Peanut butter is a tasty and healthy treat for human beings. We love eating peanut butter sandwiches and cookies.
Since we love eating peanut butter, you might be wondering if guinea pigs can eat peanut butter?
The answer is a big NO. No matter how good peanut butter tastes, it is not healthy for guinea pigs.
Since peanut butter is rich in salt, fats, sugar, carbohydrates, and calories, it can make your pet gain weight.
Apart from weight gain, feeding peanut butter to guinea pigs can result in many health risks, including indigestion, breathing issues, and choking.
But what if your guinea pig accidentally eats peanuts? What is going to happen?
Let’s find out in the next section!
Table of Contents
What Happens If Guinea Pigs Eat Peanuts?
Feeding peanuts to guinea pigs can result in choking as the teeth of guinea pigs are not designed to chew nuts but hay and leafy veggies.
Some guinea pigs may also develop allergic reactions like sneezing and breathing problems because of guinea pigs.
The shape and size of peanuts are not suitable for guinea pigs. Peanuts can get stuck in your cavy’s throat and can cause choking.
Moreover, peanuts are high in calories and fats, and they can make your pet obese.
It is therefore recommended not to feed nuts to guinea pigs.
Moreover, peanuts can also cause digestive issues in cavies. It is because their digestive system is not fit for digesting food rich in fats and carbs.
Take Note: If you love eating peanuts or any other kinds of nuts, ensure that you keep them away from the reach of your pets. Also, do not leave any spilled nuts on floors as your pets may eat them accidentally.
READ OUR FULL GUIDE: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Peanut?
Peanut Butter Nutritional Value
It’s important to know the nutritional value of peanut butter or any other food you decide to serve to your pets.
Therefore, below is the nutritional value of 2 tablespoons (32g) of peanut butter for your reference.
| Nutrients | Per 32g |
| Calories | 190 Kcal |
| Fat | 16g |
| Sodium | 140mg |
| Fiber | 2g |
| Sugar | 3g |
| Carbohydrates | 8g |
| Protein | 7g |
Risk to Consider When Feeding Peanut Butter to Guinea Pigs
When it comes to feeding peanut butter to guinea pigs, consider the following health risks.
Weight Gain
Peanut butter can make your guinea pig gain weight because it is rich in fats, calories, carbs, and sugar. Guinea pigs already have a pretty inactive lifestyle, and weight gain can make them lazier.
Therefore, you should avoid feeding any food rich in calories to your pets.
Indigestion
A guinea pig’s digestive system is very sensitive. It is unable to digest highly processed food and fats. Feeding peanut butter to guinea pigs, therefore, can cause indigestion in guinea pigs.
Indigestion can be accompanied by stomach pain, diarrhea, or result in difficulty in bowel movement.
High Cholesterol
Feeding peanut butter can result in high cholesterol levels in guinea pigs. This is because peanut butter is rich in fats.
High cholesterol can further make your cavy gain weight and develop heart-related issues.
Bladder Stones
Peanut butter is also rich in calcium which is a major cause of bladder stones.
Feeding large amounts of calcium to your pets can result in the formation of painful bladder stones and other urinary issues in guinea pigs.
Diabetes
As discussed earlier, peanut butter has a sweet taste. It is due to the presence of sugar in peanut butter. Feeding sweet things to your pets can cause diabetes in them.
As per Net Vet, diabetes is common in overweight guinea pigs, and serving peanut butter can make your guinea pig fat and diabetic.
Scurvy
The deficiency of Vitamin C can cause scurvy in guinea pigs.
Since guinea pigs are unable to produce their own Vitamin C, it’s recommended to feed food rich in Vitamin C to guinea pigs.
However, the lack of Vitamin C in peanut butter can result in scurvy in guinea pigs.
Choking
Peanut butter has a sticky and smooth texture. It can stick in your pet’s throat and result in choking. Choking can suffocate your pet to death by causing problems in breathing.
Now that you know the health risks of feeding peanut butter to guinea pigs, it’s important to know what you should do if your pet accidentally eats peanut butter.
