If you’re the owner of a guinea pig, or are looking to get one, you may have found yourself asking, “can guinea pigs eat cucumber?” Read on for the answer plus more information on guinea pigs and cucumber.
Guinea pigs can eat cucumber as part of a balanced diet. Containing calcium and vitamin C, there are some benefits for your piggy.
If you’re thinking about getting a guinea pig for yourself or as a pet for the children in your family, they’re likely to make a good first pet. However, with any animal, it’s important to make sure you’re giving them the right food and nutritional value in their diet to keep them happy and healthy throughout their lives.
As little nibblers, guinea pigs love to get their teeth into their food, so exploring which vegetables are safe for them is a good idea. So, while we’ve established that they can eat cucumbers, we need to check that they actually like them!
Do guinea pigs like eating cucumbers?
Most guinea pigs will be partial to trying almost anything, including cucumbers, and it’s certainly a food that most owners find their little friend loves. But just because most guinea pigs like cucumber, that doesn’t mean that yours will.
Some guinea pigs are fussier than others and might seem to shirk foods offered to them, even if it’s something they supposedly like. Sometimes, the skin or seeds can be off-putting to them, but it’s only something you’ll find out if you actually try to feed it to them.
There is, as with many small rodents and pets of this size, a risk when it comes to the balance of their diet. We’ll cover this in our next section, but even if your guinea pig does like cucumber, you should always be careful to give it in moderation.
How to cut up cucumber for your guinea pig
The first thing to do when preparing cucumber for your guinea pig is to wash the cucumber to remove any dirt, bacteria or chemicals. You can then get to chopping this tasty treat for your little piggy.
Whether you want to try giving cucumber in slices or sticks is up to you. However, we recommend letting them try a small piece to begin with to gauge their reaction and to check they’ll enjoy the whole thing. If they do like it, you can give them a slice or stick every now and again.
If your guinea pig avoids eating the skin or only has an interest in the skin, then you can adapt accordingly to include or exclude certain parts of the vegetable. Carefully use a sharp knife to chop cucumber, but don’t give your guinea pig too much.
Can cucumber be bad for my guinea pig?
We’ve covered that some guinea pigs may not like cucumber, but could it actually be bad for them? The answer is, in small doses, no. Like most pets, a guinea pig needs a fine balance of vitamins and phosphorus, which is the main reason to manage your furry friend’s diet closely.
While the skin contains plenty of fibre, the flesh of a cucumber is more watery and will contain seeds. It’s important not to give your guinea pig too many seeds from a cucumber due to the nutritional value in them, but don’t panic if they do eat them.
The best thing to do to make sure your guinea pig stays healthy is to observe their bathroom habits. Because cucumbers contain a lot of water, they may give your pet an upset stomach, leading to diarrhoea. This can then create an issue around dehydration, so as we urged earlier, always give this food in moderation.
What should my guinea pig be eating?
So, we’ve established that cucumbers aren’t poisonous to your guinea pig, but what should they actually be eating? Well, for these little creatures, hay and grass are absolute staples of their diet.
Not only does hay give them plenty of the fibre they need – great for their teeth and their gut health – but it also acts as bedding for them. They really do love the stuff, so make sure they have access to plenty of it and then balance it out with some foods that contain enough vitamin C.
What shouldn’t I feed my guinea pig?
If you want to keep your guinea pig happy and healthy, it’s worth finding out which foods are not good for them so that you can avoid them altogether.
Here’s our list of fruits and veg to avoid giving your guinea pig due to their toxicity:
- Potatoes and potato tops
- Tomato leaves and stems
- Rhubarb
- Avocado
- Cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Seeds and pits from fruits
If you want to learn more about what you should and shouldn’t be feeding your guinea pig, we always recommend consulting your vet. They can give you professional, medical advice on what should make up your guinea pig’s diet and any supplements that may be useful to give them.
