Do Guinea Pigs Eat Pistachio Nuts? Avoid These!

Do guinea pigs eat pistachio nuts? Well, these nuts may be loaded in nutrients, but they’re not ideal for guinea pigs. Although pistachio nuts cannot necessarily kill them, it’s best to avoid this kind of nuts.

Have you ever heard of pistachios? Are you familiar with these nuts? If not, then let me introduce them first. Read further so you will understand why this food is not good for guinea pigs. Also, let’s tackle the symptoms in case your guinea pigs are fed with pistachio nuts.

Let’s start!

Pistachio Nuts

Pistachio is a kind of nut that is famous worldwide. Most people eat it frequently. It is a close relative of cashew nuts, and it can be found mainly in Central Asia or near the Middle East.

These kinds of nuts are produced in countries like Iran, the United States, and Turkey. When you talk about nuts, it refers to the fruit from pistachio trees—a desert plant that can tolerate saline soil.

Pistachio trees can rapidly grow if they have good irrigation with three thousand to four ppm soluble saltwater. Pistachio nuts are commonly mixed with several unique dishes from different countries with a wide variation but are typically served as a snack. Now that you are familiar with pistachios, let’s answer in detail the question: can guinea pigs eat pistachio nuts? Aren’t they dangerous to their health?

 Why Pistachio Nuts Are Dangerous for Guinea Pigs?

Guinea pigs cannot eat pistachio nuts because they contain acid, sugar, fats, calcium, and fibers that may be of concern to your guinea pig.

A friendly piece of advice to all guinea pig owners, it would be better to keep away pistachios from your guinea pig. Prevention is better than cure, isn’t it?

Besides, any kind of pistachios can be hazardous to their health. Salted pistachios are just one of the few examples.

 Possible Effects Of Pistachio Nuts On Your Guinea Pig

Do guinea pigs eat pistachio nuts? As I’ve stated earlier, may it be pistachio or any nuts, they are quite dangerous to guinea pigs. However, they are not poisonous enough to kill them.

On the contrary, guinea pigs’ digestive systems are weaker and smaller compared to other animals. Their digestive systems cannot digest different types of foods at the same time.

Well, nuts can be very fatty for guinea pigs, and they don’t benefit from eating these nuts. Feeding your guinea pig some kinds of nuts, specifically, pistachio can increase the risk of having health-related issues.

Like any other nuts, pistachio has a high amount of carbohydrates, fats, and even calcium and phosphorus. These are very detrimental to your lovely guinea pig. And as you know, guinea pigs cannot produce vitamin C on their own. Thus, they need to eat healthy foods that have this kind of vitamin. However, pistachio nuts do not have a sufficient amount of vitamin C, which is very alarming. 

Eating pistachio nuts can cause the following problems in your guinea pigs:

• High chance of being obese

Pistachios contain a high amount of fat, tons of carbohydrates, and other calories that can make your guinea pig overweight. And we all know where it leads: Obesity. While you are here to know about guinea pigs, you can know about ideal Guinea pig weight in this article. 

• Weak digestive system and diarrhea

Your guinea pig’s digestive system is fragile. Pistachio nuts have some contents which can destroy your pet guinea pig’s digestive system. It can also lead to sudden bloating, unwanted diarrhea, a painful stomach ache, gastrointestinal stasis, and several complications.

• Stone formation in gallbladder or kidney

Pistachio nuts have many acids and Calcium that guinea pigs cannot process well since they are natural herbivores. Giving these nuts to your guinea pig for consecutive days will probably end up depositing Calcium in its kidney, bladder, and might form stones as well.

• Allergic reaction

Some contents of pistachio nuts can trigger allergies in your guinea pig. If your pet experiences allergic reactions from pistachio nuts, it can show sudden itching, endless sneezing, and breathing difficulties after being fed with nuts.

• Urinary tract complications

Pistachio nuts contain large amounts of carbohydrates and protein. And guinea pigs have high sensitivity when it comes to these contents, making it difficult for them to digest the nuts. Thus, pistachio nuts are not recommended for your guinea pig.

• Harmful to its nervous system

A guinea pig’s joints can be easily impaired due to the amount of vitamin A and folic acid found in pistachio nuts. If this occurs, they will experience difficulty in their nervous system to function normally.

• It can choke them to death

Pistachios can be compared to small seeds that may look harmless but carry grave danger. If you feed your guinea pig with pistachio nuts, there is a high chance for them to accidentally swallow the nuts while they are not yet finished chewing. As a consequence, it would probably find its way straight to their throat. Indeed, pistachios can choke a guinea pig to death.

Such harmless-looking acts sometimes leave pet owners wondering why did my Guinea pig die?

• The risk of producing enzymes that can be harmful

Giving pistachio nuts to your pet can be lethal to their vulnerable digestive system because it can produce harmful enzymes in the body. You won’t like to know what these enzymes can do to your guinea pig. It would be lethal sometimes.

Pistachios or whatever kind of nuts are not considered to be an option to feed to your guinea pigs. A lot of health issues can start from offering a pistachio nut to your guinea pig.

The bottom line to this is that you shouldn’t feed pistachio nuts to guinea pigs because it would always affect your guinea pig’s health, which can even put its life on the line.

Symptoms To Consider In Case Your Guinea Pig Ate Pistachio Nuts

If you’re starting to notice some particular changes in your guinea pig, don’t hesitate and immediately visit a veterinarian. Here are the common symptoms that can be seen:

• Watery stool
• White and milky urine
• Breathing problems
• Itching

First, your guinea pig starts having a watery stool. Then it can also take hours before it releases its stool, which is not normal. Furthermore, having white, milky urine can also be a symptom to consider. Your guinea pig would also have some difficulty in breathing and itching.

The following symptoms can be easily observed if your guinea pig ate pistachio nuts, with or without your consent. As I always remind guinea pig owners like you, be attentive and bring your guinea pig to a veterinarian immediately you’re having suspicions like this.

Lastly, there are a lot of healthy foods out there that guinea pigs will surely like. It could be fresh hays, fruits, vegetables, or even chew toys.

Conclusion

Pistachio nuts are not the type of food that your guinea pig would enjoy eating. These are not safe for them and there are many better treats to give rather than pistachios.

As a pet owner, you should be keen on what food you are serving your guinea pigs. Make sure that it will be safe for your little one to prevent possible complications.

If your guinea pig has eaten a pistachio nut, keep an eye on it for some abnormal signs. If any signs appear, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Thank you for reading this article “Do guinea pigs eat pistachio nuts?”

Have a nice day!