Can Guinea Pigs Eat Guava?

by

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Originally from South America, guavas are currently grown in the tropics and subtropical regions of the Earth. There are many healthy nutrients present in guava that help in maintaining a guinea pig’s health. However, can guinea pigs eat guavas? 

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Guava?

Yes, guinea pigs can eat guava. Guavas provide an excellent source of vital vitamins and minerals. Note that guavas also contain a high fructose and calcium content. Such a high amount of said substances might pose a significant health risk to your guinea pigs, so feed them guavas in moderation.

Guava placed on a white plate

In this article, we will discuss the various aspects of feeding guavas to your guinea pigs. We will also advise you on ways you can give guinea pigs guava.

Benefits of Guavas for Your Guinea Pig

Guavas are nutrient-rich fruits that are sure to provide vital nutrients for your guinea pigs. Below, we will discuss the benefits you’ll see if you give guinea pigs guava fruit.

Guava Have Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that your cavy’s body cannot synthesize on its own. Vitamin C’s water-soluble property makes it hard to be retained in the body for a long time.

Vitamin C is not stored in the body, so it quickly expels together with any excess water removed from the body. The results are that your guinea pigs can’t retain vitamin C for a long time.

Guinea pigs need a steady supply of vitamin C. For instance, a pregnant guinea pig should have at least 30 mg of Vitamin C every day. Vitamin C significantly reduces the risk of your guinea pig developing heart disease while boosting its immune system. Studies prove that vitamin C, as an antioxidant reservoir, can increase the antioxidant levels of your guinea pigs by up to 30%.

Vitamin C deficiency in guinea pigs increases the chances of an adult guinea pig developing periodontal diseases such as scurvy, bleeding gums, and edema.

Guava Contain Antioxidants

As your guinea pig’s body carries out complex functions such as digestion, it may expel free radicals. Free radicals cause oxidative stress that can eventually lead to arthritis, cancer, and heart diseases. Antioxidants expel these free radicals from your guinea pig’s body.

Lucky for your cavy, guinea pigs eat guava that contains antioxidants such as:

  • Protocatechuic acid
  • Quercetin
  • Ferulic acid
  • Ascorbic acid
  • Gallic acid
  • Caffeic acid
A brown and black colored guinea pig is sitting on a big gray rock near a big brown rock

Guava Contain a High Fiber Content

Fiber comes in two forms, soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber helps add bulk to food in your guinea pig’s stomach. This bulk ensures guinea pigs get regular bowel movements preventing constipation.

On the other hand, soluble fiber helps guinea pigs regulate blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol regulation helps guinea pigs prevent heart diseases arising from high cholesterol levels, such as strokes and high blood pressure. Guavas contain a high amount of both types of fibers, thereby providing all these benefits.

Guava Hydrate Your Guinea Pig

Guavas contain high water content, making about 80% (80.8 grams of water per 100 grams of guava) of the guava. Providing enough hydration prevents thirst in guinea pigs, especially during times of high temperatures and high activity.

Guave Provide Energy

Carbohydrates are a group of foods known for their high energy output. An example of a vital carbohydrate is fructose sugar. Guavas possess a significant amount of carbohydrates (14.32 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams of guava). These carbohydrates provide guinea pigs with enough energy to go through the day, foraging for food, fresh hay, or playing.

Risks Associated With Feeding Guavas to Your Guinea Pig

Despite containing all these benefits, feeding guinea pigs too many guavas may cause some adverse effects for male and female guinea pigs. Some of the side effects of guinea pigs are discussed below.

Developing Sugar Related Complications

Guavas are known to contain a high sugar content. However, male and female guinea pigs do not have sophisticated enough stomachs to digest copious amounts of natural sugar. This problem might introduce guinea pigs to stomach aches, diarrhea, and vomiting.

High sugar in guinea pigs diet might cause diabetes, a debilitating disease that may prove fatal in the end. Your guinea pig’s teeth might also be at risk of developing cavities and other dental diseases.

Developing Urinary Complications

Guinea pigs can extract a large amount of calcium from guavas. However, an excessive intake of calcium might predispose older guinea pigs to develop kidney and bladder stones. Bladder and kidney stones are accumulations of calcium and other minerals in the said organs.

These stones can cause scarring of the organ walls that may lead to blood in the urine. The arising blockage of kidney and bladder vessels prevents the expulsion of waste from your guinea pig’s bloodstream. Blocked waste might prove fatal as the toxic substances may cause damage to the body’s cells.

A tri-colored guinea pig lying on a big gray rock near a brown chunk of wood

How to Cook Guava for Your Guinea Pig

The leaves, seeds inside the flesh, and guava skin are safe to eat, provided they are properly washed. It would be best if guinea pigs eat this delicious treat at most twice per week. However, let us provide you with simple steps to follow when you prepare guava for your guinea pig:

  1. Select organic and fresh guavas.
  2. Wash the fruits thoroughly to remove any dirt and harmful chemicals on the surface of the guava skin.
  3. Slice the guava into small slices to enable your guinea pig to feed easily.
  4. Serve the guavas to your guinea pig. Either serve guava by hand or as part of a delicious fruit and fresh vegetable mix with water or apple juice.

Related Questions

What Fruits Are Safe for Your Guinea Pig?

There is a significant amount of fresh veggies and fruits that are safe for your guinea pig. Guinea pigs can eat these fruits moderately to your cavy to maintain their health. Some of the fruits include:

Are Guava Seeds Safe for a Guinea Pig?

If your guinea pig eats guava seeds, it’s totally safe. Though people tend to scrape the seeds off the flesh, some guava varieties have soft seeds, such as the Mexican Cream guava, that guinea pigs can eat.

Is Guava Tree Stem Safe for Guinea Pigs?

It’s not safe to give our guinea pigs roots from guava trees. It would be best to avoid feeding those to guinea pigs since there is no concrete proof as to whether they are safe or not.

Conclusion

So, guinea pigs definitely can eat guava. The guava fruit offers vital nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. However, it would help that your guinea pig eat guava in moderation, at most twice a week.

This moderation prevents your guinea pig from suffering from adverse effects that arise from excess feeding.