Parsley is one of the most famous greens when it comes to salads and grilled veggies. It can bring color and taste to your favorite foods with ease. But, can guinea pigs eat parsley? Do they even like it?
“The answer to this question is YES! They absolutely love having parsley in their meals. Nothing can beat the happiness that your pet feels when he or she sees parsley. So, if you have been thinking of feeding your pet parsley, you are good to go.”
Your guinea pig can have it. But, this does not mean you can give parsley to your pet every day. Excess of anything is bad and the same goes for parsley as well. Here’s a detailed insight into feeding parsley to your pet/
Feeding Parsley To Pet Guinea Pigs – Things To Know
Parsley is considered a common herb all across the world. But, there are certain things to consider when feeding a herb like parsley to your furry friends.
The first and foremost factor you need to consider is the fact that parsley can only be a treat for your furry pet. It can never be served as part of the main course.
Parsley is a rich source of vitamin C, calcium, and oxalic acid. Considering the nutritional content of parsley, it can be an excellent treat for your pet.
Since guinea pigs cannot produce or store vitamin C in their bodies, feeding them parsley will make up for it. But, at the same time, an excess of calcium and oxalic acid will take a toll on your pet’s health.
So, parsley can be beneficial for your furry guinea pig as long as it is fed in moderation and not in excess. An excess of parsley can cause bladder as well as kidney stones.
Let’s learn more about the serving and frequency size of parsley for your pet piggy.
1) Do Guinea Pigs Even Like Parsley?
Now that we have a clear understanding that guinea pigs can have parsley, we should ask a better question. Do guinea pigs even like parsley? Just as every person in the world has different likes and dislikes, animals do too.
Most guinea pigs are fond of natural herb. But, some might turn their head away when you feed them parsley. So, if your pet does not like parsley, it is not the end of the world.
He or she may simply have different preferences than other guinea pigs. Instead of parsley, you can feed your pet thyme, coriander, basil, mint, and many more herbs.
What matters is that your pet piggy must have a perfectly balanced diet. This also means that you should avoid giving your pet the same treat over and over again.
Doing this will only lead to an imbalance in your pet’s diet and lead to serious health complications. Make sure you feed your pet a varied diet that does not consist of the same foods.
2) Is It Okay To Feed My Guinea Pig Parsley Every Day?
In short, no it is not okay for you to feed your pet parsley every day.
Considering the nutritional content and pros of parsley it might tempt you to give your pet parsley daily. But, it is strictly not recommended. As much as your pet loves this green herb, you should avoid him or her daily.
Your furry friend has a sensitive digestive system. In fact, they are sensitive animals in general. Feeding them parsley every day will expose them to an excess of calcium and oxalic acid.
Still, wondering how much parsley is considered safe for your guinea pig? Once or twice a week will be more than enough for your pet friend. This will allow your pet to safely receive the benefits of eating parsley.
3) How Much Parsley Should I Feed My Guinea Pig?
To ensure your pet stays out of trouble, you should feed them parsley once or twice a week. Your furry pet can safely consume up to 5 regular-sized sprigs (stem) of parsley.
Guinea pigs cannot look after themselves when it comes to food and diets. They will simply have a go at any food when they see some. This is why you have to take special care of your pet’s diet.
Feeding them once or twice will keep your pet’s diet proportions balanced and provide your pet with significant health benefits. You can also feed your pet a little extra parsley if you notice vitamin deficiencies.
Still, to stay out of trouble we recommend you feed them no more than once or twice a week. Or it will lead to an imbalance of Vitamin C, K, and oxalic acid in your pet’s body.
4) Is Parsley Consumable For Baby Guinea Pigs?
The answer to this question is a big no! Baby guinea pigs cannot have parsley whatsoever. It will take a toll on your pet’s health and is strictly not recommended.
They only need to be fed by their mother who knows what’s best for them. At such an early age, they are even more sensitive and hence should never be fed veggies or even herbs.
They should only have their mother’s milk and once they are a few weeks old, you can introduce them to guinea pig pellets. You can also introduce them to small amounts of veggies.
5) Can Pregnant Guinea Pigs Eat Parsley?
In short, yes! Pregnant guinea piggies can have parsley. Irrespective of whether they are pregnant or not, parsley is significantly beneficial to your pet’s health.
As long as you feed them the amount mentioned above, you will not have to worry about your pet’s health. The recommended amount will not harm your pregnant guinea pig.
It is the excess of parsley that will harm your pet’s health. It will make your pet severely sick and may affect your pet’s baby. If you are still unsure, you can reach out to your vet for better guidance.
Besides, the vitamin content in parsley will keep your pregnant guinea pig mother healthy.
6) Can Guinea Pigs Eat Parsley Flowers?
