Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for every living thing, including guinea pigs. Orange is a rich source of this vitamin. But can guinea pigs drink orange juice?
Guinea pigs can drink orange juice. But the juice must be natural, unsweetened, and diluted with water. Oranges are great for cavies. Guinea pigs can drink orange juice but because they have high sugar content, it’s advisable to give it dilute the juice. Moreover, if you are making the juice yourself, remove all seeds from the oranges before juicing to avoid complications with your pet’s digestive system. If your pet starts developing sores on the mouth, you should stop giving them the juice.
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Table of Contents
Is Orange Juice Safe For Guinea Pigs?
Pure orange juice is unsafe for cavies. It can only be made safe for Guinea pigs if it is natural and has no artificial flavor, sweetener, preservatives, or coloring. A great way to ensure that your cavy is nourished is by feeding them nutrients in liquid form. But you should serve them orange juice in very tiny amounts, around 1.5 ml/300g, so for example, if your cavy’s weight is ~900g, you can give her ~3ml of orange juice a day, which is 3/4 of a spoon. Excess citric acid can lead to health problems for your cavy. So, serve your pet orange juice in small quantities at a time.
Besides, orange juice contains a lot of sugar, and that is unhealthy for cavies. One small sized orange contains about 10g of sugar. According to an article published by the Kansas Academy of Science, your pet needs 1.5 ml/300g of orange juice for full-body protection. Remember: Your pet should only take unsweetened orange juice. Feeding sweetened and processed orange juice to your cavy could lead to diabetes.
If you have to give your pet some orange juice, it is advisable to mix the orange juice with water in 50:50 ratios before feeding it to your pet. However, the best liquid to give your pet if you really care is water. You should also talk to your vet before embarking on introducing orange juice to your guinea pig’s diet. If the doctor advises against it, kindly stick to the advice in order not to hurt your pet.
The best liquid to give your pet if you really care is water. You should also talk to your vet before embarking on introducing orange juice to your guinea pig’s diet. If the doctor advises against it, kindly stick to the advice in order not to hurt your pet.
You can serve orange juice to your cavy in very tiny amounts, around 1.5 ml/300g, so for example, if your cavy’s weight is ~900g, you can give her ~3ml of orange juice a day, which is 3/4 of a spoon.
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Orange Juice Benefits/Risks For Guinea Pigs
| Vitamin/Mineral | Amount in 3/4 spoon | Benefit To Guinea Pigs |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin-C | 1.3mg | Your guinea pig cant produces its own vitamin-C, so it's very important to contain it in its diet. The daily required vitamin-C is ~90mg. It will make your pet's immune system stronger. Vitamin C is required for making collagen. Collagen is required for maintaining blood vessel integrity, the formation of bone, and wound healing. Deficiency results in fragile blood vessels, leading to a hemorrhage of the gums and tissues in the mouth, skin, muscles, and internal organ surfaces. |
| Vitamin-A | 0.18mcg | To maintain normal tissue histology, and storage of vitamin A in the liver guinea pigs need a 23 µmol/kg diet or more. |
| Calcium | 3.5mg | Notice that normal adult guinea pigs should eat around 8g of calcium per day per kg of pellets. If A Guinea pig eats 1/8 cup of pellet each day, it means ~130mg of calcium each day. |
| Potassium | 60mg | May help reduce blood pressure and water retention, protect against stroke and prevent osteoporosis and kidney stones |
| Folate | 8mcg | Folate is one of the B-vitamins and is needed to make red and white blood cells in the bone marrow. |
| Protein | 0.25g | Increases your pet strength, lower the blood pressure, and speed-up the metabolism |
Can Guinea Pigs Drink Anything Other Than Water?
The best type of liquid to give to your cavy is water. You can give your pet fresh fruit juice mixed in equal portions of fruit juice and water. According to the ASPCA, artificial sweeteners are bad for your guinea pig’s health. So, never give your pet store-bought juice!
Moreover, adult cavies can’t drink milk. Baby guinea pigs have to rely on milk for the first few days after their birth. But as they grow, they gradually outgrow the need for milk. So, try not to feed your cavy any product that contains lactose as it could trigger severe health problems in them, ranging from diarrhea to death.
Bottom line, the best liquid to give your guinea pig is simply water. Try to avoid giving your cavy other types of liquids. You can give your pet limited amounts of juice as a treat but not more than that.
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Related Questions
Can Guinea Pigs Have Cranberry Juice?
Cranberry juice is nutritious for cavies. It helps in preventing the development of Urinary Tract Infection which is a common disease in cavies. Cavies have short legs, and that keeps them close to the ground. This makes them very susceptible to UTIs. If your pet has a Urinary Tract Infection, give her some unsweetened and diluted cranberry juice.
The juice can interfere with the progression of the UTI and help your pet feel a bit better till you can see the veterinarian. However, serve in moderate proportions. But note: Cranberry juice doesn’t cure a UTI. However, it could be helpful pending the time your pet will be able to access a veterinary doctor for proper treatment.
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Can Guinea Pigs have Apple Juice?
Guinea pigs can have apple juice. It appears apples are one of the most favorite fruits for cavies. You can also feed apples in small quantities as a snack to your pet. You can give your pet green or red apples, but the case is different with apple juice. Apple juices are often too sweetened or concentrated. If you want to give your guinea pig apple juice, you have to make fresh apple juice without any additive or sweetener, or coloring. It also has to be blended to a fine texture. Lastly, do not forget to dilute the juice with equal parts water.
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Can Guinea Pigs Drink Any Juice?
The answer to this is NO! Guinea pigs can only drink organic, unsweetened, and undiluted juices occasionally. You should avoid giving a guinea pig processed juice at all cost as it often results in severe health complications for them. Your pig’s diet has to be monitored and in line with their personal taste and digestive system.
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Final Thoughts
Finally, it is just very advisable to be cautious when feeding animals of any kind. It’s better to give your pet some organic fruits to complement the hay and other foods it is meant to eat. Guinea pigs can drink orange juice, but it is also essential to remember that your pet shouldn’t take food with high sugar. So, always dilute the juice with the same amount of water for your pet.
Also, ensure that the fruit is free from seeds and fruit peels. If you would like to give them juice, make sure it is unsweetened juice, organic, and dilute it with equal part water to reduce the sweetness.
In all, it is best to just give them fresh water for the liquid. If you are particular about including more vitamin C in your pet’s diet, you could dissolve vitamin C into the water as prescribed by your veterinarian.
