Mango is a nutritious tropical fruit enjoyed by a lot of people around the world. But when it comes to guinea pigs, can they eat mango?
Let’s find out from this article.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Mango?
Guinea pigs can eat mango, One or two bite-size pieces of mango are served once or twice a week as a treat. Mango is a great source of Vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for your guinea pigs’ health. They also contain a high amount of sugar. This can cause diarrhea and vomiting in guinea pigs.
Mango Nutrition Facts
Mango contains vitamins and minerals which are important for the overall health of your guinea pigs.
Here is a list of the nutritional values of one cup of mango(165g) mango according to the United States Department of Agriculture(USDA):
- Calories: 99 kcal
- Calcium: 18.2mg
- Sugars: 22.2 mg
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 2.64g
- Sugars: 23g
- Protein: 1.4g
- Vitamin C: 60mg
- Vitamin E: 1.5mg
- Potassium: 277mg
Benefits of Mango for guinea pigs
There is no doubt mango has a lot of benefits due to its nutritional content. Mango is full of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins.
These play an important role to keep your guinea pigs healthy and happy.
Here is a list of the benefits of mango:
Vitamin A
Mango is a good source of vitamin A. It is good for their skin health, coat, and muscles. It salo a great immune booster. Vitamin A is also found in foods such as apples, carrots, watermelons, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 helps to stabilize the blood sugar of guinea pigs. It is a great help for guinea pigs with diabetes. They can be found in foods such as broccoli, watermelon, banana, spinach, and carrots.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an important vitamin in the daily diet of your guinea pigs. Your guinea pigs like humans don’t make this vitamin. It is mainly derived from their food. So feeding your guinea pigs is one way through which they can get Vitamin C to augment their daily requirements.
Vitamins C helps to boost immunity and joint health. They can also be found in watermelon, strawberries, broccoli, papaya, and spinach.
Lack of Vitamin C has been linked to a condition called Scurvy.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E in mango helps with circulation and muscles. It also aids digestion, cardiovascular health, and immune health and delays aging. Can be found in spinach and soybeans.
Potassium
Potassium helps with the proper functioning of the heart, muscles, and nerves. Some potassium foods are watermelon, apples, and carrots.
Calcium
Mango has a small amount of calcium which is beneficial to young growing guinea pigs. It is good for pregnant guinea pigs.
For adult guinea pigs, you must restrict the intake of calcium. Too much calcium can lead to bladder and kidney stones.
Fiber
Mango has some amount of fiber. Fiber is good for the digestion health of guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are herbivores. So they need a large amount of fiber in their diet. They get a large portion of it from hay.
Risks feeding your guinea pigs Mango
Mango as you know is packed with vitamins and minerals. These have great benefits for your guinea pigs.
On the other hand, mango has high sugar content. This makes it a bit risky for your guinea pigs. So you must watch the amount you are giving to your guinea pigs.
Here are the risks of feeding your guinea pigs mango:
Digestive issues
Mango contains a high amount of sugar. Your guinea pig’s sensitive digestive can’t handle a large amount of sugar.
Too much sugar leads to diarrhea and vomiting. So feed guinea pigs mango in moderation.
How many mangoes should you give your guinea pigs?
The portion size of mango you feed your guinea pig is important. You don’t want to feed them too many mangoes so they end up with ill health.
You should serve small bite-size pieces of mango one or two times a week.
How To Prepare And Serve Your Guinea Pigs Mango
To prepare and serve mango to your guinea pigs, we have outlined a list of instructions for you to follow.
Here is the list:
- Buy a ripe organic mango if you can afford it. If not buy a sweet ripe mango. Don’t use a rotten mango.
- Wash the mango properly before serving it to your guinea pigs. This is to remove any residual pesticides or harmful chemicals on the mango. Most poisoning in animals is caused by pesticides. So make sure you avoid harming your guinea pigs because of pesticides.
- Peel off the skin and dispose of them. Never feed guinea pigs mango skin. They do have any nutritional values for your guinea pigs.
- Mango should be cut into smaller sizes. The sizes should be such that your guinea pigs can easily eat. This is to prevent any choking risk.
- Serve mango in a food bowl. Remove any leftover mango from the cage to prevent your mango from attracting any unwanted bacteria.
Remember to feed your guinea pigs mangoes in moderation.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Mango Every Day?
It is true mangoes are excellent sources of vitamins. This includes Vitamin A, vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and vitamin E. These are very beneficial for your guinea pigs’ health.
So should your guinea pigs eat mangoes every day? Guinea pigs shouldn’t eat mangoes every day because of the high sugar content.
Mango should be fed in moderation. One or two bite-size pieces of mango should be served once or twice a week as a treat.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Mango Skin?
Guinea pigs shouldn’t eat mango skin. The skin may have residual pesticides which can impact the health of your guinea pigs.
The mango has no nutritional value compared to the flesh.
So you must peel off the skin before feeding guinea pigs mango.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Mango Leaves?
Guinea pigs shouldn’t eat mango leaves. The leaves could contain residual pesticides which are a danger to your guinea pigs.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Frozen Mango?
Guinea pigs shouldn’t be fed frozen mango. frozen mango is too cold for your guinea pig’s digestive system to handle.
Frozen mango’s nutritional value tends to reduce during the freezing period. So it is safer to feed your guinea pigs fresh mango.
Feed in moderation due to the high sugar content in fresh mango.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Canned Mango?
You should never feed guinea pigs canned mango. Canned mango is processed and contains added sugar and preservatives.
These can be huge risks to your guinea pig’s health.
Always give your guinea pigs fresh mango. Remember to feed in moderation.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Dried Mango?
Guinea pigs can’t eat dried mango. Dried mango has a high amount of sugar. Your guinea pig’s digestive system can’t handle sugar. This can lead to digestive issues such as diarrhea.
Dried mango has been processed and contains preservatives. These preservatives can harm your guinea pigs.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Mango Seeds?
Guinea pigs shouldn’t be fed mango seeds. Mango seeds are large and can pose a choking risk if fed to guinea pigs.
So Guinea pigs should not get fed any type of seeds.
Can Guinea Pigs Drink Mango Juice?
Guinea pigs shouldn’t drink mango juice, Mango juice is the squeezed juice from the mango fruit. The juice contains a high amount of sugar.
Guinea pigs’ fragile digestive systems can’t handle too much sugar. This can lead to digestive issues such as diarrhea.
So you don’t want to put your guinea pig’s health in danger by providing mango juice.
The best drink to offer a guinea pig is fresh and clean drinking water. Remember to always change their water after every 24 hours
Final Thoughts
So can Guinea pigs eat mango? Yes, guinea pigs can eat mango but in moderation. Mangos have a high amount of vitamins and minerals that are of benefit to your guinea pigs,
Mango contains a high amount of sugar. Too much sugar can cause diarrhea and vomiting in guinea pigs.
Mangoes are known to contain a high amount of vitamin C. This is an essential vitamin for your guinea pigs.
You must always feed your guinea pigs fresh mango. Don’t feed guinea pigs mango skin, mango seed, canned mango, frozen or dried mango.
Feed your guinea pigs one or two bite-size pieces of mango once or twice a week as a treat. Remove leftover mango from your guinea pigs cage after feeding.