Make Guinea Pig Treats

Guinea pig treats sold at pet stores often contain more fat, sugar, or other unhealthy ingredients than a guinea pig can safely eat. Some are even made from ingredients that guinea pigs can't digest, such as yogurt.[1] Guinea pigs do not have the same tastes or needs as humans, and they will go crazy over something as simple as daily treats of vegetables and/or fruits, as well as simple homemade treats.

Steps

Adding Variety to Your Guinea Pig's Diet

  1. Feed your guinea pig vegetables as treats. Though guineas should really get vegetables every day, your guinea will likely see them as treats. They love digging into fresh vegetables.[2]
  2. Make greens the bulk of your guinea's diet. Romaine lettuce and spinach are a great base for your guinea's treat. Your guinea pig should have a cup of vegetables and fruit a day, and greens should make up most of that cup. In fact, most days, it can just be greens.[3]
  3. Add in other vegetables. You can add pieces of zucchini, sweet potato, parsley, and carrots as toppings. However, don't make them the bulk of their diet, and change up what you feed your guinea pig from day to day. Try to only feed other vegetables a couple of times a week. Any vegetable if feed to excess (every day) can potentially cause problems. For example carrots are high in oxalate, which if fed daily can predispose the GP to developing oxalate bladder stones. A good rule of thumb is to never feed the same food two days running, which prevents mineral build-up.[3]
    • You can also feed your guinea pig asparagus, basil, carrots with tops or without, celery, chicory, cilantro, eggplant, cucumber, dill, parsley, parsnips, radishes, rocket, bell peppers, turnips, tomatoes, and watercress.[4] Remove seeds when possible.
    • Skip rhubarb, potatoes, and tomato leaves completely, as they contain substances called alkaloids which are toxic to guinea pigs.[5]
    • Feed a limited number of vegetables in the cabbage family, such as cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and cauliflower, as it can cause your guinea pig to bloat. Only offer these once in awhile in small amounts.[6]
  4. Limit fruit to a few times a week. While guinea pigs can eat fruit, they should only eat in small doses because of the high sugar content. You can feed your guinea pig a wide variety of fruits, but try to remove the seeds when possible.[7]
    • You can feed your guinea pigs apples and pears in small slices (with peels), berries such as blueberries and blackberries, citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruit, melons such as cantaloupe and watermelon, kiwi, mango, peaches, nectarines, and plums. Banana is also fine in limited amounts.[7]
    • You can also give them dried fruits such as apricots and dates, but only give them in small pieces as they are high in sugar.[7]
  5. Satisfy your guinea's need for vitamin C. Guinea pigs cannot produce vitamin C on their own, so you need to provide it in their diet. You can give them a quarter of an orange, for instance, or add bell peppers or asparagus, though leafy greens also provide vitamin C.[8]
  6. Rinse all food thoroughly. Rub the fruits and vegetables under running water to remove bacteria, pesticides, and other harmful substances from the surface. To be safe, wash home-grown vegetables, as well, since car exhaust and other particles in the air can gather on vegetation.[9]
    • Don't dry the food off. Leaving the water on it gives your guinea pig more fresh water.
    • Greens don't need to be chopped. You can leave leaves whole, but pull them off the stalks. If you feed the stocks, you need to treat them as you do other vegetables by chopping them.
  7. Remove seeds. It's usually best to remove seeds from fruits and vegetables, as they aren't always good for your guinea pig. That includes tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and apples.[9]
  8. Chop vegetables and fruit into bite-sized pieces. Chop the treats into chunks to make them easier for guinea pigs to eat. This step is especially important for stringy vegetables such as celery; its stringiness can cause the guinea pig to choke if it's not small enough. Therefore, make sure you slice up celery small. For other vegetables, human-sized bites are fine, even slices of cucumber.[9]
    • For extra fun, you can present it as a salad in a bowl.
  9. Remove any uneaten food. Uneaten food quickly spoils. Make sure to take it out of the cage after an hour so that your guinea pig won't get sick.[9]
  10. Make hay more interesting. Your guinea pig needs hay for digestion. However, to make it a bit more fun, you can stuff it in a cardboard toilet paper tube. Your guinea pig will have fun pulling out of the tube.[3]
  11. Add oats to pellets. You can also add a small scoop of rolled oats to their regular pellets. The oats make the food more interesting, and your guinea pigs will see it as a treat.[3]

