Can Guinea Pigs Eat Grapes?

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Published By: Martyn

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Grapes

Ever since you brought your new guinea pig home, have you been wondering can Guinea Pigs eat grapes?

Yes, guinea pigs can eat grapes! Grapes are a nutritious snack for guinea pigs and are high in antioxidants.

It’s important to know what types of grapes guinea pigs can eat. You’ll also want to know how many you should be giving them.

In this guide, you’ll find the answers to all of your questions when it comes to grapes being a part of your guinea pigs diet.

So, let’s get to it.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Grapes?

Your guinea pig can eat grapes, they’re not toxic to them and completely safe. Although ideally just give them red grapes.

Red grapes are more beneficial as they’ve got more antioxidants and less sugar than the green type.

Even though they’re safe, you don’t want to let your guinea pig eat too many grapes. This is because of the amount of sugar.

In 100g of grapes, theres 16.2g of sugar.

Too much sugar can cause digestion problems with your guinea pig, whilst also increasing the risk of becoming obese.

Don’t let this put you off. your guinea pigs can eat grapes, as long as you do have some portion control.

In fact, theres a decent amount of benefits to these being added as a tasty treat.

Do Guinea Pigs Like Grapes?

Its going to really depend on your Guinea Pig on whether or not they like grapes.

Some do and some don’t.

I’ve had guinea pigs that wont sniff them twice, but Molly and Millie love them.

To see if your guinea pigs like grapes, cut a few pieces up and just check if hey eat them. if they sniff them and have a few bites but no more than that then look for another fruit to give them.

You’ll know if they like grapes, as they’ll eat them all up.

Some great fruit alternatives include, strawberries, raspberries, apple and watermelon.

Are Grapes Good For Guinea pigs?

Grapes do have a lot of health benefits for Guinea Pigs. In fact they are one of few animals where grapes are not toxic.

Even dogs and cats shouldn’t eat grapes.

The Types Of Grapes

Types of grapes for guinea pig

I didn’t know but there are a lot of different types of grapes. I thought there was really only green and red with some slight variation.

Did you know there are nearly 8000 types of grapes? Crazy, right?

You get winemaking grapes, eating grapes as well as those that are dried and become raisins.

No matter which type, they all have some form of health benefit.

Which Grapes Guinea Pigs Can Eat?

In theory, Guinea Pigs can eat all types of grapes. Although you might prefer to give them a specific type over another.

It’s important to remember that non of the grapes are harmful, even the more sweeter variation.

So whether you want to give them green, purple or red grapes, they can enjoy them. The main thing is that when you give your guinea pigs grapes to eat, it’s a limited amount.

As already mentioned, green grapes are higher in sugar and have less antioxidants. Out of all of the grapes, these would be my last choice.

Purple grapes are a good choice as they have a high amount of antioxidants but lower sugar content.

I think the best grapes your guinea pig can eat is red grapes.

These grapes are better than any other type, with higher levels of antioxidants. They do also contain resveratrol.

Remember even though they do like all types, you should limit the amount of grapes they eat.

I aim to give mine around 1-2 grapes per week. This will help give them the goodness from the grapes but keep the sugar content lower.

High sugar impacts their digestion as well as cause them to become a lot more lazy. They can also cause obesity in guinea pigs, which is not good for their health.

The Nutrients In Grapes

I personally love grapes, sweet and incredibly refreshing. There are however some amazing benefits to sharing these with your guinea pig.

Like with other fruits, they’re full of nutrients.

In 100g of grapes, you’ll find the following nutrition.

  • Energy – 69 kcal
  • Protein – 0.72 g
  • Total lipid (fat) – 0.16 g
  • Carbs – 18.1 g
  • Dietary fiber – 0.9 g
  • Sugars – 15.5 g
  • Calcium – 10 mg
  • Iron – 0.36 mg
  • Magnesium – 7 mg
  • Sodium – 2 mg
  • Potassium – 191 mg
  • Vitamin C – 3.2 mg
  • Vitamin B6 – 0.086 mg
  • Vitamin A – 3 µg
  • Vitamin E – 0.19 mg
  • Vitamin K – 14.6 µg
  • Folate – 2 µg
  • Lutein + zeaxanthin – 72 µg

What Are The Health Benefits Of Grapes For Guinea Pigs?

