For those who love strawberries, sharing them with your guinea pig might be a tad difficult. But rest assured your guinea pig will share your sweet tooth for strawberries and will happily munch away. But you may be wondering if guinea pigs can eat strawberries safely?
Guinea pigs can eat strawberries without too much problem in most cases. Wash the strawberries completely before feeding them to your guinea pig, to remove any harmful pesticides that may have been used. Cut or slice one strawberry into small pieces to prevent the possibility that your guinea pig will choke while eating it.
If possible, it’s always better to buy organically grown strawberries and other fruits and vegetables directly from a farmer’s market to prevent harm to your guinea pig from chemical fertilizers or pesticides. If you can’t buy strawberries from a local farmer’s market, consider growing your own strawberries in your back yard.
Strawberries can be grown in pots or hanging baskets outside or even indoors. Strawberries grow best in a sunny spot. If you want to get creative, you can even grow a strawberry fountain, by planting your strawberries in several different sized pots stacked from largest to smallest. If you choose to grow your own strawberries to have on hand as treats for your guinea pigs, make sure to use only natural fertilizers and pesticides.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Leaves of Strawberries?
Guinea pigs can eat the green strawberry leaves or stems without any issues and in fact some guinea pigs may even like strawberry leaves better than the berry itself. Just a couple of strawberry leaves at a time are sufficient and can even help your guinea pig digest the berry if they do decide to give it a go.
Can Eating Strawberries Make Guinea Pigs Sick?
Like anything else, you need to offer strawberries to your guinea pigs in moderation. It’s best to let your guinea pigs eat strawberries no more than once a week as a treat. The danger with strawberries of course, is that they are high in sugar. Foods that are high in sugar can cause digestive problems for your guinea pigs and give them diarrhea. The other downside to strawberries which can occur when you feed guinea pigs strawberries too often is that it can make their lips sore because they are an acidic fruit.
Always remove any fruit from your guinea pig’s cage that hasn’t been eaten within an hour or two. Never feed your guinea pigs strawberries or other food that has started to wilt or mold as this can cause problems for your pet.
Guinea pigs have their own unique personalities which you will realize as you get to know your pet. Keep in mind though the digestive system of every guinea pig is a little bit different just like people. Guinea pigs can also have allergies to certain foods that another guinea pig doesn’t have. If you feed your guinea pig strawberries and they act strangely, stop eating, or show any other odd behaviors, consult your vet immediately for advice and possible treatment options.