If you are planning to keep a pet in your house, then probably you need to do a lot of research about knowing the basic diet plan lifestyle of your pet. The same is the case with guinea pigs as well. Guinea pig is an animal that is part of herbivores and they do have their dietary plan and major restrictions.
Most of the time, you might have noticed your guinea pig is so much tempted to eat pumpkin. But you might resist somehow as you do feel that it is unhealthy for your pet. Therefore the pet owners are quite a lot conscious to know about can guinea pigs eat pumpkin or not!
In this blog post we will have a complete detailed guide about the relationship between guinea pigs and their pumpkin diet plan:
Is Pumpkin Healthy for Guinea Pigs?
As being the guinea pig owner, you do want to know about whether the serving of pumpkin is safe for your pet or not! Well its good news for you that you can serve your pet guinea pig with the pumpkins as it is 100% healthy for them. But when it comes to including it in your diet routine, you need to be a lot careful and conscious about the serving quantity.
It is advisable to serve it in a small amount and that too on specific days. As much low serving amount you will keep, the more it will help your pet to stay healthy and easy in its digestion. Pumpkin is low in phosphorous and it does not contain oxalic acid. This makes it an excellent option for your pet.
Introduction About Pumpkin
Pumpkin is part of a squash plant that has a round shape and is yellow/orange in color. It has a thick shell texture which is based on seeds as well as pulp. Pumpkin is part of native to North America but currently, it has become part of the whole world due to certain commercial and agricultural purposes. It contains a high amount of vitamin A as well as beta carotene. The nutrient amount is quite low in this pumpkin. It is also low in calories which makes it best for a successful weight loss.
You May Also Read: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Cucumbers
All About the Nutritional Value of Pumpkin
Pumpkins contain a lot of vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, which are called antioxidant vitamins. It is also rich in dietary fiber. Pumpkin is rich in water-soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, which helps prevent and improve constipation. It is known for its anti-carcinogenic and stimulation effects, but it is also converted to vitamin A in the body to maintain hair health, eyesight, health of mucous membranes and skin, and respiratory organs such as throat and lungs. It is said that there is a function to protect the strain. Well, other nutritional value op pumpkin is below:
- Calories: 48
- Fat: 0.1 grams
- Protein: 3 grams
- Carbs: 11 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Vitamin A: 244% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
- Vitamin C: 18% of the RDI
- Potassium: 15% of the RDI
- Copper: 10% of the RDI
- Manganese: 10% of the RDI
- Vitamin B2: 10% of the RDI
- Vitamin E: 11% of the RDI
- Iron: 8% of the RDI
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Pumpkin Stems?
Yes, it is safe to serve your guinea pig with the pumpkin stems as it is not at all harmful for your pet. Here we would like to mention that these seeds are high in the calcium amount so make sure that you are just serving it in the small quantity. They are fond of eating pumpkin stems all the time and hence it won’t be giving their body any sort of harm.
Guinea pigs are only allowed to have a small quantity of calcium for their body to have a balanced diet plan. But sometimes feeding your guinea pig with an increased quantity of the stems can bring harmful damage to their health. It can bring the issues of kidney stones as well as bladder stones.
One of the safest ways to serve them with the stems is in a small amount first. Check them out their body will react on the pumpkin stems and later on decide the new quantity. Wash it carefully.
You May Also Read: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Strawberries
Are Pumpkin Seeds Risky For Guinea Pigs?
Another most important thing to learn is that can guinea pigs eat the pumpkin seeds! Well, its answer would be “NO”. You should not be serving your pet with the seeds at all because it is not easy for them to digest it completely. They can damage their teeth for the sake of chewing or biting the seeds. It can even hurt their throat when they will swallow it.
While you are purchasing the pumpkin for your guinea pigs, make sure that it is completely free from the ingredient of seeds. Apart from the seeds, you should also avoid serving them with the nut because it is also unhealthy.
They are including with sugar and starch which can bring the issues of bloating and diarrhea in your pet. Seeds of pumpkin are high in fat content and therefore, it is not recommended adding it in your guinea pig food bowl.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Pumpkin Skin?
Guinea pigs can easily eat pumpkin skin or flesh as well because it is healthy for them. They won’t be facing any sort of issues as you will be adding the skin in their food bowl. But at the same time, we would like to mention that it is not at all healthy for them and it does not include enough amount of nutrition as well.
So, all in all, we would say that it is not too good but at the same time, it is not bad at all. As it is lacking in Vitamin C so make sure that you should keep the amount moderate and not too high while serving.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Pumpkin Leaves?
When it comes to answering the query that can guinea pigs eat the pumpkin leaves, then we would say that no! You should not be letting them served with the leaves at all. This is because leaves are high in the calcium content and they can cause your pet to face the issues of bladder stones. It can be the same pain for the pet as it is for the human being. It would be better to let your guinea pig be served with the pumpkin after you have removed it from leaves.
You May Also Read: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Blueberries
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Pumpkin Puree?
It is also important to learn about the fact that can guinea pigs eat pumpkin puree! Yes, you can serve them but always remember the key element that it has to be in a moderate amount. You should only be serving them with the puree twice times in a week. If their body is reacting positively to the puree serving, then having them served as thrice times in a week would be best.
What If Your Guinea Pig Has Eaten an Extra Pumpkin?
If somehow accidentally your guinea pig has consumed the extra amount of pumpkin, then the best solution will be to take them to the vet expert instantly. Vet expert can help you to learn better about the serving amount of pumpkin and what kind of pumpkin parts are healthy and effective for your pet.
How Often You Should Feed Pumpkin to Guinea Pigs?
If you have finally decided to include the pumpkin in your pet diet, then you need to stay conscious about their quantity of serving as well. You should always start with the small bits pieces and that too twice or thrice times in one week. Exceeding this amount can bring some harmful effects on the health of the guinea pig. You can even get in touch with vet specialists to have more insight into the diet plan of guinea pig and serving of pumpkin.
You May Also Read: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Apples
FAQs
- Can guinea pigs eat pumpkin leaves?
They are perfect when your pet wants to hence nibble on it. But when it comes to serving you should not serve them all the time. This is because they are high in the content of calcium.
- Are pumpkin seeds healthy for a guinea pig?
No, seeds are not healthy for them. This is because it can damage their teeth or can hurt their throat at the time of chewing of swallowing.
- Can guinea pigs consume pumpkin skin?
Yes, they can eat the skin of pumpkin as it contains high nutrition.
- Can guinea pigs consume pumpkin rind?
It is healthy and excellent for the guinea pigs to eat the rind.
- Can guinea pigs easily eat pumpkin pie?
Pumpkin pie is include upon with a high amount of preservatives. It also include high sugar which makes it a bad option for your guinea pig.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Pumpkin? Final Conclusion
To sum up, the query of can guinea pigs eat pumpkin, we will say that yes, they can. You should let them be serve out with the pumpkin to enjoy its taste. But few parts of these food items should be cut down such as seeds or nuts.
Pumpkin is high in vitamin and nutrient amount. Hence therefore it can be a lot beneficial for your pet to eat it all the time. But still, make sure you keep its amount moderate.
Filed Under: Can Pigs Eat Tagged With: can guinea pigs eat pumpkin, can guinea pigs eat pumpkin seeds