You may be tempted to give sugar snap peas to your guinea pigs. But before doing it, you need to make sure it’s safe and beneficial.
In case you’re wondering — Can guinea pigs eat sugar snap peas?
Yes, guinea pigs can have sugar snap peas. These veggies are filled with so much fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin K.
However, due to their high sugar content, you can only let your cavies have these veggies in moderation and as treats only.
Generally, most guinea pigs love snap peas.
They taste great and are crunchy making them a great snack for them.
Moreover, nothing is poisonous about this veggie, but the compounds, like sugar and oxalate in it make it not to be a daily meal.
As a cavy owner, it’s wise to examine what parts of sugar snap peas are safe to eat.
Let’s discuss each part below!
Table of Contents
Can Guinea Pigs Eat a Whole Sugar Snap Peas?
Not at all! Guinea pigs can’t eat a whole sugar snap pea. The common parts of a sugar snap pea plant, which are the pod and peas inside it, are fine for guinea pigs to eat.
However, some other parts are still safe for them to eat and some other ones you shouldn’t serve at all.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Sugar Snap Pea Leaves?
No! Guinea pigs cannot eat sugar snap pea leaves. As a careful guinea pig owner, you only feed your little pet what you’re sure of.
Moreover, for this part, it’s not yet proven to be a safe food for your cavy to eat. So, when preparing these treats, do well not to include this part to keep things safe.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Sugar Snap Pea Shoots?
No, you shouldn’t feed them the shoots. Just like the leaves, this part is not yet proven to be safe for guinea pigs to eat.
However, the case might just be the same as bell peppers and tomatoes where all the green parts aren’t safe for guinea pigs to eat.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Sugar Snap Pea Sprouts?
Yes! These parts are okay to serve your guinea pigs. Interestingly, sugar snap pea sprouts have so much dietary fiber in them.
The sprouts help guinea pigs to prevent constipation and promote easier digestion.
Also, it contains many vitamins that’ll help keep your cavies body working properly.
Pro Tip: You should also feed this part moderately. Serve only bits of it a few days a week to avoid serious risks to your guinea pigs’ health.
How Often Can You Feed Guinea Pigs Sugar Snap Peas?
You should feed your guinea pigs sugar snap peas only once or twice a week.
This is to make sure that they are safe from the harm too much of it could cause, mostly due to the amount of sugar it has.
Moreover, as you maintain this feeding schedule, it’s equally important to give some gaps between the 2 days of feeding this veggie to your little pet.
How Much Snap Peas Can Guinea Pigs Eat?
Guinea pigs should only eat two pods of sugar snap peas. That is to say, just 2 pods with peas inside for one guinea pig. However, you can make it three only when you’re sure your cavy eats two pods very well.
Also, if it’s new to your cavy, let it come in gradually into their diet. Start with fewer amounts that are lesser than the recommended serving amounts.
PRO TIP: Watch them for any changes and if they are fine with it, go ahead and serve them the normal amounts.
Also, you should always stick to giving them these few amounts as guinea pigs are tempted to keep eating these veggies so long you keep feeding them to them.
Moreover, what you should consider is the amount that’s safe for your little pet to eat and not how much they love them.
This might also tempt you to give them more other than the recommended amount regardless of the risks it can create.
Next, let’s take a look at the nutritional value of sugar snap peas per 100 g serving.
Sugar Snap Peas Nutritional Value
| Nutrients | Per 100 g |
| Fiber | 2.7 g |
| Carbs | 6.97 g |
| Vitamin C | 12.2 mg |
| Calories | 31 Kcal |
| Vitamin K | 43 μg |
| Potassium | 211 mg |
| Calcium | 37 mg |
| Sugar | 3.26 g |
| Phosphorus | 38 mg |
| Fats | 0.22 g |
| Water | 90.32 g |
Health Benefits of Sugar Snap Peas
Helps in Digestion
Sugar snap peas are rich sources of dietary fiber which your guinea pigs need every day.
As guinea pigs’ digestive systems are weak, these fibers, both soluble and insoluble, help to break down other foods your cavy eats.
