Mamata What does Guinea Pigs eat? In their natural habitat, in Central and South America, guinea pigs eat all sorts of fruits and vegetables. Yes, even small amounts of orange are certainly a tasty and safe treat for mature guinea pigs to consume. Oranges are also a good source of Vitamin C and fiber, both of which are essential components of a complete guinea pig diet. But it’s important to identify the symptoms that a young guinea pig is excessively consuming too much of orange juice. To help you, here are some common guinea pig eating habits and the best way to tell if your pet pig is suffering from an orange overdose.
As always, it’s not a good idea to give your guinea pig’s citrus seed or orange peels directly. When given citrus peels by mistake, the pig will choke on the orange seeds which can be quite toxic. So always make sure that you are serving them fresh fruit or vegetable juice and not citrus peels.
Another thing to watch out for is excessive consumption of sugary fruit or vegetable juices. While sugar is a natural element, excessive amounts can cause diarrhea and weight gain in animals (and humans too!). However, a good rule of thumb is never feed sugar to your pigs. This will prevent them from developing dental problems and keep their diets low in sugar.
It’s true that guinea pigs do enjoy the taste of sweet fruits like watermelon, pineapple and strawberries. But they need calcium and vitamin D along with their sugar-rich fruits and vegetables to grow healthy. And so it’s best to serve them lots of calcium-rich green vegetables like broccoli, spinach and dandelion root along with a few pieces of orange juice.
Another food that can cause gastrointestinal problems in pigs is fruit that contains a lot of sugar. Cabbages and melons are prime examples of this. Since pigs have a very sensitive intestinal system, they can easily get affected by indigestion if they are constantly fed sweet fruit juice. Again, try to provide them with enough fiber so that they don’t suffer from indigestion.
The last thing you should avoid feeding your Guinea pigs is commercial pellets or hay. These can contain a lot of preservatives that can build up in the system over time. In addition, the high sugar content of these feeds can cause dental problems for your pigs. As a result, try to provide them with hay or alfalfa instead. Alfalfa hay or alfalfa pellets can provide them with essential minerals like vitamin c, manganese, niacin and phosphorus.
