Having guinea pig pets can create a wonderful and unforgettable experience for you.
They are amazing and friendly pets, especially when you feed them the right diet every day.
Speaking of diets, are peanuts safe for your cavies?
Unfortunately, the answer is no, avoid feeding your guinea pigs peanuts as much as possible. In fact, peanuts do not contain vitamin C and other important nutrients that your guinea pigs need to grow healthily.
Moreover, the nut diet contains too much fat which is not healthy for your cavies.
Therefore, consider feeding your guinea pigs other highly nutritious diets other than peanuts.
Note that your small pets will not die suddenly after eating peanuts but the diet will harm them in one way or the other.
You’ll possibly be thinking that in what ways can peanuts harm your cavies?
Let’s find out the answer below!
What Happens When a Guinea Pig Eat Peanuts?
A lot of things can go wrong when your guinea pigs eat peanuts.
These include serious digestive problems, choking hazards, and other health issues which we will discuss later on in this article.
Naturally, your small pets’ digestive system can only process fresh fruits and vegetables since they are herbivores. Any diet aside from these may cause unpleasant reactions.
So, as a pet owner, you have to be very careful about the kind of food you feed your guinea pigs.
Remember…
Prevention is always better, easier, and safer than cure.
Risks to Consider When Feeding Peanuts to Guinea Pigs
There’s a possibility that your guinea pigs will not reject peanuts when you feed them.
However, the nut diet will do your tiny pets more harm than good. It will be best to avoid anything that can cause health problems in your cavies.
Let’s take a look at the risks to consider when feeding peanuts to guinea pigs:
Bladder and Kidney Stones
Peanuts contain calcium which, when in excess, your guinea pigs may not be able to absorb. With time, these nutrients will cause kidney and bladder stones.
Health problems like these are always very painful for guinea pigs and should therefore be avoided.
Although calcium builds strong bones and teeth in small pets, it should not be too much in your guinea pig’s body.
Overweight
Fats are one of the nutrients found in peanuts. When your guinea pigs eat this diet regularly, they’ll likely be overweight and exposed to other health problems.
Too much fat can also cause cardiovascular problems in guinea pigs.
Moreover, an overweight guinea pig may find it hard to play with toys, run around the cage or play with other cavies.
In the long run, this can lead to boredom and stress in your tiny pet. Situations like this should be avoided by all means.
Allergic Reactions
As you know, the body system differs from one cavy to another. While some guinea pigs will eat peanuts without experiencing unpleasant symptoms, others may show strange signs.
Whenever you notice symptoms like itching, diarrhea, breathing difficulty, and other uncommon reactions in your pets, seek the vet’s attention quickly.
Indigestion
There are fats, sugar, and carbohydrates in peanuts that are not safe for guinea pigs’ digestive systems. Usually, your cavies can only digest plants due to their nature.
Feeding them fatty diets like peanuts can cause indigestion, bloating, and other stomach problems.
Watching your guinea pigs go through these problems can make you feel unhappy and guilty. And that’s why you must prevent it by all means.
Peanut Nutritional Facts
Even though peanuts don’t contain some vitamins, it is still a nutritious diet in some ways. Below are the nutrients in 100 grams of raw peanuts.
| Fiber | 8.5 grams |
| Sugar | 4.7 grams |
| Protein | 25.8 grams |
| Carbohydrates | 16.1 grams |
| Fat | 49.2 grams |
| Calories | 567 Kcal |
| Water | 7% |
| Potassium | 705 mg |
| Sodium | 18 mg |
| Calcium | 92 mg |
| Iron | 4.58 mg |
| Niacin | 12.066 mg |
| Magnesium | 168 mg |
| Vitamin E | 8.33 mg |
Alternatives for Peanuts
There are other healthy diets that your guinea pigs can eat besides peanuts.
Below are a few of them:
| Zucchini | Spinach | Cabbage |
| Cilantro | Carrots | Radish |
| Parsley | Celery | Asparagus |
| Lettuce | Broccoli | Kale |
| Green beans | Cucumbers | Sweet potato |
Can a 4 Month Old Guinea Pig Eat Peanuts?
No, it is not advisable to feed a 4-month old guinea pig peanuts. At this age, the cavy is still a baby until 6 months which means its body system may not be able to handle the diet.
Besides, peanuts don’t contain vitamins A, or C, which is very important for the guinea pig’s general growth and wellness.
So, it will be best not to give a baby guinea pig peanuts for health’s sake.
Is Nut Good For Guinea Pigs?
No, nuts are not good for guinea pigs because most of them contain high amounts of fats and carbohydrates.
Whenever your guinea pigs eat nuts, they may not be able to digest them. This can result in problems like:
- indigestion,
- stomach pain,
- bloating,
- diarrhea, and more in guinea pigs.
There’s no point allowing your guinea pigs to go through pain when you can feed them other healthy foods.
Since they have sensitive stomachs, ensure to serve your cavies only what they can digest easily.
Final Thoughts
Peanuts are delicious and healthy snacks but they are not good for your guinea pigs.
Aside from containing high amounts of fats, the peanut diet doesn’t have major nutrients that your small pets need to grow well.
So, avoid feeding your guinea pigs this diet and consider feeding them healthy fruits and vegetables.
Remember, safe and highly nutritious diets play a major role in your guinea pigs’ overall health and wellbeing.
So, it is important to pay close attention to the type of food you feed them all the time, majorly for health’s sake.
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