Post by PigPog on Jan 27, 2008 19:22:34 GMT
Guinea Pig Treats
Many people like to give their pets a treat. This is great as long as you know what you're actually giving them. A treat intended to bring together guinea pig and owner may actually be having a negative affect on the health of your pet.
Fruit and vegetables
The best treats you can give to your guinea pig are fruit and vegetables. Always wash fruit and vegetables before offering to your guinea pig.
Fruit should generally be given as a treat and not as part of a regular diet. This is mainly due to the sugar or high water content present in fruit (very watery foods given too frequently can cause diarrhea). Remember, these are treats you can give, not foods you should give.
Apples
Red and green apples are both okay to feed in slices. Remove pips. Not cooking apples.
Apricot
Always remove the stones before offering to your guinea pig.
Cherries
Always remove the stones and stalks before offering to your guinea pig.
Melon
Very watery so only offer rarely. This is a good treat to offer during the hot summer months. Remove the skin and seeds before feeding.
Orange
Remove the peel and stringy bits before offering and only offer the segments.
Seedless White Grapes
These are high in sugar so only give as a small treat.
Strawberries
Can be sloppy so only offer rarely. Remove leaves before offering.
Commerical treats
Like fast food in humans, a lot of commerical treats are the junk food of the guinea pig world. Most brightly packaged commercial treats you can buy in pet shops are unsuitable to give to a guinea pig due to the ingredients they contain, including sugar, fat and large amounts of calcium. Some treats (such as berry sticks) contain seeds which can get stuck in the teeth and pose a choking hazard, and these are usually bound together with honey, which is also unsuitable.
If you want to treat your guinea pig to something from a pet shop, I highly recommend giving them "Excel Nature Snacks". Each stick contains dried grass, vegetable oil, and either dried dendelion, mint or nettle. The ingredients are basic and there are no additives or unnecessary items listed in the nutritional information on the packet.
Extract taken from my feeding guide at:
www.rodentswithattitude.co.uk/generalcare_feeding.html
Many people like to give their pets a treat. This is great as long as you know what you're actually giving them. A treat intended to bring together guinea pig and owner may actually be having a negative affect on the health of your pet.
Fruit and vegetables
The best treats you can give to your guinea pig are fruit and vegetables. Always wash fruit and vegetables before offering to your guinea pig.
Fruit should generally be given as a treat and not as part of a regular diet. This is mainly due to the sugar or high water content present in fruit (very watery foods given too frequently can cause diarrhea). Remember, these are treats you can give, not foods you should give.
Apples
Red and green apples are both okay to feed in slices. Remove pips. Not cooking apples.
Apricot
Always remove the stones before offering to your guinea pig.
Cherries
Always remove the stones and stalks before offering to your guinea pig.
Melon
Very watery so only offer rarely. This is a good treat to offer during the hot summer months. Remove the skin and seeds before feeding.
Orange
Remove the peel and stringy bits before offering and only offer the segments.
Seedless White Grapes
These are high in sugar so only give as a small treat.
Strawberries
Can be sloppy so only offer rarely. Remove leaves before offering.
Commerical treats
Like fast food in humans, a lot of commerical treats are the junk food of the guinea pig world. Most brightly packaged commercial treats you can buy in pet shops are unsuitable to give to a guinea pig due to the ingredients they contain, including sugar, fat and large amounts of calcium. Some treats (such as berry sticks) contain seeds which can get stuck in the teeth and pose a choking hazard, and these are usually bound together with honey, which is also unsuitable.
If you want to treat your guinea pig to something from a pet shop, I highly recommend giving them "Excel Nature Snacks". Each stick contains dried grass, vegetable oil, and either dried dendelion, mint or nettle. The ingredients are basic and there are no additives or unnecessary items listed in the nutritional information on the packet.
Extract taken from my feeding guide at:
www.rodentswithattitude.co.uk/generalcare_feeding.html