Can Guinea Pigs Eat Cherries? Benefits And Risks

Yes, Guinea Pigs can eat cherries and enjoy various health benefits as well. 

Pet owners like to give a taste of their food to their pets sometimes. When eating fruit, one may think “Can guinea pigs eat cherries?” The question is answered in the affirmative, although it has some limitations. Before we answer that in detail, let’s first talk about cherries.

Cherries are sweet. Cherries are great. You can use them for garnish in a lot of dishes and desserts. However, small in size, these fruits are full of Vitamin C and many other nutrients.

Guinea pigs have a diverse selection for their diet. Though they commonly eat hay and seeds, your pets can also include fruits in their diet. These supply them with more minerals that aid in their digestion and immune system.

If you’re looking forward to incorporating cherries into your pets’ diet, then this article is for you. This blog will provide you with sufficient information about the fruits’ nutritional facts, edibility, and safety.

Keep on scrolling to know more!

3 Major Health Benefits Of Cherries

A healthy guinea pig is a happy guinea pig. Ensuring that they have a proper diet with enough nutrients will allow your pets to grow stronger and live a joyful life. That’s why, as a pet owner myself, I always make sure what is best for my pet, Ginger.

Guinea pigs are crazy about cherries. Once you offer it to them, they will instantly devour the fruit, without any hesitation. I can say that it’s true because my Ginger acts this way every time I give him cherries. He knows what he wants, and he’s cute to see that way.

In addition to this, several researched have been made to identify the benefits of cherries. Below are some of the nutritional advantages provided by eating this red fruit.

1- Good source of antioxidants

Cherries have enough antioxidants that are good at boosting and improving your guinea pig’s internal body activity. It also decreases the risk of several diseases like arthritis, cancer, and chronic heart diseases.

Furthermore, cherries also contain anti-inflammatory properties.

2- Good source of vitamin C

Guinea pigs can’t synthesize or store vitamin C that is important in preventing diseases and keeping the body healthy. Cherries happen to have a sufficient amount of this vitamin.

3- Cardiovascular benefits

Cherries contribute to regulating the level of cholesterol and glucose level of guinea pigs. It makes the heart function well and makes the guinea pigs’ metabolism active.

If you’re worried that your pet is susceptible to obesity, cherries can enhance your guinea pig’s blood sugar level, making them mentally and physically active.

 Other benefits

Eating cherries will ensure that your guinea pig will have a good night’s sleep. You can read more about guinea pig sleeping patterns at when do Guinea pig sleep. It also contains several nutrients such as carbohydrates and fiber to improve the guinea pigs’ strength and growth. If you want to read more about the growth of guinea pigs, you should give this article a read how big do Guinea pig grow

In addition to this, eating cherries can also maintain the length of teeth of guinea pigs.

Nutrition facts of cherries

Life is like a cupcake, and your pet is the cherry on top. Your guinea pig makes your life better and happier. It’s time to repay the happiness your guinea pig gave you by giving it a delicious slice of fruits that has enough nutrients in it.

A hundred grams of cherries contain 63 grams of carbohydrate, 12.8 grams of sugar,2.1 grams of dietary fiber, 0.2 grams of fat, and 1.1 grams of protein.

In addition to this, cherries also have essential vitamins such as thiamine (2%), riboflavin (2%), niacin (1%), pantothenic acid (2%), vitamin B6 (2%), folate (1%), choline (6.1mg), vitamin C (12%), and vitamin K (3%).

Furthermore, cherries also contain several minerals. It has 13 mg of calcium, 0.4 mg of iron, 11 mg of magnesium, 21 mg of phosphorus, 222 mg of potassium, and 0.1 mg of zinc.

If you’re wondering whether the nutrient level of sweet cherries differs from the sour one, the answer is yes. The latter kind of cherries contains 10.8 mg of vitamin C and 10% of potassium. Still, both types of cherries have enough nutrients to offer to your lovely guinea pig. 

With this in mind, you might be wondering if you could feed your pet cherries every day. We recommend that you should only give your guinea pig cherries three times a week.

For an adult guinea pig, one cherry is enough for a day. Meanwhile, for a baby guinea pig, you should consider giving only half of the cherry.

Risks to Consider when Feeding Cherries to Guinea Pigs 

Although you can avoid problems when giving cherries in the right amount, we still cannot prevent some complications. Here are some of the things that you should remember:

• Obesity

Obesity is the usual problem that guinea pigs always encounter because of too much calorie intake. Since cherries contain above the average amount of sugars, you should feed them as a treat and not a meal.

A guinea pig’s diet could contain fruits, vegetables(Cucumber for Guinea pigs), and hay. Give them treats occasionally to prevent obesity and a high intake of sugar.

• Diarrhea

Overfeeding or change in the diet of your pets can lead to diarrhea. If you want to give a new kind of fruit and vegetables, always see to it that you provide in small quantities slowly.

Feeding your guinea pigs above the recommended serving size can be harmful and may even cause death in the long run. You can know about different problems that can result in the death of your lovely pet by reading how did my Guinea pig die.

• Burned mouth

Cherries have acidic contents, and giving them to guinea pigs often may result in a sore mouth. You will notice that they are having difficulty eating even though they’re hungry. In some severe cases, it can develop into Cheilitis, which is deadly.

To ensure your pet’s safety, buy organic cherries not sprayed with pesticides or harmful chemicals.

• High fiber content

One cup of cherries contains an estimated 2.5 fibers. If consuming this is not controlled, constipation can happen.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Other Parts Of A Cherry Tree?

Nope. Only the fruit of a cherry tree, or the cherries themselves, should be given to your cavies.

The branches and leaves of a cherry tree are inedible and can pose significant harm to your pets. Moreover, the seeds and cherry blossoms are toxic as they contain traces of cyanide, which could significantly affect their health.

Make sure you buy seedless cherries more instead.

How Many Cherries Should I Give To My Guinea Pigs?

Cherries are healthy, but they could harm your pets if not given properly. Due to their high acidic content, we recommend you to feed them one piece per serving only. Feed them the fruit only once per week.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Canned Cherries Instead?

A simple answer would be: No. Canned cherries contain a lot of chemicals, preservatives, artificial flavoring, and sweeteners. These substances could harm your guinea pigs and affect their digestion and immune system.

Always choose fresh, organic, and seedless cherries when you’re planning to feed your pets.

Conclusion

Cherries are filled with vitamins and minerals and can give your pigs adequate nutrition and strength to their immune and cardiovascular system.

We hope you have gained useful information from the article “Can guinea pigs eat cherries?” and this information will help you improve the health of your lovely pet. 

Cherry-sh it!