As important as it is for you to give them the best food to eat, it is also crucial to be wary of what you are feeding your pets.
Generally, guinea pigs have much more sensitive stomachs and digestive systems as compared to other members of the rodent family as I told you before.
Despite their omnivorous roots, guinea pigs cannot consume every vegetable or plant. However, are potatoes an exception? Let’s find out.
Is It Safe to Feed Potatoes to Your Guinea Pig?
Yes and No. Potatoes contain toxins that could be detrimental to the health of your pet guinea. In fact, they could also be deemed poisonous for the guinea’s sensitive tummy. Although potatoes are considered a healthy food for humans.
But they add zero nutritional value when added to the diet of guinea pigs so there is absolutely no point in feeding these to them.
Additionally, even though potatoes should be kept far away from your guinea’s food bowl, you can still add sweet potatoes or yam to their diets.
However, these should always be given in moderation, since too much can be harmful to the health of your guinea. Too much of the wrong food is bound to cause diarrhea or other detrimental health problems for your little ball of fur.
The reason why you must always be careful about your guineas diet is: they are normally interactive and active animals and love to chew and graze on their food throughout the day.
Therefore, your guinea will not know that they are not supposed to consume a certain food item that you present to them. They might even be quick to gobble it up before you even know it.
So, it is always a better idea to stick to a strict diet plan for your guinea and to ensure that you are feeding them fresh and clean vegetables and leafy greens.
You should also avoid potato flavored items
Many people have made the common mistake of feeding their pet guineas some potato flavored chips, or similar items. This is highly dangerous for your guinea pig and can cause them a lot of harm. It is always advisable to never experiment with the diet of your guineas since their sensitive metabolisms can react in adverse ways, causing great damage to your guinea.
Additionally, always make sure that if you buy some treats for your pet, you should always go through and read the entire list of ingredients that they contain. If you see any items that are considered unsafe or harmful for your guinea, then the best option would be to refrain from buying such treats.
Can they eat potato shavings or peelings?
No. You might think that the peelings or sprouts of the potato plant would still be safe for your guinea pig to eat, even if you are not feeding them the entire vegetable. However, these are also hazardous for your pet pig and should not be given to them.
Anything to do with the potato plant should be kept as far away from your guinea pig as possible. Potato plants, potato sprouts or potato shavings will all cause damage to your guinea pig and might even poison them. Thus, it is always better to be safe than sorry.
How much sweet potato is too much for your guinea?
As mentioned before, sweet potatoes and yam are still safe for your pet pig. However, you should always keep a close eye on how much you end up feeding them. It is completely fine if you opt to feed your pet a little sweet potato every now and then, or as a treat at times, but they should not be added to their regular meal plans or diet.
These adorable cavies need a diet that is rich in vitamins A and C but should only consume foods that are low in calcium, fat, phosphorous, starch, sugar and oxalate acid like spinach and lettuce.
Sweet potatoes are a food that has high amounts of starch and oxalate acids, but because they have low phosphorous and fat, they are still safe for your guinea pig – as long as you are not feeding these regularly to them.
What other foods are unsafe for guinea pigs?
You think that due to the herbivorous or omnivorous nature of your pet, it would be safe to feed them all kinds of vegetables and fruits. However, this is not the case. Several different foods are simply harmful to your guinea, and should not be fed to them in any case. These include:
- Iceberg Lettuce
- Apple Seeds
- Citrus Fruits
- Pear Seeds
- Bindweed
- Snacks meant for Humans
- Chocolate
- Any Dairy Produce
- Celandine
- Buttercups
- Cereal
- Grain
- Flowering Plants
- Meat
- Foxgloves
- Houseplants
- Nuts
Many other types of foods are poisonous to the health of your guinea pig, but the ones mentioned have high-risk factors. So, these should not be fed to them under any circumstances.
Overall, the bottom line is that potatoes should be kept far away from your civvies food bowl under any circumstances.
Additionally, routine check-ups to the vet should always be a priority since their teeth never stop growing and might cause complications. An adequate amount of fresh hay, straw and grass should always be kept in your little friend’s cage.
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Lydia King is a huge animal lover and has always been fascinated with learning about the animal kingdom. She enjoys writing about anything animal related from scientific information about rare species to animal references in pop culture.
