Can guinea pigs eat celery?
Let’s find out!
Guinea pig is a domesticated South American rodent genus in the cavy family (Cavia porcellus).
There are many breeds of domesticated guinea pigs, mostly classified by the texture and length of their coat.
However, despite the difference in their appearance, all guinea pigs are herbivores.
Their diet consists of hay, herbs, guinea pig pellets, fresh fruits, and vegetables.
Nonetheless, as a (new) guinea pig owner, you already know that not all fruits and vegetables are healthy and safe for guinea pigs.
So, let’s find out whether celery is good for guinea pigs.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Celery?
Guinea pigs can eat celery.
They can eat celery leaves and celery stems.
Celery is rich in nutrients necessary for your guinea pigs.
It is a low-calorie vegetable with high water content, with a fairly long shelf life.
It remains fresh for it up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
However, you should feed your guinea pigs with celery only in moderation because this vegetable, just like many others, contains a high amount of calcium, which can be dangerous for your guinea pig.
Food high in calcium and oxalates creates health problems for your pets.
They are responsible for kidney and bladder stones, urinary problems, and digestion issues.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Celery Leaves?
Yes, guinea pigs can eat celery leaves and celery stems, both in moderation.
A small amount of celery stems is safe for guinea pigs that don’t have a history of urinary problems.
Even if your guinea pig is perfectly healthy do not feed it with celery more than recommended.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Celery Sticks?
Yes, guinea pigs can eat celery sticks.
Small amounts of celery stems are safe and healthy for your guinea pig pets.
Again, we have to emphasize that this is only true for those guinea pigs that haven’t had any urinary problems, kidney and bladder stones.
Regardless of how much your guinea pig loves celery, never overstep the recommended serving size.
How Much Celery Should a Guinea Pig Eat?
Every guinea pig should eat around two-thirds of a cup per day filled with a mixture of raw and fresh fruits and vegetables.
Never add more than one bite-size piece of celery to this mixture.
Based on the nutrients in celery, this vegetable is not a great choice for your guinea pig’s daily diet.
Since celery is high in calcium and oxalates, low calcium veggies such as lettuce, bell peppers, and cilantro are a good option to combine with a cube of celery.
Likewise, never feed your guinea pig with celery every day.
Two to three times a week is just perfect.
There is a variety of fruits and vegetables that you can offer to your guinea pigs and mix them with a bite-size cube of celery: spinach, apples, baby carrots, or tomato slices.
This will ensure a varied diet rich in different nutrients.
Try various mixes to see which one of them is most pleasurable to your guinea pig.
What to Avoid When Feeding Celery to Guinea Pig?
Celery should not be part of a guinea pig’s daily diet.
Celery is not the healthiest vegetable you can choose for your pet, even though guinea pigs require vegetables every day.
It doesn’t contain high amounts of vitamin C, which is important for a guinea pig’s health.
Instead, celery is rich in oxalates that may cause serious problems.
Oxalates accumulate in the kidney and bladder and easily create stones that lead to painful urinary problems in your guinea pigs.
Ensure a continuous supply of grass and/or grass hay for your guinea pigs (such as Timothy, Oaten, Barley, or grassy hay).
Lucerne (alfalfa) or Clover hay should not be fed to adult guinea pigs since they are too rich in protein and calcium.
High-quality hay should be available 24 hours a day; dry and sweet-smelling that doesn’t contain rot, mildew, or fungi.
Apart from supplying your guinea pigs with plenty of fiber, hay and guinea pig pellets help your guinea pigs grind their teeth and keep them at an optimal length.
How to Prepare Celery for Guinea Pigs?
It’s simple and clear to prepare celery for your guinea pigs.
Here are the steps to follow:
- Get a new slice of celery
- Cut the celery base section and wash the remainder of the stalk and leaves under running water
- Make sure to thoroughly wash the vegetable, so that all toxins stuck to it are washed away
- Cut a bite-size piece of celery and add it to other cubes of vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots), and leafy greens
- Remove all fruits or vegetables from the cage if your guinea pig hasn’t eaten them within two hours
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Celery Strings?
Yes, guinea pigs can eat celery strings.
You don’t have to remove them before feeding your guinea pigs with celery.
Don’t worry, your guinea pig has sharp teeth that can munch through coarse hay.
They use their teeth to take small bites of food; for that reason, eating the celery strings shouldn’t be difficult for your guinea pig.
What is the Nutritional Value of Celery?
Although not too rich in vitamin A and vitamin C, one serving size of celery 2 medium stalks (110 grams/3.9 oz) still contains about 10% of both based on a 2000 cal diet.
However, this amount of celery is too much for your guinea pigs.
Nonetheless, let’s check out the number of nutrients in one serving size of celery 2 medium stalks (110 grams/3.9 oz):
- Calories: 15 (Calories from fat 0)
- Total fat: 0 grams
- Total carbohydrate: 4 grams
- Dietary fiber: 2 grams
- Sugars: 2 grams
- Sodium: 115 milligram
- Potassium: 260 milligrams
- Protein: 0 grams
Also, although low in calcium and iron for human consumption, the amount of these two nutrients is high for guinea pigs.