Millie Eating Grapes

Giving your Guinea Pigs Grapes to eat can be very beneficial for their health. In moderation of course.

I wanted to go into detail on some of the benefits your Guinea Pig could see below;

Vitamin C

You may or may not know but guinea pigs are not able to produce their own Vitamin C. This is an important vitamin for them to have as it helps prevent them from getting scurvy.

Since they cannot produce it, they need to get it from their food. This is where grapes comes in, as it provides a good amount of Vitamin C.

Increased Energy

A healthy Guinea Pig should have plenty of energy. A lack of Vitamin B6 could make them less energetic. Grapes provides some additional Vitamin B6 to help give them more energy, meaning they exercise more and this prevents them from getting overweight.

Reduces Cholesterol

We all know that a high cholesterol is bad in humans, it can cause major heart conditions. Did you know cholesterol is also bad for Guinea Pigs? I sure didn’t

Grapes contain certain nutrients that help to reduce cholesterol levels in cavies. (1)

Improved Eye Health

Guinea Pigs eyesight is not the greatest at the best of times, however you don’t want it to get worse as they get older.

Grapes contain antioxidants and nutrients that help to improve your cavies eyes. Ensuring they remain healthy and reduce the chance of complications in their eyesight. (2)

Strengthens Bones

Grapes are a great source of resveratrol for your Guinea Pigs and this helps to improve their bone density.

There are other minerals in grapes that do help with overall bone health such as;

  • Calcium
  • Magnesium
  • Potassium

Protection Against Infections

As already mentioned grapes contain Vitamin C, which also helps to improve your guinea pigs immune system.

Guinea Pigs can be affected by bacterial, viral and yeast infections. By giving them grapes often, these can help improve their immune system and protect them from these.

Stops Free Radicals

Having too many free radicals in the body can cause your guinea pig to suffer from a number of diseases.

Grapes are jam packed full of free radicals.

Antioxidants are known for reducing the free radicals your guinea pig has. This will in turn help improve their health and help them to live longer.

It is however important that you feed them the skin and seeds of the grape, as thats where the most antioxidants are.

Improves Heart Health

Guinea pigs need a healthy heart to stay alive. If they have heart problems, they may die. That is why you must address the problem as soon as possible. After all, prevention is preferable to cure. Grapes are high in potassium, which maintains blood pressure at healthy levels.

Boosts Lifespan of Guinea Pig

A healthy balance diet is going to help increase your Guinea Pigs lifespan. Luckily, Grapes have a lot of the nutrients that your cavies need.

Promotes Healthy Digestion

Grapes do contain dietary fibre, which is going to help give your guinea pigs a healthy digestion.

Are Grapes Bad For Guinea pigs?

Grapes are a good choice for your Guinea pigs because they are full of antioxidants and other nutrients. However, they also have a lot of sugar, which can be harmful to them.

Sugar is a leading cause of sickness in guinea pigs. Diabetes, stomach upset, and obesity are just a few examples. You want to limit the amount of sugar your guinea pits eat.

There’s also a decent amount of calcium, which is good for young guinea pigs. However when they get older this should be reduced. Bladder stones are the result of too much calcium in adult cavies.

Kidney diseases are often thought to be associated with guinea pigs eating too many grapes.

I do still give my guinea pigs grapes, as the benefits do out way the risks. Although its important to just limit them, so your not giving your piggies too many.

How many grapes can guinea pigs eat?

You want to let your guinea pigs eat 1-2 grapes, these should be medium sized. They should be given these once per week. (Although if you’re giving other fruits then you may want to give them less)

Due to the sugar content, you really do need to keep an eye on how many you’re giving them.

They do offer some nutrients and also help to give them something different, perfect when you need to mix up their diet and have a bit of variation.

Just make sure you don’t feed them too much and they become a big part of their diet.

This can be hard if they particularly enjoy grapes and are a bit demanding for them.

Well worth mixing this with other fruits such as raspberries and strawberries.

Remember, your guinea pigs main diet should be hay and pellets. Vegetables can supplement this as they contain more minerals and vitamins.

Fruit should then be added as a weekly treat.

