Can Guinea Pigs Eat Bananas?

Banana and banana skin (if organic) can be fed to guinea pigs as a rare treat in a very small bite sized chunk but the main part of your guinea pig’s fresh food portion should be leafy vegetables and herbs.

Are bananas good for guinea pigs?

Bananas are very high in sugar, and with around 12% sugar, they are one of the most sugary fruits. Although they are not quite as high in sugar as grapes, they do have more than twice the amount as strawberries.

Too many sweet foods can cause diarrhea in your guinea pigs, so fruits, especially bananas and grapes need to be fed very sparingly to your piggies.

Although bananas are high in sugar, these sweet fruits do have healthy nutrients in them too, so given in strict moderation they are a good food for your guinea pigs.

How much Vitamin C is in bananas?

Bananas have more vitamin C than carrots but our piggies can get a lot more of this vitamin from parsley, kale and dill as well as many other fruits and vegetables.

Do bananas have plenty of fiber?

Bananas are high in fiber with about the same amount that you’ll find in broccoli. This is great news as fiber is an extremely important part of a guinea pig’s diet.

Can guinea pigs eat banana peel?

We are so used to discarding our banana peel that you may not even have thought of feeding this part of the fruit to your guinea pig. 

In fact, the skin is very rich in nutrients and guinea pigs can eat the banana skin as well as the fruit. But you should buy organic bananas if you’re going to give the skin to them as large amounts of harmful pesticides are used by banana farmers. 

We always recommend washing all fruit and vegetables before giving them to your guinea pigs so even with organic you should wash them first.

Although guinea pigs can eat banana peel, it wouldn’t be good to give them the skin of a whole banana. Cut a small slice of banana for each piggy with the skin on and that is plenty as a treat now and again.

Do guinea pigs like bananas and banana peel?

As with any fruit or vegetable, some guinea pigs will love it and others won’t want to touch it. Most of our guinea pigs seem to enjoy the banana as well as the banana skin. 

Can guinea pigs eat banana chips?

Bananas are already high in sugar but banana chips usually have added  sugar which means these should never be fed to your guinea pigs. Any food with added sugar is bad for your piggies and should be avoided.

Banana chips also have added oils and may even have additional artificial flavorings, both of which are not good for your guinea pigs. So don’t feed your guinea pigs banana chips or dried banana but stick to the fresh fruit.

Nutritional information for bananas

Below is the nutritional value per 100g of banana (not including the skins)

• Vitamin C: 8.7 mg
• Calcium: 5 mg
• Phosphorous: 22 mg
• Fiber: 2.6 g
• Sugar: 12g