The eggplant, also known as Aubergine, has lots of fiber and other nutrients. It is a worldwide edible fruit. It belongs to the nightshade family; just like peppers and tomatoes. Guinea pig finds eggplant very delicious, but can our guinea pigs eat eggplant? Is it safe for them? Let’s find out?
Guinea pigs can eat eggplant. Eggplant contains fiber and is low in calories. Guinea pigs like eggplant for its delicious spongy taste though eggplant doesn’t benefit our guinea, so feeding them in an adequate amount is essential.
Eggplant belongs to nightshade families like potatoes, tomato, and peppers. It is an excellent source of fiber, although low in vitamin c and other nutrients as compared to other fruits.
So, now that you know that you can feed eggplant to your guinea pigs, you must be wondering how much and how often should you feed the same. So, without further due let’s dive right into it.
Nutrition in eggplant
| Nutrients | Amount |
|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 2.2 mg/ 100 g |
| Vitamin K | 3.5 µg/100 g |
| Vitamin A | 1 µg/ 100 g |
| Carotene | 14 µg/ 100 g |
| Lutein + Zeaxanthin | 36 µg/ 100 g |
| Calcium | 9 mg/ 100 g |
| Phosphorous | 24 mg/ 100 g |
| Potassium | 229 mg/ 100 g |
| Fiber | 3 g/ 100 g |
| Sugar | 3.53 g/ 100 g |
| Magnesium | 14 mg/ 100 g |
| Carbs | 5.88 g/ 100 g |
| Calories | 25 Kcal |
| Fat | 0.18 g/ 100 g |
| Water | 92.3 g/ 100 g |
Eggplants are a source of the phenolic substance that does the work of antioxidants.
Antioxidants are substances that help the body eliminate free radical – unstable molecules that can damage cells if they accumulate in a large amount. Eggplant having antioxidants can help fight many diseases.
Eggplant is fat-free, and there is less than 1 gram of protein in a single serving of eggplant.
When we talk about other vitamins and minerals, they are not present in a sufficient amount that could benefit our guinea pig.
Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, niacin, copper, and magnesium are present in eggplant but not in an adequate amount. However, it provides 11% of manganese in daily intake.
- Dietary Fiber: Eggplant is a good source of dietary fiber. This fiber is a necessary nutrient as it aids our guinea pig’s digestive system and helps in regular bowel movement in the body. It also maintains glucose and cholesterol levels.
- Water: Eggplants have 92 gram/100gram of water that can keep our guinea pig’s body hydrated. It helps to reduce the chances of them suffering from diarrhea.
- Manganese: Eggplant has 11% of manganese in them. Manganese helps to maintain bone density. It interacts with calcium and vitamin D to maintain bone health. Lack of manganese has shown impair bone formation and reduce bone mineral density.
- Carbohydrates: One cup of raw eggplant has 20.5 calories and carbs up to 5 grams. Carbohydrates promote metabolic activity in the body. There is almost 3 gram of naturally occurring sugar in eggplant.
Are guinea pigs allowed eggplant?
Yes, guinea pigs are allowed eggplant.
However, from a nutrition point of view, you shouldn’t feed your guinea pig eggplant as it doesn’t have sufficient vitamins and minerals required for our guinea pig.
Although they are damn tasty! Your guinea pig will find it very amusing, but it’s only best and fun to feed them in moderation.
Be very specific in removing the stems and green leaves as they belong to the nightshade family, due to the presence of solanine the flower and leaves can be poisonous if given in large quantities.
Some owners suggest not to feed your guinea pig eggplant, but I can’t entirely agree with them.
As per my experience and research, eggplants lack certain essential nutrients that our guinea pig needs, but they are rich in dietary fiber that improves the condition of heart and aids digestion in our guinea pigs.
Some hazards you need to look out while feeding eggplant to your guinea pigs include:
- Lack of Vitamin C: Eggplant lacks Vitamin C, which is the essential nutrient for our guinea pigs. This is one of the reasons we cannot feed guinea pig eggplant every day.
