Can Guinea Pigs Eat Pretzels? (Risks & Alternatives)

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In many parts of the world, pretzels are a favorite snack for both children and adults. Not only do these snacks have a salty flavor, but they’re also low in calories and contain sodium and potassium.

Because this diet is tasty and has some nutrients, does it mean guinea pigs can eat pretzels?

No, your guinea pigs should not eat pretzels as it is unhealthy for them.

Although a little plain pretzel without dip and toppings may not be harmful, it wouldn’t benefit them in any way.

So it is best not to give your guinea pigs pretzels at all and consider other healthy alternatives for them.

I believe you now know that pretzels are not good for your cavies and should be avoided. But let’s assume you accidentally give your guinea pigs pretzels, what would happen?

Read on to find out the answer and more in this article!

What Happens If I Accidentally Give My Guinea Pigs Pretzels?

There’s no cause for alarm if your guinea pigs accidentally eat little pretzels with no dips and toppings. However, if you overfeed your cavies a large number of pretzels at a time, there will be a problem.

Some of the health problems your guinea pigs may experience include diarrhea, bloating, and stomach pain.

Normally, these tiny pets can only digest plants as they are herbivores. But if you feed them baked snacks like pretzels, they may not be able to digest them.

Hay should always make up the majority of your guinea pigs’ diet, then fruits and vegetables.

Nutritional Value of Pretzels

Here are the nutrients in 100g of pretzels in case you’re wondering if the snacks have any nutritional value:

Fat0.7 g
Protein8.2 g
Carbohydrates69.4 g
Calories337
Sodium1404 mg
Dietary fiber1.7 g
Potassium88 mg
Sugar0.2 g
Cholesterol3 mg

Risk In Feeding Guinea Pigs Pretzels

Like we mentioned earlier, serving your guinea pigs pretzels regularly is harmful to their health.

Therefore, ensure you don’t serve them the snacks at all to be on the safe time.

With that said, here are the risks of feeding guinea pigs pretzels:

1. Obesity

An Obese Guinea Pig

One of the main ingredients used in making pretzels is refined flour, which is mainly carbohydrates. When eaten continuously over time, it can cause sudden weight gain in guinea pigs.

Obesity in guinea pigs makes them inactive and tired easily. Moreover, it also exposes them to the risk of back pain, diabetes, and heart problems.

So it is best to prevent these unpleasant symptoms in your cavies by feeding them healthy diets only.

2. Risk of Heart Disease

There’s a high amount of sodium in pretzels which is risky for guinea pigs. Generally, most salty snacks usually contain too much sodium and pretzels are not an exception.

Regularly serving your cavies these snacks can increase their blood pressure in the long run. As a result of this, they can develop heart diseases and stroke.

Not only that, high sodium intake has been linked with chronic kidney diseases and osteoporosis.

Preventing these medical conditions in your little furry friends is better and safer.

3. Allergies

While some guinea pigs may not show unpleasant symptoms after eating pretzels, some might be allergic to them.

Food allergies in guinea pigs are dangerous and should be avoided by all means. If you don’t take quick medical action, the symptoms may become worse and lead to death.

Here are some of the symptoms you’ll notice if your guinea pigs are allergic to pretzels:

  • Diarrhea
  • Itchiness
  • Stomach pain
  • Indigestion
  • General body discomfort

What Do I Do If My Guinea Pigs Accidentally Eat Pretzels?

Several pretzels

If your cavy ate a little piece of the snack, there’s a chance nothing will go wrong. However, you should rush to the vet doctor if your guinea pig ate excess pretzels.

Although it may not cause a serious problem, your vet doctor needs to watch the little pet’s reaction for at least 24 hours. If the cavy begins to show unpleasant symptoms, your vet will be able to provide treatment quickly.

To ensure the safety of your guinea pigs, always ensure they do not have access to cooked and processed food.

Healthy plants and clean water is the best diet for pets.

What Snacks Can Guinea Pigs Eat?

Guinea pigs cannot eat any snacks because they cannot digest processed diets. Therefore do not feed them any type of snack to prevent health problems.

Bear in mind that your cavies will possibly not reject any food you give them because they love chewing. But it is your job as a pet owner to give them beneficial food and nothing more.

For a start, you can always feed your guinea pigs hay every day – it is their best diet. Then you can always give them healthy fruits like the following:

In addition, you can include healthy vegetables in your cavies’ diets. Here are great choices for them: 

Commercial pellets are great for your guinea pigs too. Just ensure you buy the ones that have been approved by experts to be of great quality.

FAQ:

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Crackers?

No, avoid feeding your guinea pigs crackers. Usually, these diets contain lots of carbohydrates, fats, sugars, and salts.

Regularly giving these snacks to your small pets can expose them to several health problems. These include obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and bladder stones.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Salted Pretzels?

No, avoid serving your guinea pigs salted pretzels because it is bad for their health. Sodium, one of the main components of salt, can cause serious health problems in your tiny pets.

Unlike humans, guinea pigs do not sweat and therefore cannot release excess salt from their bodies. As a result of this, the pets will get sick if they eat salty diets regularly.

Bladder stones, dehydration, and kidney stones are some of the health problems that can result from excess salt.

There’s a moderate amount of salt in hay and pellets, which is enough for your cavies. 

Feeding your cavies salted pretzels is very dangerous to their health, especially if you give them every day.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Unsalted Pretzels?

Yes, guinea pigs can eat unsalted pretzels. However, it wouldn’t add any nutritional value to them, especially if it contains too much sugar.

Remember that diets with excess sugar can cause watery stools in guinea pigs.

Just to be safe, avoid serving your cavies pretzel, whether salted or unsalted.

Final Thoughts 

Before you leave, keep a few key points in mind.

Pretzels are tasty and rich in sodium and potassium but not healthy for your guinea pigs. So you should avoid feeding your small pets these snacks.

Obesity, heart diseases, and allergies are the risks you may be exposing your guinea pigs to if they have excess pretzels.

Visit your vet doctor immediately if your cavy accidentally eats a large number of pretzels. Delay can be dangerous!

Finally, always ensure you feed your guinea pigs hay, healthy fruits, clean water, and vegetables only – this is their perfect “snack”.

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