiovascular health and support guinea pigs to live on their best days.

Contains folic acid

Folic acid is very important to body in early stages and the later stages of life. In early stages folic acid helps for proper growth and later it helps to avoid vascular diseases.

Few Things To Consider When You Feed Strawberries

Due to high sugar content you should not feed a lot of strawberries at a time and you should be aware of how many strawberries you should serve.

Small bodies of guinea pigs tend to become overweight and get diabetes due to sugar in guinea pigs diet.

Extreme sugar intake could cause digestive diseases including diarrhea, vomiting and upset stomach and if you don’t pay enough attention these conditions could be fatal.

High calcium inclusion in strawberry could develop bladder stones and kidney stones. But if you limit serves you don’t need to worry about it.

If you don’t provide a balanced diet to your guinea pig its sensitive digestion system could be malfunctioned. So when you feed strawberries make sure you offer leafy vegetables and suitable guinea pig hay types so your cavy can have a perfectly balanced diet.

As strawberry contains some acid be aware of your serve otherwise when guinea pig eat more than enough, your pet would have mouth ulcers and other health problems.

Watch out for food allergies. If you suspect that your guinea pig is reacting to strawberry you should stop offering them. Try this method to find out. When you offer strawberry for the first time give them a small piece or two and see what you pet does.

If your cavy eats them and reacts strangely or inadequately that’s a sign of allergy. So you need to stop feeding further more. If your cavy does not react you can gradually increase the quantity of strawberries.

If your furry friend is taking any medicines especially beta-blocker medicines you should not feed strawberry to you cavy. Beta-blocker medicines could have an effect on your pet’s capability to process the potassium which found in strawberries.

If you notice any changes in your guinea pig’s behavior such as in sleeping patterns, activeness and elimination patterns after having a new food, in this case strawberries, do not hesitate to contact your veterinarian for assistance as quickly as possible.

How You Should Serve Strawberries To Your Guinea Pig?

If you are introducing strawberry for the first time you should not offer the entire strawberry at once. You need to do it slowly and gradually as you do with your other food introductions as guinea pigs enjoy new introductions.

Guinea pigs diet is interesting and as the owner you need to take care of it as it directly connects with guinea pig’s health.

Feeding strawberries would be interesting to watch if you have many as one guinea pig or few would love it instantly and others would make a gradual improvement.

First step would be choosing strawberries, always choose ripe and fresh strawberries to feed your guinea pig. Do not store strawberries in a freezer or in a refrigerator for few days before feeding as it can take away most of its nutritional value.

How Many Strawberries at a time?

As discussed earlier, strawberry can be sprayed with chemicals and pesticides to protect from insects and pests. So wash your selected strawberries thoroughly to remove any pesticide residue.

Incomplete cleaning can cause severe damages to your pet’s health so always give them an extra wash before you feed strawberries.

Then slice strawberries to tiny chunks so your pet can pick them. Make it comfortable to your guinea pig to try on so it would build up a sweet taste gradually.

Serving smaller pieces also avoids choking. You might think there is no need of cutting strawberries to small pieces but if you serve small pieces to your pig it would be more practical them to attract to strawberries.

Small pieces will help pigs to get use to strawberry’s odor than large pieces or the whole strawberry will. Avoid overfeeding in the first time and offer them only the suggested amount. Overfeeding any food will do more bad than good.

After few hours you feed guinea pigs, remove and uneaten or remaining pieces as the remaining could attract bacteria quickly and eating them later would cause unpleasant experiences to your pet and you.

If you notice that your guinea pigs love the sweet taste and desire for more you can feed guinea pigs strawberry occasionally but if your cavy is not interested you can try other fruits for a change.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is It Safe For Cavies To Eat Strawberries?

Absolutely it’s safe. You will get excited when you see your pig enjoys his sweet treat but remember to serve only the suggested quantity which is good for your guinea pigs health.

How Often Can My Guinea Pig Eat Strawberries?

I insist that you limit your serves for the betterment of your pig. Do not overfeed too much fruit or any food as anything excess will not do any good for your cavy. So the same rule applies here for strawberries as well.

You can serve strawberries once or twice a week as an occasional treat also one serve should not exceed a strawberry sliced into little pieces.

Can You Feed Strawberry Tops To Your Pet Guinea Pig?

