The Squidgypig Guide to Bad Food for Guinea Pigs

Here is a brief list of the main bad foods you should never feed to Guinea Pigs.

Alliums: Onions, Garlic, Shallots, Chives etc:

• Alliums are toxic to Guinea Pigs.
• Alliums cause haemolytic anaemia, that concerns the abnormal breakdown of red blood cells.
• Most Guinea Pigs are instinctively wary of onions etc so will not touch them, but you really shouldn’t put them within reach.

Nightshades: Potatoes, Tomato Plants, Aubergine Plants, Pepper Plants etc.

• All parts of the standard potato plant (including the potato itself) is toxic to Guinea Pigs.
• This does not include sweet potatoes that ARE edible.;
• Although tomatoes, peppers* and aubergines are edible to Guinea Pigs their plants should not be fed.
• Members of the nightshade family contain the poison solanine.
• Solanine can cause fits, convulsions and heart failure.
• *Peppers – many people will remove the seeds due to bitterness and a possible choking threat, however I cannot find any suggestion that they are technically toxic.

Apple seeds, peach stones, cherry stones etc:

• All contain various degrees of the poison cyanide.
• This causes heart, lungs and central nervous system failure.

Iceberg Lettuce:

• Iceberg lettuce isn’t actually poisonous but contains so very little nutritious value that it’s a rather pointless food to feed.
• In addition to its low nutritious value, it’s high water content and low fibre content means it could cause diarrhoea if fed more than a small amount.
• Diarrhoea could lead to dehydration and death.

Dairy, Eggs and Meat Products:

• Guinea Pigs are herbivores (vegans) so should never eat any of these foods.
• They don’t even have the right teeth or digestive systems to process these products.
• All can cause severe digestive problems.

Please share this infographic post to any Guinea Pig lovers you may know;