In short, yes they can. They are white and yellow and are essentially the same as parsley leaves. They just have a slight touch of lemon and a sugary taste.
While you can feed your pet parsley flowers, it is safer to feed them in moderation and never in excess. So, in short, they are better served or used as an occasional snack for your pet guinea pig.
7) Can Guinea Pigs Eat Parsley Flakes?
In short, no they cannot eat parsley flakes. They are simply dried-up flakes stuffed in a bottle. While they may seem simple to the eye, they can be deadly for your furry friends.
Feeding them to your furry pet can lead to indigestion, diarrhea, and other stomach issues. Hence avoid feeding your guinea pig parsley flakes.
8) Can Guinea Pigs Eat Parsley Roots?
In short, yes. Guinea pigs can eat parsley roots.
Unlike the ordinary, it is grown particularly for its roots. Yet still, the leaves are consumable. It has low calories and is packed with nutrients. Considering this, they are perfectly safe for your furry friend.
In addition to this, it also serves as a strong antioxidant that your guinea pigs will absolutely love and benefit from.
6 Benefits Of Feeding Parsley To Guinea Pigs
Parsley is of significant importance to your pet’s health and well-being. Not only does it play a major role in lowering the chances of your pet suffering from cancer, but also helps fight rheumatoid joint inflammation.
When fed as part of a balanced diet, they can also keep your pet heart-healthy.
Here is a brief overview of some of the benefits of parsley for guinea pigs.
1) Maintenance Of Weight:
In contrast to other fruits and veggies, it contains a low concentration of carbohydrates and fat. This means feeding parsley to your pet will in no way contribute to an increase in your pet’s weight.
You don’t have to worry about your guinea pig putting on excess weight. In addition to maintaining your pet’s weight, it also helps in clotting blood. It can be significantly helpful in case of an injury.
Even though it is low in carbs, it will still provide energy to your furry friend throughout the day.
2) It Keeps Your Pet Heart Healthy:
Parsley has essential nutrients like iron, potassium, vitamin K and zinc. As part of a balanced diet, these 4 nutrients can keep your pet heart-healthy.
Vitamin K can prove to be beneficial in case of an injury. Whereas zinc can help heal the tears on your pet’s body.
Potassium, on the other hand, keeps your pet’s blood pressure within normal levels. Lastly, iron decreases the risk of anemia.
Considering all this, parsley undoubtedly qualifies for being a healthy herb for your pet guinea pig.
3) Protection Of Eyes:
Guinea pigs often suffer from poor eyesight over time. This is mainly due to a lack of vitamin A, beta carotene, and lutein.
Luckily, parsley consists of all these three ingredients. They help in protecting your pet’s eyesight. It will also improve the eye health of your pet if it has deteriorated.
4) Prevention Of Scurvy:
Scurvy is caused by a deficiency of vitamin C. Since your furry friend cannot produce or store vitamin C in its body, he/she needs it from external sources.
It can cause internal bleeding, diarrhea, and a poor coat. As mentioned earlier, parsley is an excellent source of vitamin C. Feeding your pet parsley will help in the prevention of scurvy.
5) Helps Your Pet In The Digestion/Metabolism Of Food:
It comprises a decent amount of carbohydrates and protein. Due to this, your pet will have improved digestion of food. One of the many causes of indigestion and poor metabolism is sugar.
Luckily, parsley is safe from sugars. It contains a fine amount of healthy ingredients which can keep your pet’s digestive system healthy.
6) Healthy Body Development:
Parsley is rich in essential vitamins and minerals. These include calcium, iron, phosphorus, and potassium. When fed as part of a balanced diet, it can result in the healthy body development of your furry friend.
Nutritional Facts Of Parsley
Parsley is rich in nutrients and there’s no denying that. For about 100 g of parsley, your pet can benefit from the following:
| Energy – 36 kcal | Protein – 2.97 g | All out lipid (fat) – 0.79 g | Carbs – 6.33 g | Dietary fiber – 3.3 g |
| Sugars – 0.85 g | Calcium – 138 mg | Water – 87.71 g | Iron – 6.2 mg | Magnesium – 50 mg |
| Phosphorus – 58 mg | Potassium – 554 mg | Sodium – 56 mg | Zinc – 1.07 mg | Copper – 0.149 mg |
| Selenium – 0.1 µg | Vitamin C – 133 mg | Vitamin B-6 – 0.09 mg | Vitamin A – 421 µg | Vitamin E – 0.75 mg |
| Vitamin K – 1640 µg | Thiamin – 0.086 mg | Riboflavin – 0.098 mg | Niacin – 1.313 mg | Folates – 152 µg |
| Carotene, beta – 5054 µg | Lutein + zeaxanthin – 5561 µg |
A cup of parsley consists of a whopping 130% of Vitamin C. It also has a significantly lower number of sugars which is surprising.