This will help prevent certain digestive issues that can happen when guinea pigs find it hard to digest certain foods.
Boost Immunity
Snap peas contain vitamin C and many anti-oxidants. These nutrients help fight many diseases in your guinea pig’s body. Their bodies cannot create vitamin C so this veggie helps to provide it.
Also, serving our guinea pigs snap pea treats is a good way to prevent a common disease (e.g. scurvy).
However, since these veggies are filled with vitamin C, your cavy won’t lack it!
Promotes Cardiovascular Health
Snap peas also have potassium in them which keeps the heart in good condition. One important thing it helps to do is to check the heartbeat rate.
This way, it’ll help prevent certain heart-related diseases from happening.
They also help the muscles contract well and keep your guinea pigs’ vital organs, like the kidney, working in good condition.
Support Healthy Bones and Teeth
Phosphorus and calcium work together to keep bones and teeth healthy. As herbivores, your little pet’s teeth are important for grinding foods, specifically plant foods that don’t digest easily.
So, they need to remain strong and healthy.
Also, the bones should need to remain strong as they are the main support for your cavy’s sensitive body.
Moreover, the Vitamin k in this veggie also helps build a strong skeletal system as it creates calcium that aids bone development.
Promotes Healing of Wounds
Vitamin K is one of the nutrients sugar snap peas have and they’re very helpful in healing wounds.
This nutrient is well known to aid blood clotting by creating the proteins that do it.
Moreover, as this happens, the wounds will cover quickly, which in turn will speed up recovery.
Helps in Hydration
You’ll find a good amount of water in snap peas. This means, that feeding this to your cavies makes them more hydrated.
So, during summer, when it’s hot, these snacks can help prevent dehydration for guinea pigs.
Regulates Blood Sugar Levels
Fiber helps check blood sugar levels. Due to its low calories, it can promote healthy blood sugar levels.
Moreover, you should know that when the blood sugar level of your cavy rises, it can cause diabetes and other serious health issues.
Fights Free Radicals
Every metabolism process creates free radicals in the body, which can cause serious problems if they aren’t taken care of.
However, the antioxidants and fiber in sugar snap peas work together to get rid of these free radicals in the body before they could cause any harm.
Risk in Feeding Guinea Pigs Sugar Snap Peas
Allergy
Guinea pigs can have allergic reactions to foods they try out new. It’s a way their bodies show that they’re getting something new.
Moreover, it’s just the same with sugar snap peas.
Most guinea pigs might react badly to the new food. However, if such cases arise, do well to seek a vet’s help.
Digestive Issues
Just like the name goes — “sugar snap peas” — the sugar in them is so much and can lead to many digestive issues too.
These problems could lead to:
- Bloating,
- Gas problem
- Diabetes
- And vomiting.
All of these are what you don’t want your guinea pigs to experience.
Urinary Issues
Most oxalates in snap peas team up with calcium to build kidney and bladder stones. As these stones build up, it can be very painful for your furry friends.
Moreover, what’s worse than the pain is when they end up damaging the kidney and also cause urinary infections.
This will in turn cause serious health conditions and can sometimes lead to death.
Stunted Growth
Although phosphorus helps build your guinea pig’s bones, it can also slow down their height growth.
However, this can only happen when your cavy takes too much of them. And this is why there’s a need for moderation.
How to Serve Sugar Snap Peas for Guinea Pigs
Before serving sugar snap pea treats to your guinea pigs, you have to prepare them in the right way.
Follow these 5 simple steps to prepare sugar snap peas:
Step 1: Select Fresh Sugar Snap Peas
It’s very important to carefully select whatever you want to feed our guinea pigs. In this care, you prepare snap pea treats with only good snap peas.
In addition, you shouldn’t use spoilt or leftover sugar snap peas. Instead, pick only fresh ones that are fully ripe too.
Step 2: Wash Sugar Snap Peas Very Well
For guinea pigs, hygiene is important, especially in their diet.
