Guinea pigs are herbivores and require fresh vegetables in their diet, changing up their meals frequently so they get an assortment of vitamins.
An ample portion of their veggies should consist of leafy greens such as kale, spinach and romaine lettuce. Furthermore, carrots should also be included alongside some fruit with high vitamin C levels.
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Carrots
Carrots are an essential vegetable for the health of your cavy. Packed full of fiber that aids weight reduction by increasing satiety levels, they’re 85-90% water content keeps your pet hydrated, plus carrots provide vital vitamins such as Vitamin B6 to convert food to energy production while playing an integral part in eye health and preventing macular degeneration.
However, it is essential to exercise caution when feeding carrots to guinea pigs, as they contain large quantities of natural sugar that could prove hazardous to their health. Too much sugar could contribute to obesity and diabetes – therefore it’s recommended feeding your pet carrots only occasionally with other low-sugar veggies like leafy greens; also make sure you thoroughly wash your carrots as these could contain pesticides and should always be thoroughly washed beforehand!
Zucchini
Zucchini is one of guinea pig’s favorite vegetables. As with other green vegetables, zucchini provides your pet with important vitamins and minerals – from Vitamin C which boosts immunity, to A, B6, potassium, magnesium as well as being an ideal low-calorie source of fiber and blood sugar lowering properties; plus its abundance of lutein, zeaxanthin, and carotenoids which protect its eyes and skin from damage.
Your guinea pig should receive zucchini three to four times weekly in bite-sized slices, so they are easier for their mouths. While leaving the peel on may be OK if your guinea pig doesn’t mind it, removing it is better as it could contain pesticides or chemicals harmful for its health – which is why all vegetables and fruits must be washed thoroughly before giving them to their pet guinea pig.
Celery
Celery makes an enjoyable snack for guinea pigs, providing many of the same nutrients found in other leafy vegetables such as Vitamin A, dietary fiber, calcium and potassium. In addition, celery contains an anti-inflammatory compound known as apigenin which may help these adorable little animals.
Like most vegetables, spinach should only be fed in moderation to your guinea pigs. Due to its high concentration of oxalates – which may lead to kidney and bladder stones in some guineas – and high water content (95% or so), only three times weekly should it be served up to your pet.
Guinea Pig parents can feed the leaves to their pet as well; however, long strings that could pose choking hazards must be chopped into a salad along with other greens such as romaine lettuce, kale cabbage or arugula to ensure pesticide-free consumption. It is important that any contaminants such as pesticides be washed thoroughly from leaves consumed before consumption.
Lettuce
Guinea Pigs can enjoy eating leafy greens like lettuce in moderation; 10-15% of their daily diet should include this food item. Too much lettuce could lead to dehydration and diarrhea if too much of their nutritional needs come from this source; especially true if Iceberg lettuce (which has less nutrients) is fed regularly.
Before feeding leafy vegetables to a guinea pig, it is extremely important that they be properly cleaned as some commercial farms may use pesticides or fertilizers containing pesticides that could pose serious health problems including intestinal blockage. An ideal replacement for iceberg lettuce are dark leafy greens such as rocket, dandelion greens, chard or silver beet, which contain high levels of vitamin C which helps prevent scurvy while strengthening immunity systems.