Can Guinea Pigs Eat Watermelon?

Today was the first really hot day of the year. Although it isn't officially summer yet, it sure felt like it with a high of 91 degrees. So you can imagine our delight when the humans gave us a cold, watery treat that was as sweet tasting as it was fun to eat: watermelon! Guinea pigs love to eat watermelon on hot summery days. We give it 5/5 stars. Because watermelon has a lot of sugar, please only feed your guinea pig one or two small chunks per day.

The humans knew that Lola would almost certainly steal the slice of watermelon if they set it down in our cage, so they fed us in turns. We were beyond happy! Delicious, cold watermelon on such a miserably hot day, and I didn't even have to worry about Lola being bossy and stealing my share.

Me eating the watermelon:

Lola messily eating her half of the watermelon slice:

 

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Asparagus?

Today the humans let us try asparagus. Asparagus is a food that we guinea pigs should only get 1-2 times per week. We had about half a cup of asparagus ends between the two of us.

Can I get in there, please?

Thank you!

Asparagus is good, but it's another food we got bored of and left chunks of behind. We give it 3/5 stars.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Ugli Fruit?

The humans had trouble finding the answer to this question on other websites. They figured that since Ugli fruit is a hybrid of grapefruit, orange, and tangerine, and all those are listed as safe for guinea pigs to eat, Ugli fruit is probably okay, too.

Wow, that thing is ugly!

It doesn't look so bad when you cut it in half, though.

We smell that! Put it down NOW!

As our readers know, it's pretty common for us to get all excited about trying something new, but then it turns out to be a disappointment, and our humans have to clean up our leftovers. So, you're probably wondering: Did it happen again this time?

So far, so good.

Yum!

The verdict: 5/5 stars! Ugli fruit may look ugly on the outside, but it's thoroughly delicious on the inside. It's not too strong like kumquats, and we didn't get bored of it. It's also a good source of vitamin C. (The humans liked it, too, if anyone cares.)

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Kiwi?

Most of the time, Lola and I more-or-less agree on what's good. We both loved carrots, and both didn't care for the strong taste of kumquats. Today, however, the humans fed us kiwi, and we were not on the same page about it.

This is what kiwi looks like inside.

Lola noticed first, but lost interest after smelling it up close.

As you can see, I like kiwi fruit, but Lola had no interest in eating it at all at first. It was nice because I could eat in peace for once. After Lola noticed how much I was enjoying myself, however, she came up to me and shoved me with her nose. Then she started eating the kiwi fruit. I think she did it just to spite me since she clearly had no interest in it earlier! After that, she got bored of it and left chunks of kiwi in the bowl.

I guess I would give kiwi 3/5 stars since I liked it a lot, but Lola apparently only eats it to show dominance, not because she likes it. Even though I liked it, it wouldn't be fair to give it a higher rating since this means there's only a 50/50 chance your piggy will like it.

Product Review: Ecotrition Citrus C Orange Slice Treats

Today, the humans fed us Ecotrition Citrus C Orange Slice Treats. As our readers already know, we love our liquid vitamin C, and the back of the package said they "provide... vitamin C by combining carrot with juicy orange bits and pressing them into fun shapes," so we had high hopes for these treats.

We love vitamin C, we love carrots, and we love treats, so this looks promising!

Smells good. Looks good. I want to try it! Please don't take it, Lola

Of course, Lola did take it and ran off with it. Fortunately, the humans decided to give out another one so I'd get one.

Hooray for treats! I'll actually get one this time!

Our enthusiasm died down once we actually got our mouths on the treats, though. We both chewed on them for a few minutes and then got bored of them.

Lola liked them a little more than I did. You can see how much she ate on the left, and how much I ate on the right.

Another problem with these treats is that there are only 5 large treats in the bag, so it's harder for the humans to dole out reasonable portions. I'm sorry to say that we can only give these treats 1/5 stars.