As you get the snap peas you want to prepare, you should wash them well, preferably under running water.
Moreover, you should do this before slicing the pods. This step is important to get rid of dirt and chemicals, like pesticides, on the pods.
Step 3: Remove Sugar Snap Pea Pods (Optional)
Remove the pods. You can choose to do this part. Most times it depends if your guinea pig likes the pods or just the peas inside.
However, you shouldn’t choose to remove the strings around the pods, you should do it as they are hard to chew and digest.
Step 4: Slice Sugar Snap Peas into Small Sizes
Use a sharp knife to cut the pods on a board into sizes that your cavy can eat with ease. It shouldn’t be large so they don’t choke accidentally while eating these treats.
Step 5: Serve Sugar Snap Peas
Serve already sugar snap peas to your cavy. You can serve just peas if that’s what your cavy prefers to eat out of snap peas.
Also, you can serve sliced pods with peas if your cavy likes them both.
In addition, mixing this veggie in a cup of other veggies and serving it to your furry friend is okay. However, make sure the veggies you use have low sugar.
Sugar Snap Peas Alternatives
A variety of veggies in a guinea pigs diet makes things healthier for them. This way, they’ll get the different nutrients from different sources, specifically veggies, all the time.
Feeding them a particular veggie isn’t nice at all. Moreover, if your cavy doesn’t like snap peas or you want to swap them for other healthy veggies, try these:
| Cucumber | Cilantro | Beet | Sweet Potato |
| Parsley | Mint | Carrot | Artichoke |
| Lettuce | Cabbage | Spinach | Basil |
| Pumpkin | Tomato | Watercress | Romaine |
| Bell pepper | Celery | Zucchini | Kale |
| Brussel sprouts | Asparagus | Green beans | Broccoli |
Most importantly, all of these veggies have their recommended serving sizes. They also need to be fed moderately like snap peas. So, whichever you choose, you should know the serving sizes, the right preparation, and possible risks before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Frozen Snap Peas?
No, guinea pigs can’t eat frozen snap peas. Generally, serving any kind of frozen food, especially fruits and veggies, to guinea pigs is a bad idea.
Frozen peas, just like any other frozen foods, can hurt your cavies’ intestines which in turn will upset their tummy seriously.
This can be very painful and sometimes can kill them.
So, to keep your furry friend out of danger, do not serve them frozen sugar snap peas. However, you can always allow frozen snap peas to melt till it’s not cold at all, probably to room temperature. Then you can serve them to your guinea pigs.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Canned Snap Peas?
A big NO! You should never serve canned snap peas to your guinea pigs. Just like any other canned food, the sodium content in canned snap peas is very high.
Also, they are normally salty and this can make your furry friend seriously sick.
Moreover, canned foods normally have preservatives and additives in them and canned snap peas aren’t an exception.
These chemicals won’t do any good in your cavy’s body. As sensitive as guinea pigs are, they’ll harm them a lot!
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Cooked Snap Peas?
Not at all! Guinea pigs cannot eat cooked snap peas. Guinea pigs have a general issue when it comes to digesting cooked foods.
They just don’t digest well!
Additionally, as snap peas are cooked, they become useless to your guinea pigs as they will have little or no nutrients left.
Even the ingredients you add to them make things worse as they’re not healthy for cavies, especially salt. So, whether you fry them or steam them, don’t let your cavy have any of it.
Moreover, stick to feeding them fresh, raw snap peas as they love it this way. Interestingly, not only do guinea pigs love eating the raw ones, but they benefit so much from it.
So, raw sugar snap pigs are the best!
Final Thoughts
To sum up, guinea pigs can eat sugar snap peas. They’re healthy and great snacks to add to your guinea pig’s diet plan. However, only feed the right amount to them and just for a few days in one week.
Again, you shouldn’t ignore the risks you can create on your cavy’s health. So, if you need to carefully prepare that’ll keep them safe, take your time!
Moreover, it isn’t hard to prepare, just follow the simple steps we’ve shown you in this article.
If you find this article helpful, share it with your guinea pig-lover friends!
