Crispy, salty, deep-fried potatoes, commonly known as French fries, are perfect snacks at any time of the day.
Understandably, your cavies will set their eyes on you while eating these fries. And as a pet owner, you might be considering serving these pets fried potatoes soon.
This sounds like a great plan, but can guinea pigs eat french fries?
The simple answer is NO, guinea pigs should not be served French fries. Naturally, these cavies can only digest raw fruits, hay, and vegetables.
But since the fries have been processed, as a result of frying, it has become unsafe for your cavies.
Feeding them these diets will only cause digestive problems and other health problems.
Understand that too many French fries in the human diet are unhealthy, not to mention guinea pigs. Therefore, do not allow your pets to have even a small piece of the snacks.
Come to think of it, what happens if guinea pigs eat French fries?
Just keep on reading to gain a better understanding of your guinea pigs and French fries’ diet.
What Happens If Guinea Pigs Eat French Fries?
There’s a high chance that your guinea pigs will develop a serious illness after eating French fries.
Their stomach will not be able to handle the snacks and this may result in serious health complications.
We will discuss these health problems later in this article.
As you possibly know, guinea pigs are herbivores – they feed mostly on plants. Any other diet will expose them to the risk of digestive problems.
Although when prepared perfectly, French fries have a very delicious taste. Regardless, they are not good for our cavies’ general health.
During its preparation, seasonings are commonly added to potatoes before they are fried in oil. When ready, these fries will not only be salty, but they’ll contain fat.
Allowing your guinea pigs to eat salty and fatty diets can result in diarrhea and other stomach problems.
Risk To Consider In Feeding Guinea Pigs French Fries
I’m sure you now understand that feeding your guinea pigs French fries is not advisable. Trust me, watching your cavies go through pain because of what they ate is not a pleasant sight.
That’s why you shouldn’t leave anything to chance as regards your tiny pets’ diet.
With that said, here are the risks of feeding guinea pigs French fries:
Sudden Weight Gain
Fat is one of the nutrients in French fries. When eaten once in a while, fat doesn’t cause sudden weight gain.
However, if your cavies eat fatty diets all the time, they’ll gain excess weight.
Too much weight in guinea pigs can prevent these pets from playing and moving around their cages. Over time, this can result in mental stress and boredom in your cavies.
Heart Problems
There are usually lots of calories in French fries. Constantly feeding guinea pigs diets with high calories can cause heart problems.
Moreover, excess calories and fat can increase their blood pressure levels over a short time.
In addition, these nutrients can affect the normal functioning of the blood in guinea pigs.
Stomach-related Problems
Majorly, French fries contain sugar, salt, seasonings, and oil. Guinea pigs can hardly digest all these ingredients because of their digestive system.
Feeding these tiny pets French fries will cause indigestion. This will then lead to diarrhea, vomiting, and general body weakness.
That’s because these diets are like toxins that their bodies cannot handle. Vomiting and diarrhea are ways the body gets rid of things that can cause harm.
Bladder and Kidney Stones
Calcium is also found in French fries. When in small amounts, calcium helps to build strong bones and teeth.
But when in excess, calcium can cause bladder and kidney stones in guinea pigs.
Also, it can lead to kidney failure if care is not taken.
Common symptoms of kidney and bladder stones in cavies are painful urination, bloody urine, and difficulty in urination.
Therefore, reduce or completely avoid serving your guinea pigs diets with too much calcium. Too much sodium is also not healthy for your guinea pigs.
What To Do If Your Guinea Pigs Accidentally Eat French Fries
Well, the right thing to do is to visit the vet for immediate medical attention. However, the number of French fries your guinea pigs have eaten matters in this situation.
For example, if your cavy accidentally eats one tiny piece of French fry, there might not be a problem.
But if your guinea pigs eat a large plate of French fries, then there will be a serious problem.
So, it is advisable to seek professional help immediately before the situation gets worse.
Keep in mind that guinea pigs eat a lot when given the chance. As a pet owner, you should be careful about where and how you keep your food.
Taking this important decision will prevent your pets from eating diets that are unhealthy for them.
Nutritional Value Of French Fries
Let’s take a look at the nutritional value of French fries and see why it’s not ideal to feed them on guinea pigs.
Below are the major nutrients in 100g French fries:
| Vitamin C | 9.7mg |
| Sodium | 141 mg |
| Thiamin | 0.073mg |
| Niacin | 1.215mg |
| Energy | 196kcal |
| Fat | 13.1g |
| Protein | 1.93g |
| Calcium | 9mg |
| Dietary fiber | 1.6g |
| Magnesium | 23 mg |
| Iron | 0.64mg |
| Vitamin E | 1.56mg |
| Phosphorous | 52mg |
| Potassium | 401mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.03mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.265mg |
| Carbohydrates | 18.5g |
What Are The Alternatives of French Fries for Guinea Pigs?
Instead of feeding your guinea pigs French fries, consider any of the diets below:
| Zucchini | Spinach | Cabbage |
| Cilantro | Carrots | Radish |
| Parsley | Celery | Asparagus |
| Lettuce | Broccoli | Kale |
| Green beans | Cucumbers | Sweet potato |
Final Thoughts
Now, we have come to the final part of this article. But before you go, take note of a few important points.
Of course, French fries are delicious snacks but they are not good for guinea pigs. Serving your pets these diets will expose them to stomach-related problems and other health issues.
Visit your vet doctor immediately if your guinea pigs accidentally eat too many French fries.
Finally, always provide hay, fruits, vegetables, and pellets for your cavies. These diets will make them grow well and live longer in sound health.
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