Find out whether cilantro is safe for guinea pigs.
Figuring out safe and healthy guinea pig veggie options can be a bit overwhelming. There’s a lot of discussion about Cilantro in particular, and whether it’s safe for guinea pigs. Let’s find out whether guinea pigs can eat Cilantro!
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Basic Guinea Pig Diet
It’s important to understand the basic diet of a guinea pig when feeding veggies. It can be hard to feed a healthy and balanced diet if you don’t understand the basics of what a guinea pig needs.
The majority of a guinea pig’s diet – at least 80% – should be good quality hay! Timothy and orchard grass are usually the favorites. This is extremely important for piggies and should be the top priority.
Next, they should also get a small amount of healthy pellets. The general rule is to only feed 1/8 cup per guinea pig per day. Pellets shouldn’t have any extras added in, so no corn, seeds, or colorful pieces. A few good pellet brands are Oxbow Garden Select Adult Guinea Pig Pellets and Small Pet Select Adult Guinea Pig Pellets.
Last but not least, veggies! Veggies should be about 10-15% of your guinea pig’s diet. You’ll want to provide a balanced variety of vegetables to keep your pet happy and healthy.
Guinea Pig Veggies
Providing a variety of veggies is important to make sure your guinea pig is getting the nutrients they need. I have a full blog post on veggies for guinea pigs, but here’s a quick basic overview of the main things to consider when feeding veggies.
Calcium is something that guinea pigs need in their diet, but you don’t want to provide too much up. Too much can make your piggy more likely to get bladder stones, which are never fun. Some veggies are higher in calcium, so should be fed on a more occasional basis. Things like parsley and mustard greens are high in calcium.
Some veggies are also higher in sugar than others. While some sugar isn’t bad, you don’t want to be loading your guinea pig up on high sugar veggies or they could be overweight or have health problems down the road. Carrots and cucumbers both have higher levels of sugar.
Some vegetables are also more likely to cause bloat than others. Things like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower are more likely to cause bloat, so they should be fed very rarely, if at all. Bloat is a major health emergency and should be avoided.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Cilantro?
The short answer is yes, they can!
However, you don’t want to just add a bunch of veggies into your guinea pig’s diet without looking into their nutrition. Certain veggies are healthier than others. Some veggies shouldn’t be fed every day and some should only be used as treats.
Cilantro is a safe and healthy vegetable that actually can be fed to your guinea pigs on a daily basis. There was a common misconception for a while that Cilantro was high in calcium – but it’s not any higher than lettuce! It’s also not too high in sugar and doesn’t put your piggy at risk for bloat. This is a great daily option to give your pet some variety.
Make sure to grab my FREE guinea pig veggie list to take the confusion out of veggie time!
Final Thoughts on Cilantro for Guinea Pigs
Test out Cilantro with your piggies and see how they like it! It’s a great safe and healthy option you can feed every day without worry.
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