There’s also a small amount of vitamin C in celery.
Vitamin C is important to the body as it helps combat infections and improves the immune system.
For guinea pigs, this is one of the most important vitamins.
Vitamin C deficiency in guinea pigs causes scurvy, which is a potentially fatal disease for these small animals if left untreated.
Folate
Celery is a rich source of folate.
Folate is a B-vitamin in the body that has many functions.
Folate’s primary function is to create red blood cells, transform carbohydrates into energy, and more.
What Are the Health Benefits of Celery for Guinea Pigs?
If fed in the proper amount, celery has many advantages for your guinea pigs.
Let us take a look at some critical advantages of feeding our guinea pigs with celery.
Improves Eyesight
Celery is rich in beta carotene or vitamin A, which is important for preserving good eyesight in guinea pigs by slowing down the progression of eyesight degeneration.
Reduces Inflammation
Celery is abundant in anti-inflammatory compounds beneficial for guinea pigs.
Fights Disease
Celery provides vitamins and antioxidants that help combat diseases.
It improves a guinea pig’s immune and cardiovascular system.
Strengthens the Digestive Tract
Celery is rich in dietary fiber and is one of the vegetables that assist in the digestion process.
It contains apigenin, which is responsible for reducing inflammation in guinea pigs.
What Are the Hazards of Feeding Celery to Guinea Pigs?
High Concentration of Sodium
One of the vegetables that have a high level of sodium is celery.
Too much sodium is detrimental to your guinea pig’s health and can potentially affect your little pet’s well-being.
Bladder Problems
Celery can affect the health of your guinea pig when fed daily or in larger quantities.
Celery contains calcium and oxalic acid in high amounts.
When fed in abundance, both will aid the development of bladder stones.
In guinea pigs, bladder stones are a common problem, related to urinary tract disorder.
To prevent such dangers, feed your guinea pig with the recommended amount of celery.
Likewise, eliminate celery from your piggy’s diet if it has a history of bladder or urinary disorder.
Bloating
In guinea pigs, bloating is the most frequent side effect of an unhealthy diet.
Introducing new foods should be done with caution.
Be wary of all food that can cause bloating in your pet.
Heightened Blood Pressure
Celery contains 80 mg of sodium per 100 grams, which poses a great danger to your small animals.
Feeding excessive amounts of celery can cause elevated blood pressure and heart attack in your guinea pig.
Too much celery even improves the preservation of water, leaving the guinea pig obese.
Allergic Reactions
Celery has the potential to cause an allergic reaction in your guinea pig
However, this rarely occurs.
Thus, when introducing a new food, always pay more attention to your guinea pig, its behavior, and any other signs that may indicate it is not feeling well.
Yet, if an allergic reaction does occur, take your pet to a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Can Celery Kill Guinea Pigs?
Yes, celery can kill your guinea pig if you are feeding your pet with large amounts of celery and too frequently.
The high oxalic acid in celery causes serious health issues in guinea pigs that may be lethal.
Can Overfeeding Hurt My Guinea Pig?
Overfeeding your pet with any type of fruit and vegetable can create serious health issues, especially if you don’t balance your pet’s diet.
It is crucial to pay attention to the ingredients of all food you are giving to your guinea pigs.
These small animals require a high fiber and low sugar diet.
High amounts of oxalates, calcium, and potassium commonly found in many types of fruits and vegetables can negatively affect your guinea pig.
To make sure this doesn’t happen and your guinea pig has a good and balanced daily, always mix different types of raw and fresh produces.
Likewise, make sure never to feed your guinea pigs with cooked, fried, or baked food, not even fruits and vegetables.
Also, never buy commercially frozen food for your pet.
Such food is usually pre-cooked and seasoned before it’s frozen and packed.
If you must feed guinea pigs with frozen food, you freeze it yourself without adding any spices or seasonings or processing it in any way.
Wash it thoroughly, cut it or slice it into small portions and unfreeze them making sure the food reaches room temperature before feeding it to your pet.
What your pet needs every day is:
- an unlimited amount of (timothy) hay
- fresh and clean water (with water bowls or water bottles being regularly washed and cleaned thoroughly at least once a day)
- a small portion of guinea pig pellets (that’s made for guinea pigs only, not for other small animals)
- 1/3 cup full of a mixture of fresh fruits and vegetables (make sure to vary the mixture daily, never feeding your guinea pigs with the same type of fruits or vegetables each day)
Final Thoughts
Celery is high in minerals and vitamins that are important for our guinea pigs.
Can guinea pigs eat celery?
Yes, guinea pigs can eat celery but only in moderation.
Mix celery with other vegetables to allow our guinea pigs to have a balanced and healthy diet.
Limit celery servings to one small cube of celery two to three days a week.
Feeding your guinea pigs with more than the recommended serving size can create many different (and serious) health issues.
