Can Guinea Pigs Eat Snow Peas? Are Snow Peas Sprouts & Shoots Safe For Guinea Pigs?

Guinea pigs need 8-10% of fresh vegetables and greens in their daily diet to stay healthy and live longer. They can eat nearly all types of veggies, like kale, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, and asparagus.

Can guinea pigs eat snow peas? Yes. Guinea pigs or cavy can feed on snow peas, also known as Chinese pea pods, including the pods, sprouts, and shoots. These peas are rich in essential minerals and vitamins, making them a healthy treat for your piggies. However, your guinea pigs must eat these Chinese pea pods in moderation.

How many snow peas can pet guinea pigs consume then, you ask? Just read on to learn more about how often to feed snow peas to your piggies and their health benefits.

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Snow Peas

Yes. Guinea pigs, also known as cavy, can safely eat snow peas in small quantities because they are healthy. On top of that, these Chinese pea pods don’t contain toxic compounds that could harm your rodent.

Additionally, garden peas are rich in many essential nutrients that guinea pigs need in their diet. Like other peas varieties, fresh Chinese pea pods are an excellent source of:

• Protein
• Dietary fiber and healthy fats
• Vitamin K
• Vitamin A and C
• Potassium and iron
• Magnesium and calcium

Apart from that, guinea pigs are herbivores adapted to only eating plants. As such, the diet of these rodents consists mainly of fresh fruits and vegetables. And as it turns out, botanically snow peas or edible-podded peas are considered a fruit. However, these peas are used as a vegetable in today’s culinary world.

What Part of Snow Peas Guinea Pigs Can Eat

So then, what part of snow peas can your guinea pigs safely eat? Well, your cavy can consume every part of the Chinese pea pods in moderation, including the:

• Snow pea leaves
• Snow peas pods
• Snow peas sprouts

Which Part of Snow Peas Are Nutritionally Rich

Overall, the pods are the most nutritious part of the plant, with a mild flavor that most piggies love. But can guinea pigs eat snow pea shoots? Yes, because they are highly nutritious, with excellent levels of vitamins A, C, E, B6, and K. The best part is the subtly grassy flavor that guinea pigs like.

That said, guinea pigs should only eat fresh raw snow peas before they are fully ripened. Their digestive tract is naturally adapted to process only natural plants. Therefore, cooked Chinese pea pods can bring about digestive issues for your piggy.

Health Benefits of Guinea Pigs Eating Snow Peas

Because of their high nutritional value, there are many health benefits of piggies eating snow peas. These include:

Improved overall health

Edible-podded peas are rich in vitamin C, which is vital for baby and adult guinea pigs. This vitamin helps maintain your piggie’s healthy skin, joints, and coat. It also ensures faster wound healing.

Excellent source of energy

These edible-podded peas are also protein and carbohydrate-rich. Therefore, they help fuel your guinea pig’s energy, build muscles, and repair tissues.

Enhanced digestion

Snow peas provide your piggy with reasonable amounts of dietary fiber in their diet. This helps ensure smooth bowel movements while also lowering cholesterol levels.

Proper functioning of internal organs

Additionally, snow peas contain high levels of potassium, an essential mineral in the guinea pig’s diet. Potassium helps ensure your piggy’s heart, lungs, and kidneys function optimally.

Improved vision

Besides being rich in vitamin A, Chinese pea pods contain many Phyto-nutrients, including lutein and zeaxanthin, necessary for vision. This helps protect your guinea pigs from the risk of developing cataracts.

Healthy bones and teeth

Snow peas contain a decent amount of calcium levels, a critical mineral for your pigs in supporting bone health. This mineral helps build and maintain strong teeth, heart, muscles, and bones in guinea pigs.

How Much Snow Peas Can Guinea Pigs Consume?

Guinea pigs must eat snow peas in small quantities. With this in mind, you should only give your piggies one pod twice a week or two pods once a week. This is because these garden peas contain high levels of potassium and calcium.

Both of these minerals are beneficial for your pets when consumed in reasonable amounts. However, they can cause serious side effects when consumed in large quantities. For example, too much potassium may cause:

• Irregular heartbeats
• Weakness
• Difficulty in breathing
• Nausea
• Numbness

On the other hand, too much calcium may lead to your pet piggy developing bladder stones or simply urinary tract calculi. These stones mainly contain calcium salts and can be fatal for piggies if left untreated.

How To Prepare Snow Peas For Your Guinea Pigs?

Start by washing your raw snow peas to eliminate any chemicals or pesticides that could harm your piggies. Then, get a sharp knife and trim the ends of the pods.

After that, remove the thin strings of the Chinese pea pods, running the length of the pod. The threads are a choking hazard for baby guinea pigs. Next, slice the pods into bite-sized pieces before serving them to your piggies. You can also hand-feed them whole pods.

However, don’t salt the snow peas or even season them. You also don’t have to cook them. For frozen, raw snow peas, make sure to thaw them before serving them to your pets.

Check out this video of two guinea pigs enjoying whole snow peas: (“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtmCErh-PcQ”)

What Other Types of Peas Can Baby & Adult Guinea Pigs Eat?

Besides snow peas, cavy can safely eat other varieties, including sugar snap peas and English peas.

Sugar snap peas are simply a cross between snow and English peas. These peas contain a lot of water content to keep your piggies hydrated. They are also rich in many nutrients, similar to snow peas. Therefore, your pet piggies can eat all the parts of sugar snap peas apart from the strings.

On the other hand, English peas don’t have edible pods like sugar snap and snow peas. Therefore, your guinea pigs should only eat these peas when fully ripened and shelled.

FAQs

In this section, we will respond to commonly asked questions about whether or not pet piggies can consume snow peas.

Outro

Raw snow peas are very nutritious for your pet guinea pigs. Besides boosting their immunity, these Chinese pea pods also ensure improved digestion, vision, and heart health among guinea pigs.

However, you should not let your piggies eat more than two pods weekly to avoid potential side effects. Having said that, knowing how to prepare these peas for your piggies is critical. After all, guinea pigs should never eat cooked peas.