Mounting

Buffy here. I'm whispering because Lola has been a little crazy lately. The other day, I was hanging out by the water bottle, when Lola came from behind and did this:

Ahh! I don't like that! Then, a minute later, she does it again!

Just to state the obvious, we're both female and this has nothing to do with mating. This is just Lola asserting her dominance in a new, annoying way. 

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Carrots?

We guinea pigs LOVE carrots! Carrots are our absolute favorite food ever. We know when you're in the kitchen cutting them up and can smell them from the other room. If we even suspect that you're cutting up carrots, we will wheek uncontrollably until you give us some. If you want to reward us or give us a treat, there is no better choice.

Something smells good in the other room...

Is that what I think it is? It is! Carrots!

MORE CARROTS!

Hey, don't get too comfortable at that food dish, Buffy. I'm reclaiming it as soon as I finish this piece.

Carrots are our favorite! 5/5 stars!


Please keep in mind that even though carrots are our favorite food, you need to make sure you don't give your piggy too much. That goes for all fruits and vegetables. We love carrots too much to stop eating them on our own, so we rely on you to give a reasonable amount. We've been given a pretty generous amount in these picture, which means we didn't get carrots again for a few days. But as long as you don't overdo it, carrots are a great treat!

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Apriums?

Seriously, humans? Where do you keep finding these weird types of fruit? You're probably wondering what the heck an aprium is. Apparently, they're a hybrid between a plum and an apricot.

This is what they look like.

Time to dig in!

Buffy, what do you say we split this fair and square? I get everything on the plate, you get everything off the plate. Sound good to you?

What's that? I can't hear you with your mouth full. I'm just going to assume you said, "Sounds fair."

You can't start complaining now. We had a deal. Everything on the plate is mine. MINE!

I'm going to give apriums 4/5 stars. They were good, but not the best thing I've ever had. Buffy said she didn't get enough to really review it. Tough luck, Buffy. A deal is a deal!

Floor Time For Guinea Pigs

We love floor time. I'm normally scared of anything new and unfamiliar, so you might expect me to stay in my cage rather than explore the room. I get stir-crazy sometimes, though. Exploring the room is a little scary, to be honest, but it's not that bad when Lola leads the way. I feel safer walking behind her.

You first, Lola.

You lead the way. Or wheek the way. Whichever.

Although floor time is fun and good exercise, it's very important that your keep an eye on us at all times! Our humans have been distracted before, and we started chewing on their computer wires. They weren't too happy about that. Even worse things can happen than ruining your electronics if you don't supervise us; for example, Peace Lilies, a common house plant, can be deadly to guinea pigs. It's a good idea to pick up anything you don't want us chewing on and putting it away before floor time. With just a few precautions, your piggy can have a safe and happy floor time adventure!

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Dill?

You know the drill. Humans give us food, we review it so you know what to feed your guinea pig, Actually, I care more about getting the humans to give us delicious food, but if your piggy benefits as well, that's a bonus. Now, on to the review.

The humans decided to buy some dill from the local farmer's market for us to try. We got excited as soon as we smelled it:

We want it NOW!

Yum!

We wasted no time in digging in. Buffy didn't even wait until the human dropped it into our dish. Clever girl, trying to get a jump on eating it before I assert my dominance and take the lion's share. I'll nip her later for that.

I know you can't smell this through the blog, but trust me, it smells delicious.

We give dill 4.5/5 stars. We should point out that not everyone says dill is safe to feed to your guinea pig, so you might want to feed it in moderation. (Any vets out there who know if it's safe or not? We're hoping it's safe because this is good stuff!)

Review of Kaytee Nature's Benefits Raisin Apple Wafers

We love treats, so we're always up for reviewing new ones. Kaytee is not our favorite brand, however; the humans have bought us Kaytee brand hay before, and we'll only eat about half of it. (The other half does make a nice cage-liner, however. We scattered so much of it all around that it felt like we were visiting a savanna). Still, a treat is a treat, right?

