Can Guinea Pigs Eat Watermelon? (What Parts Are Safe To Eat)

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An important way to care for your guinea pig is making a good diet plan. If you own one, you just have to be sure of the kind of fruit to serve them. You, among many others, might have asked, “can guinea pigs eat watermelon?”

Yes, your piggies can eat watermelon but should only be served in moderation. Watermelon has Vitamin C which is beneficial for your guinea pigs. But make sure you feed them once or twice a  week only as a treat.

Now that you’ve understood that guinea pigs can eat watermelon, you may be wondering, can they eat all parts of the watermelon? Let’s read more to find out!

Can Guinea Pigs Eat the Whole Watermelon?

No, your piggies can’t eat the whole watermelon. Around the world, you’ll discover different species of watermelons, but the most notable kind is the huge round melon with a tough green skin and an inner juicy red pulp. This is the kind we’re talking about here and it is not entirely edible for little piggies to eat as most of them are good choices and some aren’t just suitable.

Guinea Pigs Eating Watermelons
Stock photo showing an elevated view of an indoor enclosure containing young, short hair, sow, abyssinian guinea pigs feeding on mixed fruit and vegetables.

Your little pets might be able to eat almost every part but this doesn’t mean they’re all good for them. Some parts need to be chosen and served in fair sizes. However, as we go further you’ll get to know the parts of a watermelon that your piggy can eat or not.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Watermelon Skin?

Yes, they can. However, the only problem is that it’s tough and not easy for your little pets to digest. A good watermelon treat is okay without it. Moreover, you should always wash them well whenever you feel like adding them to your piggy’s diet.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Watermelon Rind?

Definitely! These parts are mostly the preferred ones for your furry friend. Humans normally leave out this part but guinea pigs munch them well. It’s not only the bigger part to include but the better part. Fiber is mainly what piggies need and that’s what the rind is filled with. Sugar is less in it but you still need to serve in bits.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Watermelon Pulp?

Yes, piggies can eat the pulp. However, this part should be the least in size when preparing watermelons for your little pets. The pulp is fleshy and also a good source of hydration for your cute piggies.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Watermelon Seeds?

No! You shouldn’t let your piggy eat this part. They aren’t dangerous, besides humans eat them too. The risk here is that they are big and tough for piggies to eat. 

This can choke them which isn’t good for your furry friend. The worst part is they don’t even digest at all. So never include them in your little pet’s treats.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Watermelon Stems?

No, they can’t. This stem isn’t yet proven to be edible and should be left out just like the leaves. Avoid the risk of including it in your piggy’s diet.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Watermelon Leaves?

No, they can’t. There’s still no solid proof on how edible this part is for humans so avoid the risk of feeding watermelon leaves to even your little piggy.

Is Watermelon Good for Guinea Pigs?

Absolutely! Watermelons are great treats for your little piggies. No doubt, as a fruit, it’s packed with many vitamins which guinea pigs need. Water is almost everything in this fruit and that’s a good thing for guinea pigs.

Undoubtedly, you can see that a watermelon treat can give much nutritional value at once just the same way your piggy can get them from a mixed diet of different nutrients.

However, watermelons can also do bad to piggies just the same way they can do good. But this only comes about if you don’t serve them in the right manner. Also, if they get too many amounts of components than they need, then bad things can happen, especially to their health.

Can Baby Guinea Pigs Eat Watermelon?

No, they can’t. Watermelon isn’t quite a good option for baby piggies, even when they’re just weeks old. Their mother’s milk and water are more vital for them at this stage. If adult guinea pigs still need watermelons in little amounts then the baby guinea pigs are at more risk. 

Bringing up watermelon to their diet quickly isn’t advisable. Several hays must come first, like the “Alfalfa”. 

However, after some months of feeding them these hays, pellets, and other necessary supplements, you can now bring up watermelons but in reasonable sizes.

Health Benefits of Watermelon for Guinea Pigs

Your little pet can gain a lot from watermelon treats. It has vital nutrients to keep their body active and healthy every day. Below are the ways  would benefit the health of your little pets;

  • Boost Immunity

The common disease piggies suffer from is “Scurvy”, resulting from the lack of vitamin C. A piggy’s body hardly creates vitamin C and this where the watermelon helps as it has lots of it.

  • Good Source of Energy

Watermelons have lots of sugar and that’s a good source of energy for your little pet. However, you should try to maintain a low diet for your piggy. You can achieve this by limiting the size of the watermelons you give them.

  • Helps Good Digestion

Fruits are very good roles in digestion because of the dietary fiber they contain. Watermelons also has dietary fiber and would help your little pet easily break down the food they eat.

  • Helps Check Blood Pressure

With the potassium in it does this work. A stable body pressure would help your piggy’s body work properly just like the way it does for humans. Also,  potassium helps shield your piggy from certain infections.

  • Improves Vision

The vitamin A content in watermelons helps improves the eyesight of your furry friends. As the eye is a vital part of your pet, it needs good attention and watermelons would help with this.

  • Regulates Sugar Level

Fiber is the most important for them and watermelon has it in bulk. Feeding guinea pigs fiber-riched watermelons would help regulate the sugar level of their blood.

  • Another Way to Hydrate

Your piggies would get lots of water from watermelons as water makes up about 92℅ of this fruit. This is a form of hydration other than the normal water you give them every day. 

Risks to Consider When Feeding Watermelon Rind to Guinea Pigs

When you don’t stick to the right serving amounts and schedules, there are risks to it. The size of the sliced watermelons should be small. This is the major thing that endangers your little pet. 

  • Overdose of Some Components

Feeding them large blocks of watermelon rind can give them too much of some components that normally aren’t friendly to their health when they are taken in excess. This is where the hazards come in. 