Sometimes you might think that letting your guinea pigs to eat strawberry tops with the strawberry would add an extra advantage to your pet. But unfortunately that’s a bad practice.

Strawberry is related to rosaceae(rose) family. Like most of other family members, green area or you may call it strawberry top contains cyanide in small amounts which could be fatal to your guinea pig. So never encourage your guinea pigs to eat strawberry tops.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberry Leaves?

Yes you can feed strawberry plant leaves to your guinea pig and it will love it. Leaves would help with inflammation. Guinea pigs love to chew on things such as strawberry greens or leaves you may say and they will keep themselves busy and entertained throughout the day.

Are Strawberry Leaves Poisonous To Guinea Pigs?

No, strawberry leaves are not poisonous to guinea pigs and they will only benefit to guinea pigs in a healthy way. Strawberry leaves contain antioxidants and not many people are aware of the nutrition value of strawberry leaves.

Leaves help in treating health conditions such as vascular diseases and diarrhea. But as usual do not feed too much leaves and strawberry leaves or any other leaves are not a substitute to fresh hay which is one of the main items of guinea pig food list. Give your pig a balanced diet which includes guinea pig pellets, grass hay, leafy green etc.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberries With Seeds?

Yes, strawberry is one of the few fruit which you can serve with seeds and strawberry seeds are not harmful in anyway.

Strawberry seeds are located on the surface of the strawberry fruit – you’ll barely see them among the flesh. Strawberry seeds are very small and can be difficult to see without looking closely.

There are only few fruits and fresh vegetables you can serve with seeds.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Dried Strawberries?

No, Guinea pigs shouldn’t eat dried strawberries. Dried fruits are not as healthy as raw fresh fruits. Dried strawberries and other dried fruits usually contain high amount of sugar which is not a good ingredient for your cavy’s health.

Keep in mind that sometimes dried strawberry leaves mixed with other forage to make commercial guinea pig food. cavy strawberries should always be fresh.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberry Stems?

When you wonder thinking can guinea pigs eat strawberries you might wonder about strawberry stems as well. Yes you can offer strawberry stems to your guinea pig. As humans we remove them but your pets will love them if you feed stems. Sometimes guinea pigs would love stems even more than strawberries and there is no risk of feeding stems.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberry Plants?

The answer is a halfway yes, remember strawberry tops are not good for guinea pigs but all other parts of strawberry plant are edible and you can feed them to your guinea pigs. Strawberry tops can sicken guinea pigs so avoid feeding them.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberry Jam ?

No, you should not feed jam to your guinea pigs even guinea pigs can eat them. So far I suppose you already know that cooked or processed foods can’t be served to guinea pigs. In this case strawberry jam contains ingredients such as added sugar which you should avoid feeding to your guinea pigs.

If you introduce it guinea pigs would love to eat strawberry jam but it’s a very bad idea in terms of your guinea pigs’ health wise. Offering your guinea pig strawberries can be tricky in other methods than a fresh fruit.

These artificial ingredients could cause serious damage to your guinea pigs health. So avoid processed food and sugary food from guinea pig’s diet than fresh guinea pig strawberries.

Can Guinea Pigs Have Strawberry Juice?

Homemade strawberry juice or store bought – both options aren’t a good choice for your pig’s main source of hydration. Stick to water. Since fruit juices can contain high amounts of added sugars, which is not safe for your guinea pigs. They should not be offered strawberry juice.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Defrosted Strawberries ?

No, if you feed cold food or here it’s frozen strawberries to your pet your guinea pigs eat strawberry and then they will get diarrhea. So when your guinea pigs eat strawberry make sure not to offer frozen ones.

Frozen strawberries can lead to stomachaches so always avoid feeding cold or frozen strawberries. So always let guinea pigs eat fresh fruits and offer fresh fruit to guinea pig’s diet.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberries, Canned Strawberries?

Canning strawberries causes them to have a lot of sugars and preservatives. These are not good for your guinea pig, so you should keep these away from them.

Why Too Much Strawberries Bad For Guinea Pigs Teeth?

The main problem of too many strawberries is the high quantity of sugar they have. Even humans should not take sugar in high quantities. Consuming excess sugar can cause tooth decay in guinea pigs so as responsible guinea pig owners you should not overfeed your lovely guinea pigs health.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberries?