When you have a Guinea pig, you are concerned about what to feed them. What about cheese, though? Can Guinea pigs eat cheese? Cheese is a favorite ingredient of many meals and snacks, whether in sandwiches, melted on pizza, or served on top of crackers. When they are permitted to wander outside their local home, you never know what they do. They adore being handled and will never pass up an opportunity to eat something delicious.
On the other hand, your guinea pig should not consume anything you would eat. Cheese, for example, should not be given to guinea pigs. Even though cheese isn’t the healthiest meal, we humans strongly prefer it.
You probably think you can share some cheese with your cavy because many pets can eat it. If you’re looking for a quick answer, we have one for you: No! Cheese is not recommended for guinea pigs.
Continue reading to need all about “can guinea pigs eat cheese?”
Table of Contents
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Cheese?
No, guinea pigs shouldn’t eat cheese. Guinea pigs, sometimes known as cavies, are tiny creatures endemic to the Andean area of South America. Since 5000 BC, they have been domesticated.
A guinea pig is a crepuscular mammal, meaning that it is most active around dawn and twilight.
Furthermore, a guinea pig is a herbivore that cannot absorb massive amounts of protein. Guinea pigs vary from hamsters in that they are omnivores who eat plants and small insects.
In reality, guinea pigs cannot consume dairy cheese and other products due to their inability to digest them. They lack the enzyme lactase, which helps digest lactose, found in all dairy products.
Furthermore, cheese is high in calcium, lipids, and salt, which can harm a guinea pig’s health. As a result, because cheese is an artificial, processed food product that was never part of guinea pigs’ natural diet, it is not recommended to offer it to them.
Cheese Nutritional Stats
The nutritional stats of cheese are the following:
- fat
- protein
- omega-3
- fatty acids (grass-fed varieties only)
- magnesium
- calcium
- phosphorus
Cheese Nutritional Facts
The nutritional facts of cheese are the following:
- Fiber – 0
- Carbs – 1.3g
- High in calories – 403
- Protein – 24.9g
- Fat – 33.1g
- Sugars – 0.5g
- Vitamin A – 20%
- vitamin C – 0
- Vitamin D – 3%
- Thiamin – 2%
- Vitamin E – 1%
- Vitamin K – 3%
- Riboflavin – 22%
- Vitamin B6 – 4%
- Vitamin B12 – 14%
- Pantothenic acid – 4%
- Calcium – 72%
- Iron – 4%
- Phosphorus – 51%
- Sodium – 26%
- Selenium – 20%
- Manganese – 1%
- Cholesterol – 105mg
Health Benefits Of Cheese For Guinea Pigs
Cheese is inedible to guinea pigs. Feeding cheese to your guinea pig will develop gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea, vomiting, stomach discomfort, and flatulence. There are no health benefits of cheese for guinea pigs, like:
Obesity
Obesity is a kind of malnutrition that occurs when the guinea pig consumes too many calories. Do not mistakenly believe that your pet’s growing girth indicates that they are well-fed.
It’s still possible that the guinea pig is low in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, especially if it’s been given cheese for an extended time. Changing guinea pigs’ diet, rather than lowering the amount you give it, is the best way to treat your overweight pet.
It means switching from cheese to a greener, more natural choice like vegetables, fruits, and hay, all of which include the nutrients your guinea pig requires.
In addition, by putting your cavy on its exercise wheel, you may boost the amount of physical activity your pet gets regularly. As a type of positive reinforcement for excellent conduct, reward it with a delightful low-calorie snack every time it participates in an activity.
The guinea pig will lose weight more regularly if she reduces her calorie intake while boosting her energy production.
Gastrointestinal Issues
The first step in treating these symptoms is to examine your guinea pig’s feces. Your guinea pig’s stool might reveal a lot about the problem they’re having based on its form, consistency, and odor.
Second, you must eliminate all dairy-derived items from your guinea pig’s diet. Whether the problem persists, you should take your guinea pig to the vet to see if they have bacterial overgrowth in their intestines.
The vet will do a bacterial culture to detect the bacterium strain to give an exact antibiotic prescription.
In addition to medicines, it would be beneficial to change their diet with drier variations such as hay, rather than more liquid variants such as cabbage or lettuce, to facilitate stool production.
Finally, make sure your guinea pig’s bottles are full of fresh, clean water so we can prevent dehydration from excessive fluid loss due to diarrhea or vomiting.
Heart Disorders
Consumption of high-calorie foods such as cheese and other dairy products over an extended period can result in cardiac issues such as congestive heart failure, heart attack, and stroke.