Considering the nutrients listed above, it can be of substantial importance to your pet’s overall well-being.
3 Possible Risks Of Parsley
Although there are many pros of parsley, there are also certain cons. You will only experience the cons if you overfeed your furry friends.
Here are some major risks that parsley can cause.
1) Failure Of Renal System:
Parsley can provide your pet with health benefits but it can also be harmful. It contains a high concentration of oxalic acid. If you overfeed your pet parsley, your pet’s renal system may fail.
It can be fatal for your adorable little piggy. This is due to the fact that guinea pigs can only have a certain amount of oxalic acid. To avoid all this, only feed your pet the recommended amount and not more than that.
2) Diarrhea:
Guinea pigs have a sensitive digestive system. They can only have a properly balanced diet to stay healthy and active.
An excess of parsley can put your pet in severe discomfort. It can cause your pet to suffer from diarrhea and may end up being fatal.
This is why you need to give your pet a balanced diet and never overfeed your pet any fruit or vegetable.
3) Formation Of Kidney And Bladder Stones:
As mentioned many times throughout the article, parsley contains a high concentration of calcium and oxalic acid. When fed in small quantities they may not do any harm.
But when overfed, it can be harmful to your pet and form kidney stones and bladder slime in your pet guinea. This is due to the fact that when calcium collides with oxalate, stones are formed.
So if you want a healthy and long life for your furry friend, only feed them the recommended amount of parsley.
When these stones are formed in your pet’s body they can result in difficulty when urinating. They also lead to infections in the urinary system which we certainly do not want.
Your adorable little piggy will have a hard time tolerating the immense pain caused by those stones. Unfortunately, it will lead to a tragic outcome for your furry friend in the long haul.
41 Healthy And Safe Alternatives Of Parsley For Guinea Pigs
Guinea pigs can safely eat parsley. Overfeeding them will only lead to health complications, and no pet owner would want that for their pet.
Here are some healthy alternatives of parsley that your pet guinea pig will love to have a go at.
Beet Tops Arugula Butter Lettuce Buttercrunch Lettuce Bibb Lettuce
Bok Choy Zucchini Yu Choy Basil Cucumber
Bell Pepper Rocket Broccoli Broccolini Cauliflower
Watercress Artichoke Carrot Carrot Tops Romaine
Beets Summer Squash Parsnip Pumpkin Swiss Chard
Spinach Endive Escarole Cabbage Mint
Parsley Sweet Potato Tomato
Other Foods:
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Can Guinea Pigs Eat Fresh Parsley?
In short, yes they can. In fact, it is the best parsley you can feed your furry piggy.
You should avoid giving them bottled spices. Instead, try to provide them with fresh herbs and vegetables.
If you have a hard time keeping parsley fresh, you can dip it in a glass of water. Let it sit until you’re ready to use it again.
2) Can Guinea Pigs Eat Italian Parsley?
In short, yes they can. Italian parsley can be consumed by guinea pigs. However, it should only be fed in moderation. Overfeeding can lead to many health complications.
It essentially tastes and looks much fresher than regular parsley. It has the same benefits as regular parsley.
When fed in moderation, it can help boost immunity and keep your pet’s heart, lungs, and eyesight healthy.
3) Can Guinea Eat Curly Parsley?
In short, yes they can. It essentially has a different texture and taste in contrast to the Italian and regular parsley.
Guinea pigs can safely eat it and receive numerous health benefits from it.
4) Can Guinea Pigs Eat Parsley Leaves?
The answer to this question is a big yes! The leaves of parsley contain high levels of Vitamin A, C, and K. In addition to this, they are filled with minerals and antioxidants.
When you feed your guinea pig parsley leaves, they will love to have a go at them. Feel free to feed your guinea pig parsley leaves. But, prior to serving them to your furry friends, you need to thoroughly wash them first.
5) Can Parsley Affect My Guinea Pig’s Health?
In general, no they cannot as long as you feed them in moderation. It is the excess of parsley that can take a toll on your adorable little piggy’s health.
Overfeeding parsley can lead to indigestion, renal failure, and other fatal diseases.
Conclusion:
Nothing matters to a pet owner other than the health of its furry friend. Guinea pigs are sensitive little lovable creatures that need a perfectly balanced diet. Parsley is every guinea pig’s favorite snack.
It has certain benefits, but it also has possible risks and disadvantages. As long as you feed parsley to your pet in moderation, you will not have to worry about the adverse effects.
If you overfeed your pet, it will take a toll on your pet’s health. You can feed your pet parsley once or twice a week at max. Anything more than this will be considered overfeeding which should strictly be avoided.