Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberries?
Strawberries, both wild and garden varieties, are a safe fruit to give your guinea pigs. But, as with all fruit, strawberries do contain a fair amount of sugar, around 5%. So although it is okay to feed strawberries to a guinea pig, you should be careful how much and how often they are allowed to have them.
Let’s take a look at how much of the strawberry and the strawberry plant a guinea pig can eat, how often this fruit should be included in their diet, and how good they really are for your guinea pigs.
- Can guinea pigs eat strawberry tops?
- Can guinea pigs eat strawberry plant leaves?
- Can guinea pigs eat strawberry stems?
- Can guinea pigs eat strawberry seeds?
- Do guinea pigs like strawberries?
- How often can guinea pigs eat strawberries?
- How many strawberries can a guinea pig eat?
- Can guinea pigs eat whole strawberries?
- Can baby guinea pigs eat strawberries?
- Are strawberries good for guinea pigs?
- Can guinea pigs eat frozen or canned strawberries?
- Nutritional value in strawberries
Can guinea pigs eat strawberry tops?
Unlike the top of a tomato, which is toxic to guinea pigs, the strawberry top is edible, and your guinea pigs can safely eat these. The green leafy top of a strawberry may even be better for your small pets than the strawberry itself, as it won’t have the high sugar content and is packed with antioxidants.
When feeding a strawberry to your piggy, leave the top on and see if they like it. Most guinea pigs do enjoy the strawberry greens.
If you are preparing strawberries for yourself or your family, don’t waste the tops of your strawberries, but add them to your guinea pig’s daily fresh food portion.
Can guinea pigs eat strawberry plant leaves?
By strawberry leaves, we mean the leaves that grow on the actual plant rather than the greens at the top of the strawberry. In fact guinea pigs can eat the strawberry leaves too.
You’ll find some of the ready made forage mixes for guinea pigs, such as the , contain dried strawberry leaves mixed in with other dried forage.
Can guinea pigs eat strawberry stems?
As with the strawberry tops and leaves, the green strawberry stems are also safe for your guinea pigs to eat.
Can guinea pigs eat strawberry seeds?
Strawberry seeds are found on the surface of the strawberry, slightly embedded into the fruit. They are tiny and perfectly safe for guinea pigs to eat.
Although we don’t recommend buying a packet of strawberry seeds to feed to your guinea pig, the seeds within a fresh strawberry are a highly nutritious part of the fruit which your guinea pigs can enjoy.
Do guinea pigs like strawberries?
In our poll, we asked guinea pig owners if their guinea pigs liked strawberries. 69% said yes and 31% said no. So most guinea pigs, about two thirds, like strawberries, but a third don’t. Even if your guinea pigs don’t like the strawberry itself, they may like the tops of the fruit, so it’s worth offering them the leafy part to see what they think.
How often can guinea pigs eat strawberries?
Like all fruit, we only recommend giving strawberries to your guinea pigs a couple of times a week. Although strawberry is lower in sugar than many other fruits, it still has high levels of sugar compared to most vegetables.
How many strawberries can a guinea pig eat?
Too much fruit can cause diarrhoea in a guinea pig, so never fill a bowl with strawberries for your small pets. A small piece – a very small mouthful sized piece for a human, is enough for your guinea pig.
Can guinea pigs eat whole strawberries?
Guinea pigs can eat a whole strawberry if it is a very small baby fruit. Strawberries come in many sizes, and some can be quite large. A quarter of a large strawberry is often plenty depending on how big it is.
Can baby guinea pigs eat strawberries?
Baby guinea pigs can eat strawberries but, just a very small bite sized amount for them is enough. It’s best for them to get their nutrition from good fresh, green leafy veggies.
Are strawberries good for guinea pigs?
Strawberries are good for guinea pigs in moderation. They are one of the better fruits to give a guinea pig as they are much lower in sugar than most other fruits.
In fact, strawberries have half the amount of sugar as you’d find in blueberries, a third of the amount in grapes, and roughly the same amount of sugar as carrots.
With vitamin C being one of the most important nutrients for guinea pigs, we should look at how much of this vitamin is in a strawberry. A surprising fact is that strawberries have about six times as much vitamin C as blueberries and about 18 times more vitamin C than grapes!
Can guinea pigs eat frozen or canned strawberries?
Guinea pigs should only eat fresh strawberries or dried strawberries that are 100% natural with no sugars or artificial additives. Frozen or tinned strawberries are not a suitable food for guinea pigs.
Nutritional information for strawberries
Below is the nutritional value per 100g of strawberries
- Vitamin C: 58.8 mg
- Calcium: 16 mg
- Phosphorous: 24 mg
- Fiber: 2 g
- Sugar: 4.9 g