Due to their heart’s inability to pump adequately, guinea pigs with cardiac problems have a lower oxygen intake, making them highly sluggish and breathless. It may lead children to lose their appetite and become malnourished as a result.
Because their teeth are continually growing out, the reduced wear causes them to have more significant than usual incisors, making it harder to keep their mouths shut, a condition known as malocclusion.
Urinary Issues
Uroliths made of calcium oxalate or sodium may obstruct any kidney or urinary system, preventing urine flow. There is a good chance that the stagnant urine will run back up the kidneys, regardless of where the stone produces a total blockage.
It produces hydronephrosis (fluid buildup in the kidney), impairs the kidney’s capacity to function normally. It does not suggest that there are no more uroliths in the bladder or kidney; instead, it means that some of the smaller stones have been evacuated by urine.
As a result, the best method for dealing with this medical emergency is to take your beloved guinea pig to the veterinarian as soon as possible.
Can Guinea Pigs Have Cheese?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat cheese because they lack the enzymes required to digest it fully. Lactose intolerance is common in Guinea pigs. Dairy items are not allowed for your small companion.
Give your guinea pig no cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese, yogurt, or other milk or cream-based items. Cheese is inedible to guinea pigs. They don’t have the enzymes or the capacities to digest it, and it’s heavy in calcium and fat in general.
While cheese-eating will not result in sudden death, it will have negative health consequences if ingested regularly or in excess. It can cause digestive problems in the near term, but it can also cause urinary and cardiac problems in the long run.
Other meals and rewards, such as vegetables and treats, should be offered instead.
Can Baby Guinea Pigs Eat Cheese?
Even though cheese provides protein and calcium to humans, it has little nutritional value for baby guinea pigs. Cheese can be harmful to your baby guinea pig.
Is Cheese Safe For Guinea Pigs?
No, cheese is not safe for guinea pigs. Cheese harms guinea pigs’ digestive, urinary, and cardiovascular systems when they eat it. The toxic consequences of guinea pigs’ organs are gradually damaged, leading to organ failure.
Your guinea pig’s lifetime will be shortened as a result of this. Now that you’ve learned a bit about guinea pigs and cheese, it’s time to look at the significant adverse effects cheese has on their health.
Is Cheese Good For Guinea Pigs?
No, cheese is not suitable for guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are herbivores because their digestive processes are adapted to digest plant sources solely.
They lack the enzymes required to properly break down dairy products like cheese, allowing them to be digested and nutrients ingested. As a result, guinea pigs cannot acquire the nourishment to be healthy by eating cheese.
Another factor to consider is the high fat and calorie content of cheese. In addition to being nutritionally insufficient for guinea pigs and detrimental to their digestive systems, cheese may cause your guinea pig to grow overweight and acquire health problems associated with obesity.
One little bit of cheese, on the other hand, is unlikely to hurt your furry pet. Feeding your guinea pig cheese once a week, on the other hand, may produce difficulties in the long run.
The detrimental health consequences of cheese may not be immediately apparent in your guinea pig. It’s possible that you won’t notice any indications or symptoms of a health concern until it’s too late.
So please don’t wait until your guinea pig becomes unwell before you stop giving it cheese. Remove cheese from their diet immediately to safeguard their health today and in the future.
Is Cheese Bad For Guinea Pigs?
Yes, guinea pigs are pretty vulnerable to cheese consumption. However, a single small mouthful of cheese will not hurt your pet. Guinea pigs who consume cheese, even in modest amounts, can develop various health problems in the long term.
The digestive system of a guinea pig cannot withstand processed foods. As a result, you should avoid giving your guinea pig cottage cheese, cream cheese, or other dairy products. Here’s the reason why cheese is terrible for guinea pigs:
High Concentration Of Calcium:
Cheese, like saturated fats, contains a high quantity of calcium, good for humans but bad for guinea pigs. A guinea pig’s daily calcium requirements are pretty modest, and the majority of it comes from its herbivorous diet.
High calcium levels may be suitable for human bone health, but they have little effect on your guinea pig’s bone health.
You would be feeding your guinea pig a dangerous dose of calcium if you added cheese to their diet. Calcium-rich foods cause guinea pigs’ urinary systems to become dangerously clogged.
Calcium builds up in guinea pigs’ bloodstreams and flows to their kidneys. Calcium binds to oxalates from their plant-based diet to generate calcium oxalate crystals in the kidneys because of the high calcium levels.
When your guinea pig urinates, the tiny crystals can grow into more giant calcium oxalate stones in the kidney and bladder, causing severe stomach discomfort.
