Can Guinea Pigs Eat Kiwi? (How Much is Safe?)

Guinea pigs primarily eat dry food and hay, in addition to 1 cup of fresh vegetables daily to provide them with added vitamins and antioxidants that are crucial to their health. As an owner, you’ll be responsible for supplementing your guinea pig’s diet with suitable fruits and vegetables to keep him healthy.

How To Introduce Kiwi to Your Guinea Pig’s Diet

Simply put, guinea pigs can eat kiwi, but there are limitations to allowing your furry potato to dine on this fruit. Starting slow is essential, as you must judge how your pet handles the new addition to their diet.

Kiwi does offer many excellent health benefits when you provide it in moderation. It is packed full of nutrients that can positively impact your guinea pig’s well-being.

Start Slow

You’ll need to take it slow the first time you serve your guinea pig kiwi. Don’t give your piggy too much at once, as this can harm their health. While the daily serving of fresh produce should be about 1 cup, fruit should make up a very small percentage of this.

The best solution is to start with a teaspoonful-sized amount and see how your guinea pig does with it. You can then slowly increase the amount you serve.

Due to the high sugar content of kiwi, you should never feed it to your guinea pig more than once or twice a week, as it can lead to obesity and diabetes. However, when given in moderation, it offers many health and nutritional benefits.

Remove the Skin

When feeding your guinea pig kiwi, you’ll need to ensure you remove the skin. The skin’s rough texture can lead to choking. 

Additionally, there is the possibility that any chemicals or pesticides used in the growing process cannot be washed off the skin. Many believe they soak into the fibers of the skin, making it impossible to rid it of these toxic components. 

Therefore, it is safer to peel all the skin from the kiwi before serving it.

How Much Kiwi Can Guinea Pigs Eat?

Guinea pigs can have a single slice of kiwi once or twice a week. Kiwi is quite sugary, so it must be fed in moderation as part of a balanced diet. If your guinea pig is overweight, you may want to cut this amount down to once a week or less. Be sure to remove the skin and spread out the days that you offer kiwi.

Also, avoid feeding kiwi at the same time as other sugary fruits like grapes, cherries, mango, peaches, and plums to limit the amount of sugar in your piggy’s diet at one time.

Why Kiwi is Good for Guinea Pigs

According to the USDA, the following nutrients can be found in a 100 g serving of kiwi:

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	64 kcal
Protein	1.06 g
Fat	0.44 g
Carbohydrate	14 g
Fiber	3 g
Sugar	8.99 g
Vitamin C	74.7 mg
Calcium	35 mg
Phosphorus	34 mg
Magnesium	16 mg
Potassium	198 mg
Vitamin K	40.3 µg

As you can see, kiwi is a significant source of Vitamin C. This vitamin is essential to your guinea pig’s body tissues, as it helps them grow, develop, and repair. As with humans, it also helps to beef up their immune system to stave off illness. 

Calcium is also essential for ensuring that your guinea pig’s bones grow and stay strong. The older your pet gets, the more calcium he will need to maintain his bones and remain active. It is also critical for the proper function of the heart, muscles, and nervous system.

Potassium is excellent for regulating blood pressure and the heart. So, adding kiwi to your guinea pig’s diet will help prevent heart complications down the road.

Kiwi also contains a good amount of fiber which is crucial for keeping your guinea pig’s digestive system healthy and keeping food constantly moving through their GI tract. Soluble fiber also helps feed the beneficial bacteria in the gut, which works with the body to strengthen the immune system and fight off infections.

Additionally, kiwi contains some Vitamin K, which helps support bone health and proper blood clotting functions.

Kiwi is also rich in antioxidants which strengthen the immune system and help protect the body against harmful free radicals and oxidative stress.

Be Cautious When Serving Kiwi

While kiwi has many great health benefits, there can be some cause for concern when feeding it to your guinea pig. You’ll need to exercise caution, only offering it once or twice weekly in small amounts. 

Several downsides to providing your guinea pig kiwi can be avoided if you limit how much you offer them.

Limit the Amount of Kiwi Served

While providing excellent nutritional benefits, kiwi is full of sugar. Because of this, you should not feed your guinea pig kiwi every day. It needs to be an occasional treat offered no more than once or twice a week.

Obesity is rising with pets, and surprisingly enough, guinea pigs are no exception. The sugar content of the kiwi can boost your guinea pig’s weight gain and lead to further complications, such as diabetes. 

Fruit can be offered weekly, but you must be selective about which types you offer based on sugar content. Consider creating a fruit salad to mix things up a bit and provide variety, but keep the options with higher sugar content to a minimum.

Downsides To Feeding Your Guinea Pig Kiwi

We’ve already mentioned the sugar content as a downside to feeding your guinea pig kiwi. There are a few more that need to be considered. 

While calcium is essential for normal body functions and strong bones, it can also be harmful. Too much calcium can result in the development of bladder stones, which are exceedingly painful for your guinea pig. 

Additionally, the primary content of kiwi is water. While this can help with digestion and bowel movements, it can also become a problem. Too much water and fiber in the diet can sometimes lead to diarrhea, especially if fed in large quantities or introduced too quickly.

If your guinea pig is diabetic or very obese, you should avoid feeding him kiwi due to the sugar and carbohydrate content. There are plenty of alternatives you can offer in its place.

For a guinea pig with no health problems, offering kiwi in moderation will ensure that he does not experience any adverse side effects while getting all the benefits this fruit offers.

Mix It Up! 5 More Fruits to Add To Your Guinea Pig’s Diet

While fruits should remain a very small portion of your guinea pig’s diet, they can provide a range of vitamins and minerals in moderation. Here are 5 more great options you can consider adding to your guinea pig’s weekly menu:

Final Thoughts

Kiwi is an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals. It can be a fantastic addition to your guinea pig’s diet; however, it must be added in moderation.