Your guinea pig loves eating; you know it’s true. And how do we know?
Well, these little creatures would munch up almost anything they could get hold of, really. But as cute as they make it all seem, it can be dangerous for them.
Why?
The problem is that guinea pigs can’t tell what’s good for them and what isn’t. You have to make sure everything you feed your little fluff-ball is safe for them to consume.
That’s why today we’ll answer the question: Can guinea pigs eat peanut butter?
Peanut butter would make an excellent treat for your furry friend – or so it seems. But is it a good option? Is it safe and healthy for guinea pigs?
Stay tuned and find out!
See Also: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Butter?
Is Peanut Butter Safe For Guinea Pigs?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. It’s not recommended to feed guinea pigs peanut butter at all! Therefore, peanut butter cannot be a treat for your little pet.
You must think of something else to reward your guinea pig when it behaves like a proper lady or gentleman – or is simply too cute to resist. Our suggestion would be fruit such as bananas or apricots.
Why Is Peanut Butter Not A Good Option For Your Guinea Pig?
Peanut butter is packed with ingredients that your guinea pig can’t digest properly. It’s also high in:
- Fat
- Salt
- Calories
None of the listed things promotes good health in guinea pigs. These adorable little creatures should not eat whole nuts for the same reasons, either.
What Are The Health Benefits & Risks Of Your Guinea Pig Consuming Peanut Butter?
It is time to get a closer look at all the health benefits and risks of your guinea pig eating peanut butter. Let’s get down to business straight away!
Health Benefits Of Guinea Pigs Consuming Peanut Butter
Okay, this is going to be a pretty short – as in, virtually non-existent – list of benefits.
As we have already warned you, your little fluff-ball should NEVER eat peanut butter. There are no health benefits of guinea pigs consuming peanut butter other than your furry friend enjoying the experience.
So, avoid the temptation of giving your guinea pig some peanut butter to try.
You couldn’t possibly find a safe or beneficial dosage since even a tiny amount of peanut butter contains too much fat and calories for such little creatures.
Health Risks Of Guinea Pigs Consuming Peanut Butter
As already mentioned, peanut butter contains a lot of ingredients that could upset your guinea pig’s sensitive stomach.
Processed, high-fat foods such as peanut butter could hinder the normal digestion process and put an extra burden on your pet’s bowel movement. Does that sound like something you want to put your guinea pig through?
Yeah, we didn’t think so.
Food such as peanut butter can also lead to your guinea pig becoming overweight.
It may sound cure to you, but it’s not good for your pet’s overall health – since obesity increases the risk of many life-threatening diseases.
The fat your guinea pig consumes is likely to deposit around its organs. In time, it can also block your pet’s blood vessels. The poor little animal will soon become too sluggish and tired to move around.
Besides, the fat from the peanut butter could cause general digestive distress in guinea pigs. As a result, your pet can have diarrhea and dehydration, which could endanger its life.
For us humans, peanut butter is a low-carb food we can enjoy even when we are on a low-carb diet. However, guinea pigs cannot handle sugar as well as we can.
Peanut butter provides us with the energy needed to get through the day, but our furry friends aren’t as lucky. They can’t process that much sugar.
The same goes for salt: Even though the salt in peanut butter does not represent a concern for us, it can endanger our little pets. Namely, guinea pigs that consume too much salt often suffer from bladder or kidney stones.
What Is The Nutritional Composition Of Peanut Butter?
Even though you’re now aware that peanut butter is not a good choice for your guinea pig’s diet, you should still stay tuned for a little longer and find out why this is the case.
That way, you’ll learn to recognize the “unwanted” ingredients you should generally avoid when feeding your little pet.
You probably know that peanut butter is a sweet spread made from ground dry-roasted peanuts. Besides peanuts, this tasty spread contains a few more ingredients that give it its unique taste and texture – such as salt, sugar, and emulsifiers.
The emulsifiers are food additives that help immiscible ingredients in peanut butter combine better. If there were no emulsifiers in the peanut butter, you’d always have to scoop into the layer of fat before getting to the good stuff.
Nutritional Value
A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) portion of peanut butter contains:
- 22 grams of carbohydrates
- 5 grams of fiber
- 22.5 grams of protein
- 51 grams of fat
It also contains vitamins and minerals:
| Vitamin/Mineral | % of the Daily Value |
|---|---|
| Vitamin E | 60% |
| Vitamin B3 (niacin) | 84% |
| Vitamin B6 | 29% |
| Folate | 18% |
| Magnesium | 37% |
| Copper | 56% |
| Manganese | 65% |
One tablespoon of peanut butter contains 6 mg of calcium, as well. It might not sound as much – but it is for a tiny creature like a guinea pig.
A young guinea pig can handle calcium pretty well. Unfortunately, calcium can lead to numerous – and serious – health implications if your pet is older.
You see, in elderly guinea pigs, calcium can’t be put to use as efficiently as it used to be. And as a result, it builds up within the urinary tract and causes painful problems such as:
- Bladder stones
- Kidney stones
- Urinary infections
- Painful urination
- Blood in the urine
Does it sound concerning? Indeed, it does – but unfortunately, that’s not all.
If you do not address these issues on time and fail to diagnose the problem correctly, your pet could end up with renal failure. Therefore, take your guinea pig to the vet as soon as you see anything unusual.
How Many Calories Are There In 100 Grams Of Peanut Butter?
100 grams of peanut butter contain 588 calories. It means that one tablespoon has around 45 calories. That’s a lot for us, humans, so you can only imagine how bad it would be for your tiny guinea pig to lick a spoon of this tasty spread!
If you incorporate peanut butter into your pet’s regular diet, you will dramatically increase the number of calories it consumes, and soon enough, you’ll start noticing the weight gain.
Obese guinea pigs face numerous problems such as cardiovascular diseases. Their skeleton is too fragile to bear the extra weight, too. All in all, weight gain is anything but healthy for their tiny bodies.
Final Words
Peanut butter is off-limits for your guinea pig for many reasons. It contains three components that are not good for our little furry friends – fibers, fats, and sugars.
Eating peanut butter will cause digestive problems in guinea pigs, including gas, loose stools, and stomach pain. If it continues for too long – well, it could be fatal.
Peanut butter contains too much fat for tiny creatures such as guinea pigs. They can’t possibly process it all, and it thus accumulates in their bodies and makes them overweight and fatigued.
Finally, peanut butter is packed with sugar that disrupts a guinea pig’s digestive system.
So, what should your Guinea pig eat?
If you want to ensure optimal digestion for your guinea pig and keep it healthy and happy, you must secure a wholesome and well-designed diet. And how can you do that?
Well, it’s pretty easy.
The foundation of a healthy guinea pig diet is an abundance of fresh timothy hay. It will provide your pet with the optimal amount of high-quality fiber your pet needs for proper digestion.
Try to avoid the commercial brands, though. They tend to use poor-quality seeds and a lot of nuts. Your guinea pig cannot possibly thrive on that!
Ask around; your vet or other more experienced guinea pig owners can help you find the best brand of timothy hay you can buy and offer some additional advice regarding your pet’s diet.
Our final advice is: Mix things up! Add a cup of veggies and a few slices of fruit every day – your guinea pig will be thankful.
And remember to keep your pet away from peanut butter!
