Feeding your guinea pigs the best diet will ensure that they live longer and stay healthy. When it comes to treats, a lot of guinea pig owners want to know what is healthy for their guinea pigs and what is not. In this article, I’d like to talk about popsicles. Have you ever wondered if guinea pigs can eat popsicles. Can guinea pigs eat popsicles?
No. Guinea pigs shouldn’t eat popsicles. Firstly, popsicles contain lots of sugar and fat, which are bad for a guinea pig’s health. Secondly, since popsicles are frozen, it can harm their mouth and tongue. It also causes digestive problems for guinea pigs.
This article will explore more about popsicles and the harm they can cause for your guinea pigs.
What are popsicles?
Popsicles are a liquid-based frozen snack on a stick that is very popular in the summer.
They are made of various ingredients, but 90% of the content is usually water. Ingredients such as sugar, corn syrup, gum, and stabilizers are added.
These additional ingredients give popsicles a very good texture called “mouth feel.”
Popsicles are different from ice cream because they are made by silent freezing. It means it freezes while they are still, then a block of ice forms.
Popsicles are suitable for people to have in the summer, but they should not be given to guinea pigs.
Our digestive system is more complex and can process frozen food better than that of a guinea pig.
Will guinea pigs get sick if they eat popsicles?
If you give your guinea pigs popsicles to eat, they wouldn’t really get sick immediately, but it would be bad for their health in the long run.
Eating popsicles will cause harm to the guinea pig’s teeth and mouth; it will also cause problems for the digestive system.
Let’s find out what can happen if guinea pigs eat this treat.
Do popsicles affect guinea pigs teeth?
A guinea pig’s teeth are not made for grinding crunchy objects such as popsicles; they are mostly utilized for biting and chewing food.
The hardness and coldness of popsicles can cause tooth damage, including cracking and shattering, which is extremely harmful.
If a guinea pig’s teeth become damaged, it will be very difficult for them to swallow their meal, and it will also affect digestion in their stomach later on.
There are alternative treats that your pets can safely eat instead of popsicles if you want them to keep their teeth.
Popsicles cause mouth injuries in guinea pigs.
Guinea pigs can get injured by eating popsicles. Injuries arise when their lips and tongue stick to the cold ice.
Injuries to their mouth, lips, or tongue can cause other problems such as abscesses, sores, etc.
Any injury your guinea pig suffers in the mouth will prevent it from wanting to eat other food, so it may start to lose weight as a result of not getting enough nutrients.
Diarrhea
Popsicles will affect your guinea pig’s digestive system, so they have the potential to cause diarrhea for your guinea pigs.
If your guinea pig happens to get diarrhea from consuming popsicles, you need to make sure that you take your pet to the vet for help.
Sugar
Similarly, sugar in popsicles can also be harmful to guinea pigs.
Your guinea pigs run the risk of getting diabetes if they consume a lot of popsicles.
Diabetes makes your guinea pigs unable to regulate their blood sugar levels.
Conclusion
You should not give your Guinea pigs popsicles to eat, it will harm their health.
Popsicles are too cold and can only cause digestive problems, tooth damage, mouth sores, diabetes, obesity, scurvy and cardiovascular