- Possibility of Diarrhea: Sugar can be challenging for our guinea pig to digest. It contains 3 grams of sugar. Intake of too much sugar can be harmful to our guinea pig. It can lead to stomach aches as well as diarrhea.
- Allergy: There is a possibility that your guinea pig can be allergic to eggplant. That is why it is essential to be slow when you newly introduce eggplant to your guinea pig.
- Try feeding them in small quantities, and if you notice any sign allergy, including rashes, stomach aches, etc then stop feeding immediately.
Are eggplant good for guinea pigs?
Eggplant is classified as our guinea pig’s junk snacks that should be feed once in a while.
It is a rich source of fiber. It also contains a small amount of vitamins, minerals, calcium, and phosphorus.
So it is good to feed them once in a while to spice up their diet. However, it doesn’t make a cut in their daily diet.
Here are certain benefits of feeding eggplant to your guinea pigs:
- Healthy bones: Eggplant is a good source of manganese. Our body needs manganese for several functions; one of them is to keep the bones healthy. Manganese helps nutrients like calcium and vitamin D to dissolve in our collection.
- Healthy weight maintenance: Plants which possess fiber in abundant amount are associate with healthy weight maintenance. Eggplant can reduce the risk of overweight or obesity.
- Improves eyesight and vision: Eggplant contains antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin. These antioxidants help to boost eyesight and eye health. It also helps in countering eye-related diseases and complications.
- Improves heart health: Eggplant possesses nutrients such as fiber, potassium, Vitamin C, Vitamin B-6, and antioxidants, which helps in reducing the risk of heart disease.
- Lower the level of cholesterol: The dietary fiber found in eggplant helps to reduce cholesterol levels. This also helps to bring down the chances of heart failure and diseases.
- Lower the chances of cancer: The polyphenols found in eggplant reduce the growth of the cancer-causing disease. It helps in preventing tumor growth and the spread of cancer cells.
Despite having so many health benefits, it is observed that eggplant does not benefit our pig much.
I will tell why so, as they have an inadequate amount of essential nutrients in them that are needed by our guinea pigs.
For example- it doesn’t have enough Vitamin C, which is required by our cavies on daily basics as they cannot produce Vitamin C on their own.
Eggplant comes under guinea pig’s junk food. So you should know how much quantity you can feed them.
How much serving of eggplant can I feed to my guinea pigs?
A Guinea pig can eat a small slice of eggplant at a time. Do not serve them in an excessive amount as it can create health problems for your guinea pig.
As eggplant lacks Vitamin C, it cannot be served regularly. It is preferred to mix it with other food as well, which has a high content of vitamin C for our guinea pig with a perfect diet plan.
I often mix it with veggies such as bell peppers, chards, kale, arugula, spinach, etc. as they are a rich source of Vitamin C.
You can make a healthy mix of vegetables and serve it in a bowl.
Cut the eggplant in small pieces so that your guinea pigs don’t have any problem in engulfing it.
And trust me, they are going to love it when you prepare a food bowl with other veggies as well as eggplant.
It wouldn’t be just healthy, also very delicious for our cavy. They love the taste of eggplant. Don’t try overfeeding them, always in moderate quantity.
How often can I feed eggplant to my guinea pigs?
If you choose to feed your guinea pigs eggplant, you can feed them once or twice but not more than that.
Eggplant is low in vitamin C; the ratio of potassium and calcium is a bit small.
Sugar content is pretty good and also high in oxalates. So moderating feeding of eggplant would be suitable for our guinea pigs.
Overfeeding these minerals can lead to sludge and bladder stones in some scenarios.
Can baby guinea pigs eat eggplant?
No, baby guinea pigs should not eat eggplant.
Eggplants do not possess any nutritional value, and baby guinea pigs need nutrition in their diet for proper growth and development of their body.
Eggplant helps against weight management, cholesterol level, heart disease, and these problems can be faced by adult guinea pigs.
Baby guinea pigs are already light in weight, so you don’t have to worry about losing weight.
