Can Guinea Pigs Eat Figs? (Hazards, Serving Size & More)

A healthy diet is crucial for our guinea pig’s health and development. Figs come with Loads of nutrients and benefits, and add up an excellent treat to once diet. But you must be wondering, can our guinea pig eat figs? Is it safe for them?

Figs should be served to guinea pigs in moderation. Figs are rich in fiber, which is good for our guinea pigs. But they are high in sugar and acidity, which can cause a digestive issue in guinea pigs. Avoid figs tree branches and leaves as those are bad for our guinea pigs

Like other fruits, a fig is also high in sugar and acidic in nature. Therefore, feeding in moderation is essential and healthy. Excess feeding can lead to health issues and can havoc your pet’s stomach.

We cannot feed anything to our guinea pig very casually. You need to know about the food and impact of diet on guinea pigs.

For that, you need to dig into details. Let’s get right into it.

Are guinea pigs allergic to Figs?

A Guinea pig can be allergic to figs but in a rare case.

If your guinea pigs have an allergy to birch pollen, then there is a high probability that guinea pig may have allergic to this fruit.

You must look for any side-effects if you are feeding figs for the first time.

Here is how you can give figs for the first time:

Give a tiny amount at 1st trial.
Keep a close eye on them for the next 24-hours.
Note down their behavior towards food.
If you find any discomfort or irregular behavior, immediately take this fruit out from their diet.
If your guinea pigs are fine and happy to munch on figs, then continue feeding them.

Do guinea pigs like Figs?

Yes, most of the guinea pigs love the taste of this fruit because of its sweet flavor.

They really enjoy eating a fig, but figs should be given in moderation because figs are also high in sugar, which is terrible for our guinea pigs.

Are guinea pigs allowed Figs?

Guinea pigs have a sweet tooth, so they really enjoy munching on figs. But for their health and well being, you need to know the side effects of feeding figs to your guinea pig.

Digestion problem: Figs are really very sweet and acidic, and our guinea pigs are not used to digest such food in excess amounts. Hence, excess intake of figs can cause digestion issues.
Diabetes: Figs contain loads of sugar. Therefore excess feeding of figs can definitely lead to diabetes and obesity in guinea pigs.
Constipation: Due to high fiber content, eating excess figs can cause constipation, bloating, and other stomach related problems in our guinea pigs.

These are some problem which can occur to our guinea pigs from figs.

But it’s not that figs are dangerous or not safe to feed them. Everything is fine and healthy if fed in moderation.

You can feed figs to your guinea pigs because it has lots of vitamins and antioxidants that are good for our guinea pig’s health.

Is Fig good for our guinea pigs?

Figs contain essential mineral and fibers which are beneficial for our guinea pigs’ health in the following ways:

Provide Essential nutrients: Figs contain many essential nutrients needed by our guinea pigs such as vitamin C, Vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and antioxidants. These nutrients can help guinea pigs in many ways and keep them healthy.
Maintains blood pressure: Potassium is an essential mineral. It is present in the right amount in figs, which helps control blood pressure and protects them from heart and kidney ailments.
Provides energy: Figs are a good source of carbs and proteins. That gives instant power as well as slow-release energy to our guinea pigs for the day.
Provide Vitamins: Figs are a good source of vitamin A, K & E, which helps in fighting diseases, boosting immunity, healthy blood clotting, and good eyesight.
Vitamin C: Figs also have Vitamin C, but in a small amount, which is the foremost essential nutrition needed by guinea pigs.
Improves reproductive health: Figs are a good source of minerals such as Zinc, iron, magnesium, and manganese. Which contribute to maintaining reproductive health
Improves heart health: Figs helps in improving heart health and prevent health disease.

Figs have a lot of benefits, but guinea pigs cannot eat any amount of fig as per their wish or mood.

How much Figs can guinea pigs eat at a time?

We should only serve a small slice of fig to our guinea pigs in a single serving.

Excess intake of this fruit can give trouble to our guinea pigs. But, everything is fine if we serve in moderation.

Figs are very sweet and acidic. Generally, our guinea pigs love the taste and texture of this fruit.

How often can guinea pigs Fig?

Fig is an occasional treat for our guinea pig. The high content of sugar in this fruit can lead to havoc in the guinea pig’s digestive system.

Therefore, we should only serve figs once a week to our guinea pigs.

Make sure you never make figs a part of their regular diet and keep the serving sparse.

Can baby guinea pigs eat Figs?

Figs are not recommended to baby guinea pigs due to their weak and susceptible digestive system.

