Can Guinea Pigs eat apples? Definitely yes!
Apples are one of the Guinea Pigs favorite foods, containing much-needed fiber, vitamin C and lots of antioxidants.
Fiber is important to give our Guinea Pigs a healthy digestive system and to keep bowels moving. Vitamin C prevents our Guinea pigs from getting scurvy. Antioxidants are excellent for the immune system and have many health benefits that help stop our Guinea pigs from becoming sick.
Are Apples Safe for Guinea Pigs?
It’s perfectly safe to feed your pet guinea pig apples. In fact, Apples make an excellent addition to a guinea pigs diet. Apples, in moderation, will help your Cavy get the extra vitamins and nutrients they need in their diets, including the all-important vitamin C, an essential part of a guinea pigs diet.
Guinea Pigs love apples, so it’s important to make sure you only feed small amounts to avoid them overeating. Apples, for all their goodness, do contain a high amount of sugar, which is bad for your Guinea Pig.
As we know, Guinea pig’s teeth grow constantly, so any foods that have a good amount of dietary fiber are not only good for the digestive system, and also help keep their teeth healthy.
TIP! Timothy Hay is another good source of dietary fiber, and should make a significant part of their diet.
We suggest you’re extra careful when feeding apples to baby guinea pigs. You should at least wait until they are eating solid food, and then only feed very small amounts to start off.
Can Guinea Pigs eat the peel, core or seeds of an apple?
In general, you can feed guinea pigs all parts of an apple, except the seeds.
Peel (Skin)
Guinea pigs can eat the apple peel. The apple skin provides fiber and nutrients that are very important in our guinea pigs diet. Most of the good stuff such as vitamins and minerals are found in the peel.
Choose unwaxed apples. Organic is always preferred but can be expensive.
Important note for Guinea Pig Owners. If you feed guinea pigs non-organic, Always make sure you wash the apples so they are clear of any pesticides and chemicals.
Core
Guinea pigs can eat apple cores but again, you must remove the seeds. The core is the most fibrous part of the apple, so letting your guinea pig chew on the core is great for their dental health.
Really, if you eat apple yourself, but not the apple core, why not give them to your pet instead!
Seeds (Pips)
Guinea Pigs must not eat the apple seeds; They’re not only a choking hazard but also contain Cyanide – which is very toxic.
In all honesty, the amount of toxins is very low indeed, and you or your pet would need to chew through plenty of seeds to be at risk of poisoning, but they probably don’t taste too great either so just remove them. But, if they end up eating the odd seed here and there, they should cause them any harm.
Leaves
Guinea pigs can eat apple tree leaves and even the branches. Guinea pigs are natural foragers and again, chewing on twigs from an apple tree is a great way for them to keep their teeth healthy.
And, no guinea pig will enjoy a rotten apple. Remove any uneaten remaining apple before it has a chance to turn rotten
Can Guinea Pigs eat any type of apple?
Cavys can enjoy all types of apples except the really sharp or sour ones like crab or cooking apples. Apples vary in taste and texture but you’ll piggy will let you know which ones they like best.
Green Apples
Green apples are perfectly fine. Green apples tend to be sharper and more sour than red apples. Golden Delicious are great as they have a sweet taste. Other popular choices are the Granny Smith.
Red Apples
Again, Guinea Pigs can eat red apples. Red apples are usually sweater so you might find they actually prefer them. Pink ladys are a favorite.
Cooking Apples
Cooking apples, such as Bramley, are not ideal – They are very sharp. Likewise the sour Crab apple. We were always told as kids to stay away from those!
Guinea Pigs must not eat cooking apples. Cooking apples are sometimes very tart and bitter giving the Guinea Pigs upset tummy, or worse constipation or vomiting.
Like ourselves, they like the apples to be fresh and ripe, not sour; guinea pigs dislike sour apples. They enjoy red or green apples but only in moderation and as a treat. Apples should not be used as a daily food source.
Apples have a high natural sugar content and too much sugar could cause obesity and painful stomach upset. One apple contains 18 grams of sugar, the equivalent of a human dessert!
Cooked Apples
Guinea pigs should not eat anything cooked.
Guinea pigs are used to foraging and eating cooked food is not natural for them, natural raw fresh fruits and veg is always best.
Also, avoid dried apple. Drying fruit increases the sugar content.
Can Guinea Pigs eat Apple Sauce
No, is the short answer to that. Guinea Pigs cannot eat apple sauce. It has a very high sugar content and not suitable for pets. The same goes for apple juice.
Introducing apple into your guinea pigs diet
As mentioned, apples are very high in sugar so should be fed to your pet in moderation, and in small quantities. Guinea pigs can also be very picky with their foods and they don’t always like every fruit or vegetable.
Start by feeding your guinea pig apple a small slice just once a week so you can check for any side effects, looking out for any change in behavior or change in their stools
When first giving apple to your guinea pig, cut the apple into small pieces, removing all seeds! You can either give your guinea pig the apple by hand depending on how comfortable your guinea pig is with you, or if you have a new guinea pig or baby guinea pig, leave the small pieces in their cage.
If your guinea pigs start to nibble on the apple that’s a good sign, they are enjoying the apple, or your pet may drag the pieces of apple into a hiding place to eat if shy or new.
Monitor how your Guinea pig is eating the apple over 24 hours, if it’s left maybe your little pet just does not like apple! Or maybe they are new to you, or in a new cage, in which case they are known to hide the food out of sight and eat when no one is looking.
But normally, they can’t get enough and will happily chow down without a care in the world.
How much apple should I feed my guinea pig?
You must remember apple is an occasional treat for your guinea pig, apples are high in sugar so can cause obesity and strain on your guinea pigs organs if they become overweight.
Apples are one of your guinea pigs favorite treats and they will really enjoy receiving apples, but not a whole apple! Apples must be cut into small pieces with all the seeds removed once or twice a week. All fruit should be fed in moderation.
Too much apple is not only bad for your guinea pigs waistline, but apples are also very acidic and excessive amounts eaten can have serious side effects for the guinea pigs.
Eating excessive amounts of apple could give your guinea pig’s mouth sores which are very painful.
You can check if your guinea pigs mouth for sore. A sore mouth is not just a result of excessive eating of apples, but sometimes from a build-up of food in the front teeth, which acidic apples may aggravate.
If you do notice soreness of the mouth, stop with fruit as a whole until the sores have cleared up. If your guinea pig stops eating, or it doesn’t clear up after a few days, consult a Vet.
Also, too much apple can also give your guinea pig diarrhea. If your pet suffers from diarrhea reduce the amount you feed and monitory until the stools have returned solid, or stop giving apples altogether if they really do not agree with your Guinea pig.
Apple Nutrional Values
| Vitamin C (Per 100g) | 4.6mg |
| Calcium (Per 100g) | 5mg |
| Sugars (Per 100g) | 10.6g |
| Salt (Per 100g) | <1mg |
| Phosphorous (Per 100g) | 10mg |
| Fiber, total dietary (Per 100g) | 2.5g |
Want to know what other fresh fruit and vegetables are good for your guinea pig’s diet? Check out our complete guide to what Guinea Pigs Can Eat