Can guinea pigs eat eggplant skin
Some of us prefer to eat eggplant with the skin, but our guinea pig’s tummy is not as healthy as ours. So, we cannot feed eggplant along with its skin to our guinea pigs.
Also, The skin of eggplant contains nasunin. Nasunin is a substance or free radical that gives color to eggplant skin.
It can be tough for our guinea pigs to digest it if fed in excess. Thus, it is best to serve the flesh in small quantities only.
Can guinea pigs eat eggplant seed?
Eggplant seeds are soft, small, and edible. A Guinea pig can easily digest seeds of eggplant. There is no harm in feeding your guinea pig eggplant seed.
And as for the matter of fact, how can we separate the seed from the eggplant.
For example- can you remove seeds of guava? No, right! In the same way, seeds of eggplant are very small, soft that can be consumed without any issue.
Can guinea pigs eat raw eggplant?
Yes, it is best to serve raw eggplant to your guinea pigs.
Guinea pig won’t have a problem chewing the eggplant. You can feed them raw eggplant but in small pieces.
Do wash them properly and never feed them the stem portion, and it can be poisonous.
You can provide them with other safe tree stems like apple, willow, birch, etc.
If you see any sign of discomfort in feeding your raw eggplant, avoid feeding your cavy eggplant.
Can guinea pigs eat baby eggplant?
Yes, guinea pigs can eat baby eggplant but in small quantities.
Baby eggplant have almost identical nutrients to their regular counterpart. Thus, you can serve the same as snacks.
How to feed guinea pigs eggplant?
These are the following steps to feed guinea pigs eggplant:
- The first step is to select an eggplant for your guinea pig. It must be firm and substantial in size, with smooth, glossy skin and an intense purple hue. Avoid buying any thin, small, light-weighted, and discolored one.
- The second step to wash them properly make sure there is no dirt on its surface. And always remove the leafy part and stem. They can be poisonous for our guinea pig.
- The third step is to remove the stalks away as it can be toxic as well as choking hazards for your guinea pig. After removing the stalks, you can cut the eggplant into slices, strips.
- When you will cut them, always cut it in smaller pieces that wouldn’t create any choking problem.
- If you want, you can mix them with other veggies that are higher in vitamin C for health benefits purposes.
- When cutting an eggplant, use a stainless steel knife, not a carbon steel knife, to prevent a photochemical reaction that can cause the eggplant to turn black.
- The final step is to serve the eggplant in a bowl in limited quantity.
- Always ensure to remove the leftovers from the cage. As uneaten foods are the hotspots for bacteria. It can also attract flies and rats towards your guinea pigs.
Conclusion: Guinea pigs and Eggplants
- Eggplant is rich in fiber. Relatively low in other vitamins and minerals. It can turn out good for your guinea pig if feed in moderation.
- It is a very delicious snack for our guinea pig; they immensely love its taste.
- You can serve eggplant once or twice a week in limited quantity as moderation is the key to a healthy life. Overfeeding of eggplant won’t help them as it doesn’t possess any nutritional value.
- When you newly feed eggplant to your guinea pig, it’s always recommended to start with a minimal amount of it as some of them can be allergic to eggplant.
- Eggplant helps our cavies manage their weight, lower the chances of cancer, improve eyesight, and control cholesterol levels.
- A Guinea pig can eat eggplant skin as well as its seeds. If your guinea pig lacks iron in his/her body, don’t feed them eggplant skin.
- Your guinea pig deserves this mouth-watering treat. Eggplant taste can’t be replaced with regular food you provide to them.
I hope we have cleared all your doubts and answered all your questions. Keeping these points in mind, take care of yourself and your cavy. Enjoy feeding!
Sources: Everything you need to know about eggplant, Nutrition in eggplant, Diet Composition and Mineral Balance in Guinea Pigs, Dietary Vitamin C, and Vitamin E on Guinea Pig Immune Responses to Mitogens, Vitamin C requirements of the guinea-pig, Is Your Guinea Pig’s Diet Providing the Right Nutrients? Care of Guinea Pigs.