Let’s find out!
What to Do If Your Guinea Pig Accidentally Eats Peanut Butter?
You should know that peanut butter is not toxic for guinea pigs but unhealthy. However, peanut butter can get stuck to your pet’s throat and cause choking.
Therefore, you should consider the following steps if your pet accidentally eats peanut butter.
Visit a Vet
In case the peanut butter sticks to your pet’s throat, you need to visit a vet immediately.
A guinea pig might cough or find difficulty in breathing if peanut butter gets stuck in its throat. It’s a sign that you need to visit a vet without any delay.
If there is no nearby vet service, pat your guinea pig’s back gently. You can also try cleaning your pet’s mouth with a cloth.
To know more about the signs of choking in guinea pigs and giving a suitable remedy, you might visit animallova.com.
To avoid future accidents, follow the below steps:
Research
Don’t feed anything to your guinea pig without proper research.
It’s always better to have a sound knowledge of each and every food, in terms of its nutritional value and possible health risks, that you decide to serve to your pet.
In case you can’t find any reliable source, consult a vet regarding the same.
Keep Unhealthy Food Away
To avoid the same accident from happening again, keep peanut butter and other unhealthy food away from the reach of your pet.
Also, give up on the habit of feeding the food you like to your pet.
Guinea pigs have different food requirements than humans, and you should always keep this thing in mind.
What Are Other Healthy Alternatives to Peanut Butter in a Guinea Pig’s Diet?
Apart from timothy hay, you can consider feeding the below-mentioned fruits and vegetables to guinea pigs in moderation as healthy alternatives to peanut butter.
Have a look at the following table:
| Broccoli | Kale | Corn | Cucumber |
| Tomato | Cabbage | Cauliflower | Pear |
| Kiwi | Apple | Papaya | Orange |
| Cherries | Banana | Dandelions | Spinach |
| Blueberries | Apricots | Plums | Melon |
FAQ:
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Peanut Butter Jelly?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat peanut butter jelly. Peanut butter jelly is made from peanut butter, and jelly spread containing fruits added preservatives, and sugar.
Any processed and sweetened food is bad for a guinea pig’s health. Therefore, it’s not recommended to feed peanut butter jelly to guinea pigs.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Peanut Butter Powder?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat peanut butter powder. Peanut butter powder is nothing but powder made from roasted peanuts.
You should not give any types of nuts to your guinea pigs in any form, whether roasted or powdered.
Moreover, guinea pigs should be given food that can be chewed, which isn’t the case with peanut butter powder.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Peanut Butter Ice Cream?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat peanut butter ice cream. Peanut butter ice cream has no health benefits for guinea pigs. Besides, it is rich in fats, sugar, and calories.
It can make your pet fat and sick. Therefore, it’s not advisable to feed any kind of ice cream, including peanut butter ice cream, to guinea pigs.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Peanut Butter Shells?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat peanut butter shells.
Peanut butter shells come in a variety of forms, including chocolate peanut butter shells and ice cream peanut butter shells.
As discussed earlier, guinea pigs should not be given sweet items like peanut butter, ice creams, chocolates, etc.
Processed food has no nutritional benefit for guinea pigs. Feeding even small amounts of food like peanut butter shells can make your cavy ill.
Therefore, you should avoid it at all costs.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Peanut Butter Chips?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat peanut butter chips. Chips, burgers, pizzas, and other junk food should not be given to guinea pigs as they are unhealthy.
Moreover, peanut butter chips are twice risky for guinea pigs as they contain peanut butter.
Final Thoughts
In this article, we have discussed that peanut butter is unhealthy for guinea pigs because it has no nutritional benefits for them.
Peanut butter is made from peanuts and contains sugar, salt, and added preservatives that make it rich in fats, carbohydrates, and calories.
Feeding peanut butter can not only make your cavy fat but can cause many health issues, including indigestion, stomach pain, and diabetes.
If you are unsure about feeding peanut butter to guinea pigs, this article is a great place to clear all your doubts.
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