Peas are a safe food to provide your guinea pig, so long as it in moderation. Many owners would go straight to thinking that because peas are small and healthy for humans, they can serve their guinea pig peas on a daily basis. However, this is not the case, and there are a few things to consider beforehand.
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Table of Contents
Peas Nutrition & The Benefits For Guinea Pigs
Peas can be very nutritional for your cavy’s health when provided adequately. They contain nutrients such as vitamin C, which is one that a guinea pig cannot produce on its own. Fresh veggies are a crucial part of a guineas diet for this reason, as they will need vitamin C to survive. Other vitamins peas come rich in are vitamins A, E, and K. All of these are incredibly beneficial for your guinea in the long run.
Most of these vitamins will provide some different benefits for your guinea pig. Vitamin C is beneficial when it comes to the prevention of diseases and other health issues. Add on the rest, and these make for one healthy treat when compared to other greens. However, never underestimate the power of variety, and ensure your cavy is not only relying on peas as daily nutrition.
Keep in mind; peas can become unhealthy if they are fed too much at once. They also contain sugar, calcium, phosphorus, and acids that could become unhealthy to some guinea pigs. Peas in the raw form typically contain around 5.6 mg of sugar, 5 mg of dietary fiber, and 5 mg of protein. All in all, peas are greatly beneficial to the health of your guinea when fed adequately.
All in all, peas are greatly beneficial to the health of your guinea when fed adequately.
| Vitamin/Mineral | Amount in 1/2 cup (80-100g) | Benefit To Guinea Pigs |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin-C | 40mg | 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 | 765IU | To maintain normal tissue histology, and storage of vitamin A in the liver guinea pigs need a 23 µmol/kg diet or more. |
| Calcium | 25mg | 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 | 244mg | May help reduce blood pressure and water retention, protect against stroke and prevent osteoporosis and kidney stones |
| Protein | 5.4g | Increases your pet strength, lower the blood pressure, and speed-up the metabolism |
| Zinc | 1.24mg | Helps your immune system and metabolism function. |
| Magnesium | 33mg | It plays several important roles in the health of the body and brain. |
| Vitamin-K | 24.8mcg | Vitamin K helps to make various proteins that are needed for blood clotting and the building of bones. |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.169mg | Vitamin B6 is a vitamin that benefits the central nervous system and metabolism. |
| Sugar | 5.7g | Try to avoid sugar as much as you can for your cavy |
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How Often Should Guinea Pigs Eat Peas?
Peas should only be provided in moderation, as the acids, sugars, calcium, and phosphorus could become too much for their systems to handle. Always be mindful of their portions when feeding a guinea pea. One cup of peas contains about 58 mg of vitamin C. Guinea pigs should typically need around 50-90 mg of vitamin C to ensure their health overall on a daily basis so this can be a great ingredient in their diet. Also, guineas must have peas mixed in with other greens to ensure they do not get too much calcium or sugars in their system. It would be best to feed them a half cup of peas every few days or even less. This mixed in with their daily diet will lead to significant benefits.
It would be best to feed them a half cup of peas every few days or even less.
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How Should I Serve My Guinea Pig Peas?
When serving peas to a guinea, it is best to ensure they are washed first and foremost. Next, you can begin feeding a single pea to them to see if they take it. If you see your guinea begin to eat it, then once they are finished with the first one, they can move to the second. Do this with around two pods of peas and a few times a week to ensure guineas good health. Frozen peas are provided practically the same way, however much slower. Guineas will need time to process the cold hard pea and take time to chew.
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Related Questions
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Frozen Peas?
While you certainly can feed frozen peas to a guinea, it is not recommended. A guineas metabolism will have a much harder time digesting frozen peas than regular peas, simply because the cold pea will take much longer to digest. Frozen peas also lose a lot of their nutritional value once they are frozen. If you are thinking about feeding peas to your guinea pig, it is best to keep them thawed and regular. Frozen peas provide no additional benefit and are much more difficult for guineas to take down. Regular peas will provide much greater health benefits.
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Can Guinea Pigs Eat Cooked Peas?
Guineas should not eat cooked peas or anything that is cooked, for that matter. Only ever feed peas or any food to your guinea raw. Cooked food is too toxic for your guinea, especially fried food. Humans typically eat peas cooked; however, for guineas, it is very unhealthy. If you feed cooked peas to your guinea, you could notice them become ill very quickly. It is best to seek vet care in this instance and let them know what they have eaten. Cooked food of any kind must always be kept far away from guineas to ensure their good health.
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Can Guinea Pigs Eat Sweet Peas?
Just as regular peas, sweet peas are perfectly safe! Guineas can eat these peas as they are rich in vitamin C, fiber, and carbohydrates. All extremely healthy for your guinea, these peas should be kept to only around two times a week. The one issue is that they contain a decent amount of sugar, even compared to regular peas. Too much of this will cause health issues, so stick to the regimen and only feed them sweet peas one or two times a week as a tasty treat.
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Final Thoughts
Peas are incredibly healthy and beneficial for your guinea to eat, especially when compared to what they could be eating. Peas contain various ingredients that can lead to significant benefits for a guinea pig if provided adequately. However, frozen and cooked peas need to be kept away from them as these offer no additional service and could lead to health issues. It is also important to note that this vegetable needs to be fed in a mixture with other greens and only moderately. Ensure they are sticking to their regular and healthy diet before going and introducing them to new foods such as peas, and they will remain healthy.