In severe cases, the stone can obstruct urine flow out of the body, causing urine to build in the bladder and backflow into the kidneys, resulting in irreparable kidney damage.
Renal disease can raise the likelihood of kidney failure, which can limit your guinea pig’s lifetime. As a result of its high calcium concentration, cheese is hazardous to guinea pigs.
Sodium:
The major component of salt is sodium. Cheese has a lot of salt, therefore giving it to your guinea pigs will cause them to have too much sodium in their body. Guinea pigs without sweat glands are unable to sweat away excess salt.
The only other method they’d get rid of the salt would be through pee or feces. Sodium that goes to the kidneys, like calcium, can form urine crystals in the kidney and bladder, causing urinary difficulties or obstructing it.
Dehydration promotes the production of these crystals even more if your guinea pig refuses or neglects to drink enough water.
High Levels Of Protein:
Each cheese dish typically includes 20 percent to 30 percent protein. In the human body, protein is responsible for healing injured muscles and replacing dead cells. You could believe that because cheese protein is suitable for people, it will be good for guinea pigs.
While guinea pigs require protein for injured muscle and cell repair, their daily protein requirements are minor. Cheese would bring too much protein into the digestive tract of guinea pigs.
Guinea pigs’ digestive tracts cannot digest vast amounts of protein because they lack the protein-digesting enzymes that omnivores and carnivores have. Excess protein may wreak havoc on your guinea pig’s digestive tract, causing bloating and constipation.
Do Guinea Pigs Like Cheese?
Guinea pigs eat just vegetables. They prefer vegetables, herbs, and fruits as herbivores. We’ve never attempted to get a guinea pig to taste cheese since it’s hazardous to them.
Can guinea pigs eat cheese puffs?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat cheese puffs.
Can guinea pigs eat cheese crackers?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat cheese crackers.
Can guinea pigs eat cheese balls?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat cheese balls.
Can guinea pigs eat broccoli cheese?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat broccoli cheese.
How Many Cheese Can A Guinea Pigs Eat?
None! A guinea pig should never be given cheese. Or else you will see your cavy face bloating, restlessness, sleepiness, constipation, or diarrhea, indicators of an upset stomach.
If your guinea pig eats cheese and develops any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian right once.
How Often Can Guinea Pigs Eat Cheese?
Never! Guinea pigs aren’t supposed to eat cheese or other dairy items.
How To Feed Cheese To Guinea Pigs?
It would help if you never fed cheese to your guinea pigs. You may be wondering why guinea pigs can’t eat cheese. There are several reasons for this. All of them have to do with the fundamental components of cheese.
Cheese is abundant in calcium and fat. It also contains a lot of animal protein. The digestive system of a guinea pig is not designed to process these substances.
Giving cheese to your cavy is a sure way to make it sick. Keep a watchful check on your guinea pig if you unintentionally gave it cheese.
Does Cheese Affect The Digestive System Of Guinea Pigs?
No, giving cheese to a guinea pig is not a good idea. Dairy products are indigestible to guinea pigs, and even a tiny amount of cheese can cause significant stomach problems. Cheese can, sadly, make your guinea pig quite unwell.
Guinea pigs cannot eat any cheese. Your guinea pig lacks the enzymes required to digest dairy products. If your guinea pig ate cheese by mistake, look for indications of pain and diarrhea. If your guinea pig appears to be sick, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Final Thoughts
Keep the cheese for the mice and feed your guinea pig fresh, nutritious fruits and vegetables during meal and snack times. Your guinea pig will repay you for it by staying healthy and not needing veterinary attention for obesity or other issues.
There’s no need to be concerned if your guinea pig eats a bit of cheese. Just watch them ensure they don’t experience any adverse side effects and don’t do it again.
FAQs
can guinea pigs eat the apple?
Guinea pigs don’t consume fruit or root vegetables in their regular diet, but you can offer them an apple quarter as a reward.
Can guinea pigs eat blueberries and blackberries?
Even while blackberries are beneficial for cavies, too much might upset the sensitive digestive tract of your guinea pig. If your guinea pig is used to sweet delicacies like strawberries, blueberries, and watermelon, you may give them a whole serving of blackberries and let them devour them.
Can guinea pigs eat cilantro?
For one guinea pig, a couple of tiny pieces of cilantro suffice. Because cilantro is heavy in calcium and oxalic acid, feeding it to guinea pigs in excess might create health problems.
Can guinea pigs eat clover?
Clover should not be offered to Guinea pigs since they are heavy in protein and calcium. You should feed that is accessible 24 hours a day and of excellent quality; it should be dry, sweet-smelling, and free of mold, mildew, and fungus.