Aside from the brand, this looks promising.

Yes, I think I would like to try that.

Not bad... You know what? Just give it to me!

The treats were pretty good. We definitely liked them better than the Kaytee brand hay. Still, these treats aren't as good as Simple Rewards Timothy Treats. We both got bored and left half-eaten treats around the cage. We'll give them 2.5/5 stars.

Guinea Pig Keeps Biting The Cage

Hi, Humans, Lola here. Listen. My cage mate Buffy has developed a bad habit. As you know, we live in a big wired cage. Buffy has recently taken to biting and rattling the cage non-stop! I don't understand her. She's upsetting the humans, but she's also bugging me! When I'm trying to sleep in my pigloo, there she goes with the rattling. When I'm munching on hay, she starts up the biting and rattling. Why does she keep biting the cage?

I tried biting the cage myself just to see what the appeal was. As far as I could tell, there is none. It hurts my teeth to bite on metal. Here, check out a video of her doing it:

Anyway, I'm starting to worry about her. Do any of you humans out there have any advice or experiences with your piggies biting the cage? What's the deal?

Guest Piggy: Flower

Hi, I'm Flower, and I live at the Long Branch Nature Center in Arlington, VA. I was adopted from SEAVS a few years ago. I was named after the skunk from Bambi. I'm an unusual looking pig, I guess, because the front half of my body has short hair, while the second half has long fur that doesn't stop growing.

I am very friendly since I am used to being around humans. The Long Branch Nature Center holds birthday parties and school trips, so I've met quite a few humans over the years. Sometimes I can be a little shy like all guinea pigs, but I never make an angry "burrr" sound if someone hold me.  

The humans tried to have me become friends with the bunny who also lives at the nature center, but I hate that rabbit. She's always picking on me, and if she comes too close to me, I'll attack her right back. I really prefer the company of humans instead.

Come over and meet me sometime! 

Review of Simple Rewards Timothy Treats

Simple Rewards Timothy Treats are great! I usually don't like being held as much as Lola does, but if the humans feed me this stuff while holding me, then I don't mind being pet by them. (Actually, I'm still not crazy about it, but don't tell them that. These things are worth it!) 5/5 stars!

This is what you should look for the next time you're at the pet store.

What's that smell? Is that what I think it is?

It is! YUM!

Hey, could you please move? Please? I want some more!

As you can see, certain piggies in the cage have trouble sharing (hint: it's not me!), so the humans now feed us our Simple Rewards separately, giving us each 3 per day. I would prefer getting more, but at least I know I'll get some.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Prickly Pears?

One of the great things about being a guinea pig with a blog is that it gives us all sorts of opportunities to try new foods. Sometimes it doesn't work out (like kumquats and yellow squash), but sometimes it does. Cactus pear was somewhere in the middle. We'll give it 3.5/5 stars.



This is a Prickly Pear, also known as a Cactus Pear. Strange-looking, isn't it?



This is what the inside looks like. We've had pear before, and it didn't look like that!

While the humans were cutting it up for us, they ended up getting little barbs stuck in their fingers and cursing a lot. Buffy will run home to her pigloo at the drop of a hat, but even I got scared and ran for cover. I may be the brave, dominant one, but finding a hiding place when there's an angry giant in the room is just being smart. If you decide to give prickly pears to your piggies, make sure you know how to cut and prepare them. You don't want those little barbs getting in your fingers, or, even worse, in the mouths of your piggies!

Eventually, the storm of cursing passed, and we saw a human hand full of delicious-smelling fruit over our cage:

What is that? I want it!

Yum!

I like it!

The prickly pear itself was pretty good; it was actually more like watermelon than a pear. Buffy and I ate most of it, although not all of it. In addition to the barbs, these pears also have a lot of seeds in them that you should carefully remove before giving to your piggy. So, in summary, prickly pears taste pretty good, but there is a lot than can go wrong if you're not careful!