Most of us find bread yummy. In fact, you might have seen some people feeding bread to their dogs and cats too.
If you are a guinea pig owner, you might be wondering if you can serve bread to guinea pigs?
Here’s a simple answer – No, you should avoid feeding highly processed foods like bread to your guinea pigs. Bread contains a high amount of calories, carbohydrates, and fats that are bad for your cavies.
Instead, you should stick to natural foods like green leafy vegetables and fruits when it comes to your pets’ diet.
Now that you know it isn’t good to serve bread to guinea pigs, you might be thinking about what happens if a guinea pig eats bread? Let’s find out!
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What Happens If a Guinea Pig Eats Bread?
If you are worried your pet will die by eating bread, it’s not the case. Bread is unhealthy for guinea pigs but not toxic. Nonetheless, there are always risks involved in feeding bread to guinea pigs. In some situations, bread can get stuck in their mouths and can make them choke.
Besides, bread can cause some severe health issues in guinea pigs. Let’s see what health risks are involved in feeding bread to guinea pigs.
Risk In Feeding Guinea Pigs Bread
Below are some of the major health risks involved in feeding bread to guinea pigs.
Digestion Problems
It is difficult for guinea pigs to digest highly processed foods. Bread can affect their sensitive digestive systems causing stomach pain and diarrhea.
Obesity
Feeding bread to guinea pigs can make them gain weight as it is rich in calories, carbs, and fats. Keeping in mind the inactive lifestyle of guinea pigs, it’s essential to feed them foods that are low in calories and fats.
Bloating
Bread can cause bloating in guinea pigs due to its high fiber content. Bloating can make guinea pigs uneasy and can also cause gastric issues and loss of appetite.
Poor Growth
Bread lacks all the vital nutrients like vitamins and minerals that are important for guinea pigs. As a result, feeding bread to guinea pigs can lead to poor growth and development.
Now that you know the risks of feeding bread to guinea pigs, let’s look at the nutritional value of bread to be more careful.
Nutritional Value of Bread
Have a look at the chart below to see the nutritional value of 1 slice of whole wheat bread.
| Nutrition | Per Slice |
| Calories | 75 Kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 12 g |
| Dietary Fibre | 2.18 g |
| Sugar | 1.8 g |
| Fat | 1.2 g |
| Calcium | 29 mg |
| Vitamin C | Not present |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.07 mg |
| Vitamin E | 0.1 mg |
| Protein | 3.8 g |
| Water | 10g |
| Starch | 7.3 g |
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can Guinea Pigs Eat White Bread?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat white bread as it is made from wheat flour. Wheat flour, or any other flour for that matter, is unhealthy for guinea pigs.
Wheat bread also lacks nutrients required by guinea pigs for their good health. Moreover, it can make your guinea pigs choke by getting stuck in their mouths as it is soft.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Wheat Bread?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat wheat bread. Just like white bread, wheat bread is made with wheat flour. Feeding wheat bread to your pets can make them fat as it has high calories, starch, and fat.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Brown Bread?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat brown bread. Although brown bread is far better than white bread as it is made with whole wheat grains, it holds no nutritional benefits for guinea pigs.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Breadcrumbs?
No, don’t feed leftover breadcrumbs to your cavies. Bread in any form is bad for their health as it can cause serious health issues.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Banana Bread?
No, banana bread should strictly be avoided as it is sugary. The high sugar content of banana bread can cause diabetes and other health issues in guinea pigs.
Instead of banana bread, you can give a small piece of banana to your pets once or twice a month as a treat.
Unlike banana bread, feeding small amounts of banana is good for guinea pigs as it contains Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and other nutrients advisable for their better health.
As per Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue, human treats such as cookies, bread, chocolates shouldn’t be given to guinea pigs.
Take Note: Avoid giving any sugary treats to your guinea pigs, including sweet bread, chocolates, biscuits, brownie, and cinnamon rolls.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Bread Crust?
No, don’t feed bread crust to your guinea pigs. Although bread crusts won’t stick in their mouths or cause choking, they won’t benefit them either.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Garlic Bread?
No, you shouldn’t give garlic bread to guinea pigs. Garlic is dangerous for guinea pigs if given in raw form or any other form.
Garlic bread is also spicy in taste as it is topped with herbs like oregano. You should avoid feeding spicy and salty foods to guinea pigs.
Besides, butter or olive oil used in garlic bread can increase the cholesterol levels in guinea pigs, making them sick. Therefore, you should not serve them garlic bread.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Cornbread?
No, you shouldn’t serve cornbread to guinea pigs. Cornbread is rich in carbs as it is made with cornmeal and frozen corn. Feeding cornbread can, therefore, increase blood sugar levels in guinea pigs.
If you want, you can serve raw corn to your pets in moderation (once a week) as a treat. But cornbread is something to be avoided.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Pita Bread?
No, avoid giving pita bread to guinea pigs. Pita bread can make your cavies fat. Besides, it can also cause bladder stones in guinea pigs due to its high calcium content.
You should also be careful while feeding pita bread to guinea pigs as sometimes milk or yogurt might be used to make the dough of pita bread. Since guinea pigs are lactose intolerant, they shouldn’t be given dairy products at any cost.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Zucchini Bread?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat zucchini bread. Zucchini bread has high amounts of calories, fats, and carbohydrates that are bad for your pet.
Moreover, anything baked or cooked shouldn’t be served to guinea pigs.
It’s also important to note that zucchini bread is sweet in taste. It doesn’t only contain added sugar, but also choco chips, nuts, and dried fruits.
All these ingredients are bad for a guinea pig’s health as they can cause obesity and diabetes in guinea pigs.
Nonetheless, you can feed raw zucchini to guinea pigs in moderation.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Sandwiches?
No, you cannot feed sandwiches to guinea pigs. Bread should be avoided in all forms, whether raw, grilled, toasted, baked.
Moreover, other than bread, sandwiches have cheese, mayo, different kinds of sauces, and meat slices that again cannot be eaten by guinea pigs.
Always remember, guinea pigs cannot eat dairy or animal products. As per the research published on Science Direct, it has been revealed that guinea pigs are allergic to milk.
Considering their sensitive digestive system, you should give only plant-based foods to guinea pigs.
Final Thoughts
This article shows that bread is unhealthy for guinea pigs because it has high calories, fats, and carbohydrates.
Feeding highly processed foods to your pets can result in serious health issues like obesity, bladder stones, and poor growth.
Therefore, you should avoid serving any variety of bread to guinea pigs.
Their primary diet should mainly consist of timothy hay, with green leafy vegetables and fruits in moderation.
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