10 Things That Guinea Pigs Should Not Eat

Adrienne Carlson recently shared with me a link to her article "25 Common Foods That Can Be Toxic For Your Pet." The article is mainly geared to dogs and cats (and I encourage you to share the link with your pet-owning friends) but there's a lot on this list that applies to guinea pigs as well.

The following foods are poisonous to guinea pigs:

• potato sprouts, potato peelings, and anything to do with a potato plant
• beans and anything to do with a bean plant
• anything to do with a tomato plant (the tomato itself is okay)
• anything to do with rhubarb
• dill (watch out for prepackaged "salad & herb" kits)
• flowers or any part of a flowering plant
• houseplants
• unidentified weeds
• any foods that were previously frozen
• fruit cores, pits, and seeds
  

For a lengthy list of plants that are poisonous to guinea pigs, check out Karen Bawoll's book, "A New Owner's Guide to Guinea Pigs." The ASPCA also has an all-species list of 17 common poisonous plants. 

I do want to point out two items on Adrienne's list that are actually okay for guinea pigs in limited quantities and fed only occasionally: broccoli and (seedless) grapes.

As a final aside, if you or someone you know own dogs, cats, or horses, the ASPCA also has a database of toxic plants geared to those species. It's definitely another link to pass along. 

Comments

[Whitney]

Hey there Ruth:

Well, that's good to know. Apparently the Brits know something for certain that American sources can't come to an agreement on. I have two care guides, which cite veterinarian reviews as part of their process, that categorically dismiss dill as a dietary option for guinea pigs.

But it has been my observation in recent months that the Brits have a good ten years on us Yanks in terms of building a body of medical knowledge about these little guys.

Thanks for stopping in and sharing!

[Ruth]

Actually, dill is a safe herb to feed to guinea pigs. There are various reliable sources which state this including:

http://www.burgesspetcare.co.uk/pet-care/guinea-pig-feeding.html

http://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-health-advice/guinea-pigs/diet/

Also, by personal experience my boys enjoy dill every other night and have done for years without any ill effects.

[Reese]

Having a pet bounds for a responsibility for the owner. We need to know the do's and dont's and observing their behavior too. This post is very informative for the pet owners.I have bunnies at home. I feed them in their rabbit hutches or cages. And trained them where to poop. Being a pet owner means being held responsible for the pets you own.

[Whitney]

I'm leery about supporting the claim that dill is okay in any amount because I have two books on my shelf that say dill is toxic/poisonous to guinea pigs. These sources are enough to make me question any claim to the contrary, so I file it under "better to be safe than sorry"!

On the beans front, I know some folks who feed occasional green beans. Because beans can cause uncomfortable gas, I just avoid them. The bullet list item refers more to other beans (navy, lima, pinto, fava, etc.) -- which are bigger concerns than green beans. But certainly, all bean *plants* (green bean or otherwise) are no-nos.

Peas are allegedly high in sugar, so they'd serve best as occasional menu items, I would think.

Thanks for stopping by!

[Weatherlight]

Actually, green beans are fine to feed, to my knowledge, as are fresh peas such as snow peas or de-stringed snap peas. Dill is also ok in limited amounts. Some flowers are fine, such as dandelion flowers.

I get most of my gpig food info from GuineaPigCages/CavySpirit and GuineaLynx.

I do know that frozen/thawed produce is generally a no-no (pellets and Critical Care can be frozen), but I'm not sure exactly why. It would be interesting to know.

[Nick]

Hi there,

Great post on what a lot of owners make assumptions about. Ice berg lettuce is also a no good especially if it comes from a greenhouse loaded with nitrates.

Meet my piggie Nathan:

http://www.youtube.com/user/PetGuineaPigCare#p/a/u/0/GgPhl38Ushg

http://pet-guinea-pig-care.com

[Ellen]

Also a comment about houseplants. I have a philodendron plant in my home office. It has a nice trailing form and thrives with low light and little attention. Philodendrons are poisonous. When I first brought the plant home, I placed it on a shelf above my pigs' cage -- but realized immediately that it would look like an enticing treat dangling above their heads -- so I moved it to the other side of the room.