Ask A Guinea Pig: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Scotch Fingers?

Myshala Forster asks: "my lil piggy Topdeck goes crazy when I'm eating scotch fingers and if I put them down to grab something for him to chew on he runs to the plate eating the scotch fingers, are they dangerous for him??"

Answer: We have to admit that we had never heard of a "scotch finger" before your question, so we had to use Google to figure out what it is. Apparently, Scotch Fingers are "the most popular plain sweet biscuit in Australia... The biscuit has a lovely melt-in-the-mouth texture, which is the result of our bakers using a combination of butter, eggs, condensed milk and a special soft flour."

This sounds like good human food (for an occasional treat), but not good guinea pig food. Processed foods in general should be avoided. Also, flour is typically made from wheat, and grains are not well digested by guinea pigs. In addition, dairy should not be fed to guinea pigs, with the exception of baby guinea pigs drinking their mother's milk, because we are lactose intolerant as adults.

Notice how we're eating the strawberries and Oxbow treats, and not the chocolates behind us. 

So we've established that they are definitely not good and should not be a regular part of your guinea pig's diet, but are they actually dangerous if your piggy sneaks in a bite or two while you're not looking? Probably not, but you should still be cautious. Here's the advice that was given to the owner of a guinea pig who ate some saltine crackers: keep a close eye on your piggy afterwards, and make sure that they're eating hay, drinking water, and pooping normally. If anything seems abnormal, take your piggy to the vet. Alternatively, you can call ASPCA's animal poison control number (888-426-4435). (Or, in your case, whatever the Australian equivalent of the ASPCA is.)

Got more questions for us? Feel free to Ask A Guinea Pig!