Can Guinea Pigs Eat Mint?

mint

Guinea pigs love herbs, and mint is a safe herb for them to eat, but how often should they have it and in what quantities?

How much vitamin C does mint contain?

It’s important your guinea pig has plenty of vitamin C in their diet and mint has more vitamin C than cilantro and basil with nearly 32mg per 100g.

guinea pig fruit and veg sheets pdf
Safe Fruit & Veg Guide – Available to buy, download and print in blue or pink

But this fragrant herb has nowhere near the quantities that parsley, thyme and dill contain. In fact, thyme has 5 times as much vitamin C as mint.

However, mint does contain an awful lot more vitamin C than some of the vegetables that are popular with guinea pigs such as lettuce, cucumber, celery and carrot.

How much calcium is in mint?

Mint is extremely high in calcium and this maybe a concern to many guinea pig owners as there is a lot of talk about calcium and bladder stones. 

Mint has 243mg per 100g of calcium which isn’t as much as thyme but more than dill, basil, parsley and cilantro.

Although you might be inclined not to feed mint to your guinea pigs because of the high calcium content, do bear in mind that guinea pigs need calcium in their diet.

How much sugar is in mint?

Herbs, including mint, are extremely low in sugar compared to most fruit and vegetables which is a real positive as feeding them too many fresh foods that are high in sugar can cause diarrhea and other problems.

Is mint high in fiber?

Fiber is extremely important for a guinea pig’s digestive system and mint is very high in fiber with 8g per 100g. This is twice as much as kale!

What parts of the mint plant can guinea pigs eat?

Guinea pigs can eat both the leaves and the stems of the mint. They can also eat both peppermint and spearmint..

Growing mint for your guinea pigs at home

Mint is one of those herbs that is really easy to grow either in your backyard or on your windowsill. It is readily available to buy in pots at supermarkets or gardening stores.

Having a few pots of herbs is really handy and can save you a lot of money as buying the cut herbs for your guinea pigs from the supermarket can be a little expensive.

How often should guinea pigs eat mint and how much?

Despite its high calcium content, mint has a good amount of vitamin C and is high in fiber so is a good food to include in your guinea pigs diet.

Most guinea pigs really love this herb and you can feed mint a couple of times a week but make sure you don’t feed too much. A  cup of mixed fresh veggies and herbs (a little fruit too occasionally) each day is a good amount. 

Feeding just one or two vegetables regularly and excessively may cause deficiencies or encourage health issues so always feed them with as much variety as possible.

Nutritional information for mint

Below is the nutritional value per 100g of mint

  • Vitamin C: 31.8 mg
  • Calcium: 243 mg
  • Phosphorous: 73 mg
  • Fiber: 8 g
  • Sugar: 0 g