Can Baby Guinea Pigs Eat Grapes?

Yes baby or small guinea pigs are fine to eat grapes. Although they may not have had them before. So when you do give them grapes, keep an eye on the guinea pigs to make sure they are okay.

It’s not very common for them to see side effects, but you should keep an eye on them whenever adding something new to their diet.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Grapevines?

Personally I would not feed my guinea pigs grapevines or grape leaves. I’ve not seen anywhere to say that these are safe, so until there is evidence to back it up I would assume they are not safe.

Stick to the fruit itself.

Can guinea pigs eat grapes with seeds?

No, you should not let your guinea pig eat grapes with seeds. They should only eat the seedless variety.

They should not eat the seeded grapes for a couple of reasons.

The first is that your guinea pig has a digestion that is very delicate.

Another reason is because of the size of them. It’s very easy for the seeds to get stuck in the guinea pigs throat.

You can remove the seeds and give them the remaining grape and skin. It’s however much easier to just get the seedless ones.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Grape Skin?

Yes, Guinea Pigs can eat the grape skin. I would even recommend it over than the main fruit.

The skin has more nutrients than any of the rest of the grape.

Can Guinea Pigs Drink Grape Juice?

No, Guinea Pigs shouldn’t drink grape juice. Even though they can eat grapes, the grape juice is sweetened. This means it has a lot more sugar in it than the fruit. Plus the grapes have more nutrients and fibre in them than the juice.

Your guinea pigs only need to be drinking fresh water.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Frozen Grapes?

It might seem strange since they can eat grapes but guinea pigs can’t eat frozen grapes. This is because frozen grapes are going to be cold and this can cause them to get digestion problems.

Ideally they should only have fresh grapes. However, if you give them frozen ones, make sure they are fully defrosted first.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Cotton Candy Grapes?

I love cotton candy grapes, however because they are sweeter your guinea pig cannot eat them. A cup of grapes contains 15g of natural sugar, however the same amount of cotton candy grapes has 28g of sugar.

So with nearly twice as much sugar, they’re not healthy for your guinea pig to have.

It’s also worth noting that they don’t have any added nutrients to make them worthwhile.

So my advice, stick to normal grapes.

How to prepare grapes for your guinea pig?

Its really important that you prepare the grapes correctly for your guinea pig. Below I’ll give you a few tips on how to do this.

  • First you need to select the right grapes. You should get seedless grapes as these are easier for your guinea pig to eat and digest.
  • Once you’ve got the grapes, you need to wash them thoroughly. This gets rid of any pesticides or chemicals that may be on them.
  • After you’ve washed them, you need to cut them into small pieces. You don’t want to give your guinea pig a whole grape as they might choke on it.
  • And that’s it, you’re now ready to feed your guinea pig grapes!

You can feed your guinea pig grapes by hand or in a bowl. If you decide to feed them from a bowl then make sure it wont tip over.

If you’re going to hand feed them, then move slowly and let the guinea pig take the grape from your fingers.

Remember to only give them a couple of grapes at a time. And if they have any leftover grapes, remove these to prevent them from getting bacteria and making your piggie poorly.

Final Thoughts

>write a conclusion of this article mentioning that guinea pigs can eat grapesIf you’re looking for a tasty, healthy snack to feed your guinea pig and make them happy, then consider grapes. They can eat both the skin as well as seedless varieties of this fruit. You should however always wash these thoroughly before giving them to your pet so that they don’t get pesticides or chemicals on their food.

Grapes have a lot of nutrients that are great for your guinea pig’s health including Vitamins A, C and B6. Additionally, they’re a good source of dietary fibre which helps with digestion. Just make sure to give them in moderation as too much sugar can be bad for them.

If all this sounds good to you, then go ahead and try feeding your guinea pig grapes! Let me know if they like them in the comments below.

Martyn

I started my journey into the wonderful world of Guinea Pigs, when my 5 year old son wanted a pet. We spent many weeks and months deciding what type of pet to get him. This is when we fell down the rabbit hole of Guinea Pigs...

I had so many questions when we first started looking into them. Hours and hours of research has given me the answers. So I wanted to share what I've learned with you, to help you learn more about these amazing animals.

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