  • Harm from Pesticides

Also, when preparing the rind, do not forget to wash well. This is a healthy thing to do to get rid of pesticides on it that can harm your furry friend.

  • Digestion issues

Your piggies should eat rinds in small quantity as too much of it can be hard to digest causing tommy upsets and other issues related to indigestion.

So, to ensure your guinea pigs get to munch the rinds healthily and without trouble, stick to the appropriate weekly schedules, serving sizes, and hygiene.

How To Prepare Watermelon For Guinea Pigs

Preparing Watermelons for Guinea Pigs
a person slicing watermelon on chop board with knife

If you begin to prepare watermelon treats at home for your piggy, they shouldn’t be in big sizes. You should rather slice it into tiny pieces. Pieces like little cubes that are very easy for your furry friend to munch. 

The reason is the risk larger chunks could cause to your little pet, mostly, health problems. These large chunks mean a large number of components that your piggy normally doesn’t need in bulk. Components like sugar and potassium are unhealthy for your piggies in large quantities.

Preparing these treats isn’t hard at all. Just follow these easy steps below.

  • Step 1: Select a whole ripe but fresh watermelon for your piggy. When unripe, your piggy at risk of the natural acids in it. Also, an overripe watermelon isn’t good too as it can cause health issues like tummy ache. 
  • Step 2: You should then wash the watermelon under running water. This helps get rid of germs and pests more than washing in a bowl filled with water.
  • Step 3: Slice watermelon open and remove all the seeds. You shouldn’t forget to do this anytime you’re preparing watermelons for your piggies.
  • Step 4: Dice the watermelons into bits. Make more use of the rind part and a bit of the pulp when carving out the treats as you will achieve a healthier result this way. However, you can make this watermelon treat better by peeling off the green skin.
  • Step 5: It’s all done! You can then serve the treat to your furry friend and let them enjoy it.

Take note!

  • The parts of watermelon don’t have the same sugar amount. More of this sugar is in the flesh and this is why you should serve reasonably.
  • Also, the schedule for preparing the watermelon treat is very important. Every week you should map out two days for it. Anything more could endanger your piggy’s health.

Types of Melons That Guinea Pigs Can Eat

Your little pet can eat other types of melon apart from watermelons. Similarly, they’re healthy and are very good additions to your piggies’ diet. You can choose from the ones below.

  • Honeydew Melon
  • Canary melon
  • Galia melon
  • Crenshaw melon
  • Muskmelon/Cantaloupe
  • Ananas melon
  • Charentais
  • Asian melon

All these melons listed above can be eaten by your little pet, but they still have to be served in little bits that your guinea pigs can munch safely.

What Other Fruits Can My Guinea Pigs Eat Besides Watermelon

You can feed your guinea pigs other kinds of fruits aside from watermelons. There are varieties of fruit that make healthy fruit treats for your furry friend. Here’s a list of these fruits below.

ApplesStrawberriesMangoesPlumsBlueberries
Kiwi fruitsBananasMelons (All types)PeachesGrapes
PapayasBlueberriesApricotsNectarinesPineapples
PearsTomatoesBlackberriesRaspberriesCucumbers

Whichever fruit you choose on this list, still maintain the normal serving routine. Also, you should always swap one fruit with another each day. It’s bad letting them eat the same fruit repeatedly.

Also, remove fruits like coconuts, avocados, and resins from your list as they’ll do no good to your piggies.

How Much Watermelons Should I Give My Guinea Pig

You should give your guinea pigs as small as 1-2 cubes per week. 

“Enough” of it doesn’t have to be “too much” of it. Watermelons are enough for your piggy little sizes. Also, when slicing this watermelon for your piggy, use only a bit of the pulp as the sugar is too much.

How Often Can Guinea Pigs Eat Watermelon? 

Let them eat watermelons a day or two every week. Your furry friends shouldn’t have watermelons daily, instead it should be two separate days with gaps in between. Don’t make it straight and always stick with this schedule to be on the safe side.

Is Watermelon Juice Healthy for Guinea Pigs?

Watermelon Juices - Not a Food for Guinea Pigs
Fresh watermelon juice in the glass.Selective focus on the front glass

Not at all. These juices might be so nutritious but that’s okay for humans not your little piggies. The sugar in it is so much and can cause diabetes or other health issues that can come from too much sugar.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Rockmelon?

Yes! Your piggies can eat rockmelon. Many call it “Cantaloupe” in some areas around the globe. These melons are filled with healthy minerals and vitamins for your pet. 

However, you should still keep the serving sizes reasonable. Also, you could put your piggy’s health at risk if you give them rockmelon every day. There are many calories in it so skip days in a week just like the normal watermelon routine.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Watermelon Radish?

Watermelon Radish - Food for Guinea Pigs
Cut pink radish, vintage wooden background, selective focus

Of course, they can eat it. Just like other veggies, you’ll find enough vitamins and essential nutrients in radishes and the watermelon variety isn’t an exception. 

They’re healthy treats for guinea pigs. Nevertheless, If your little piggy doesn’t eat it when you serve them, it’s fine. Just don’t push them to do so. Guinea pigs have preferences the same way humans do.

Final Thoughts

In summary, it’s clear that watermelons make a great addition to your piggy’s diet. Moreover, the duty of every owner in the careful preparation of these watermelon treats remains important.

Giving attention to your piggie’s diet plan matters a lot. Making your little pet healthy and happy is worth your time. Grab your knife and board and get on it! 

We’ve shown you how easy a piggie’s watermelon treats are to prepare in this content. You just have to know which part of the watermelon should be used more than another. The essence of this moderate treat preparation is to produce a healthy watermelon treat that your piggies can nibble without trouble. 

Moreover, do share this article if it was useful. 


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