Making Treats You Can Freeze

  1. Gather your ingredients. You'll need 2 carrots, 3 cucumbers, 1 wedge of apple (minus seeds), and 1 cup of water. You can leave the seeds in the cucumber.[3]
  2. Wash and slice the vegetables and fruit. Make sure you thoroughly wash the vegetation to remove any pesticides. Cut it into large chunks.[3]
  3. Blend the vegetables and fruit together. Stick the chunks in a blender. Blend the mixture until it is smooth.[3]
  4. Freeze the treats. Pour the mixture into an ice tray. Make sure you cover it with plastic wrap before you freeze it. Once the treats are frozen, you can pop them out and put them in a plastic bag to freeze again.[3]
  5. Let the treat thaw in a bowl. The main purpose of freezing the treats is to preserve them. However, your guinea pig shouldn't eat the treat too cold, as it can hurt it's teeth. It may also get an upset stomach. Let it thaw out at room temperature in a bowl until it isn't very cold.[3]

Making Baked Treats

  1. Gather your ingredients. You'll need 1 cup of oat flour, 1 cup of guinea pig pellets, 2/3 a cup of vegetable broth or water, 6 tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil, and 2 tablespoons of honey. Because these treats contain honey and oil, you should only give them occasionally.[5]
    • You can add other ingredients to this recipe, such as grated fresh vegetables. Carrots and parsley are good options or even spinach.[5]
  2. Preheat the oven. Turn the oven on 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You want it to be ready once you're done mixing.[5]
  3. Mix the ingredients together. Stir until the mixture starts to form a dough. It needs to be solid enough to roll out.[5]
  4. Roll out the dough. Once a dough has formed, roll out into a flat sheet. You can either use a knife to cut small squares, or you can use cookie cutters to cut small shapes. Just remember you want these treats to be fairly small.[5]
  5. Put the treats on a baking sheet. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Lay the treats out, spaced slightly apart.
  6. Bake the treats. Put the treats in the oven. Leave them in there for 20 minutes, until the are solid. Turn off the oven, leaving the treats inside until the oven cools down.[5]
  7. Freeze the treats. The best way to keep these treats is to freeze them. However, remember to let the treat come to room temperature before feeding it to your guinea pig.[5]

Knowing What Foods to Skip

  1. Skip certain vegetables. As mentioned earlier, you shouldn't feed your guinea pig rhubarb, potatoes, and tomato leaves.[9] You should also skip hot peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic, bok choy, and pickled vegetables. The salt content in pickled vegetables is very high.[7] Also avoid iceberg lettuce, as it can upset their stomachs.[9]
  2. Don't offer them avocado or coconut. These food are too high in fat to make a good guinea pig treat. More importantly, avocado can be toxic to many pets, causing health problems or even death.[10]
  3. Avoid meats. Guinea pigs do not eat meat. They are herbivores. Therefore, do not offer them meat, as their bodies are not made to process it.[7]
    • Similarly, do not give them any dairy products, as they are derived from animals.[9]
  4. Don't feed them nuts and seeds. While guinea pigs may eat these and enjoy them, small sharp objects like this have the potential to cause cuts or choking hazards.[9] A few small seeds mashed into a treat might be okay, but when in doubt, don't risk it. Always avoid seeds with the husk still attached, such as sunflower seeds.
  5. Always check with your vet if you're not sure. If you aren't sure whether a particular treat is good for your guinea pig or not, ask your vet. She can help you decide whether it is safe or not to feed it to your guinea pig.

Tips

  • Guinea pigs may enjoy an assortment of vegetables to choose from.
  • Guinea pigs also enjoy hay, which should always be provided 24/7.
  • Always make sure to buy pellets with added vitamin C.

Warnings

  • Make a small quantity of a new treat to begin with, in case your guinea pig doesn't like it. In addition, too many new foods at once can cause an upset stomach.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.guineapigcorner.com/treats
  2. ↑ http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/guinea_pigs/tips/guinea_pig_feeding.html
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 http://ontariospca.ca/blog/diy-treats-for-small-pets/
  4. ↑ https://www.pdsa.org.uk/taking-care-of-your-pet/small-furries/diet
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 http://www.birdandsmallanimalrescue.com/rabbit-treat-recipes/
  6. ↑ http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/guinea_pigs/tips/guinea_pig_food_choices.html?credit=web_id83480086
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 http://www.guineapigmanual.com/guinea-pig-eating/
  8. ↑ https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/small-pet-care/guinea-pig-care
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/fruitandveg.html
  10. ↑ http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/people-foods-avoid-feeding-your-pets

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