It will not be safe to intake this amount of sugar for them. By eating this fruit, baby guinea can put themselves in some health troubles.

And also, baby guinea pigs have different nutrition needs and body functions from young guinea pigs. So we need to be more careful about the baby cavy’s diet.

Therefore, keep figs away from baby guinea pigs.

Can guinea pigs eat fig tree leaves?

Guinea pigs cannot eat Figs tree leaves because white latex in ficus sap is irritating and can result in severe pain and discomfort in the mouth during munching leaves.

Certainly, Guinea pigs enjoy munching leaves, but not all leaves are safe for them.

Figs tree leaves are definitely not recommended for our guinea pigs.

Can guinea pigs eat Figs seeds?

Yes, figs seeds are edible by guinea pigs.

Figs have tiny and crunchy seeds, which can be consumed along with fruit flesh.

These seeds are easily ingested and digestible. Hence, guinea pigs do not get any trouble in their mouth, throat, or stomach from figs seeds.

Can guinea pigs eat Fig skin?

A Guinea pig can eat figs along with their skin. The entire fruit is edible for our guinea pigs.

However, it is up to your guinea pig’s preference whether they enjoy munching on it or not.

You should wash Figs skin properly two-three times before serving. It is crucial to remove all the unwanted and harmful chemicals and dirt from the surface.

Can guinea pigs eat canned Fig?

No, guinea pigs cannot eat canned figs. Canned figs are delicious for us but not safe for our guinea pig.

Extra sugar and other added ingredient in canned fig can lead to severe trouble to guinea pig’s health. Therefore, never give canned fig to your guinea pigs.

Can guinea pigs eat Frozen figs?

Guinea pigs can eat frozen figs but only after it is thawed and brought to room temperature.

You should never serve cold food directly as it can lead to indigestion and diarrhea in guinea pigs.

It’s better to give fresh figs instead of frozen figs to our guinea pigs.

Can guinea pigs eat dried figs

Dried figs are not suitable for guinea pigs because dried figs are very high in calories and sugar then fresh figs, they are denser than fresh fig is.

As we know, sugar is the primary concern for our guinea pigs due to weak digestion. Therefore it’s better not to feed dried figs to our guinea pig.

It can also lead to obesity, diabetes and other health concern in our guinea pigs.

Can guinea pigs drink Fig juice?

Keep your guinea pig miles away from figs juice. They cannot digest juice properly, which can be harmful to their health.

Juice contains an extra amount of sugar and other ingredients, which can cause health sicknesses such as stomach ache, and other gastrointestinal problems.

As we know, our guinea pigs are susceptible to such food. Therefore, it is recommended not to give figs juice to your guinea pig.

Keep guinea pigs away from figs yard?

Figs are mainly cultivated in Asia and the Middle East. In many houses of America (like Oregon, California, Texas, Washington, and Utah), you will find figs tree in the yard.

If you also have a free tree in your home, you need to be careful and put away your guinea pig from the same.

Never let your guinea pig play around the tree. They can unknowingly munch on the tree leaves or branches which can be bad for their health.

How to prepare Fig for guinea pigs?

Preparing figs for our guinea pig is pretty simple and straightforward. You can follow these steps to get it prepared:

To begin with, choose fresh and right fig for your guinea pigs.
Wash it properly, so that all the unwanted and harmful substance gets washed. Clean it carefully.
And now remove stems if you find any on it.
The next step is to cut fig into small pieces with a knife. As in this way, the guinea pig will be more comfortable and easy to eat. It also reduces the fear of choking problems.
Always remember to feed them in moderation.
Also, remember that the staple part of their diet is hay and fresh veggies. So, don’t end up feeding an excess treat to your guinea pig.

Conclusion: Guinea pigs and Fig

Figs contain a lot of nutrients and are an excellent treat for the guinea pigs. Guinea pigs can eat figs. It’s healthy and safe for them. It contains many essential nutrients needed by guinea pigs such as Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Potassium, Calcium, and many other antioxidants.

Feeding figs benefits in many ways, such as provides essential vitamins & minerals, increase energy level, Maintains blood pressure, Improves reproductive health and heart health.

But excess feeding of this fruit can turn these benefits into hazards for them and can cause health problems like digestive problems, stomachache, and diarrhea.

Also note that guinea pigs cannot eat figs leaves, canned, and dried figs, but they can eat fresh figs along with their skin & seed.

Fig is an occasional treat for our guinea pig. Therefore it’s recommended to feed once a week only that too in moderation.

Sources: Everything you need to know about Figs, Nutrition in Figs, 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.