Can Guinea Pigs Eat Weetabix? Is It Beneficial Or Risky?

Guinea pigs primarily eat vegetation since they are herbivorous. However, they eat grains or fruits since they can digest them.

Can guinea pigs eat Weetabix? No, guinea pigs should not eat Weetabix. A guinea pig’s digestive system is not well-suited for breaking down processed foods like Weetabix. The cereal also contains sugars and preservatives that may expose your pet pig to various health risks.

We’ve established that Weetabix is not great for guinea pigs. Read on to discover your pet pig’s health risks when feeding on the cereal.

Can You Feed Weetabix To Guinea Pigs?

No, you should not feed Weetabix to a guinea pig. Weetabix is a processed, whole grain cereal with added sugars and preservatives that are harmful to your guinea pig.

A 37.5 g serving of original Weetabix has the following nutrients;

• Energy – 136 kcal
• Proteins – 4.5 g
• Carbohydrates – 26 g
• Sugars – 1.6 g
• Fat – 0.8 g
• Fiber – 3.8 g
• Salt – 0.1 g
• Iron – 4.5 mg
• Niacin – 5.3 mg

Calorie intake is important because it affects the weight of your pet pig. Since Weetabix is a high-calorie food, regularly giving it to a guinea pig will cause weight gain and possibly obesity.

With 3.8 grams of fiber per serving, Weetabix is a high-fiber food. Too much fiber interferes with guinea pigs’ digestive tracts causing all manner of issues such as bloating. Hence, Weetabix is not a great meal for your pet pig.

In the wild, guinea pigs mainly eat fresh vegetation and fruits since they are herbivorous. Their digestive organs are best suited to break down fresh herbs, so they struggle to break down processed foods. Hence, while your pet pig might eat the Weetabix, it will experience problems with digestion.

Most processed cereals contain plenty of added sugars. These sugars expose your pet guinea pig to many risks, including;

• Gut health issues – some processed sugars can promote the increase of harmful bacteria in the gut, causing health problems.
• Blood sugar level changes – the sugar in Weetabix can affect your pet pig’s blood sugar levels, potentially causing diabetes.

Weetabix is typically served with milk, but guinea pigs are lactose intolerant, so it is served dry. Dry Weetabix is not only harder to bite and chew but may also choke your furry friend.

A guinea pig can consume tiny amounts of Weetabix, but the cereal offers few benefits with numerous risks. Hence, it is better to avoid feeding any Weetabix to guinea pigs.

Health Risks For Feeding Guinea Pigs Weetabix

Weetabix is generally harmful to your guinea pig because it causes several issues. Some of these problems include;

Obesity

Weetabix provides high amounts of carbohydrates and proteins and extremely high amounts of calories. If a guinea pig consumes Weetabix regularly, the surplus carbohydrates and proteins will be converted to fat and stored in its body. Hence, eating Weetabix will cause weight gain and obesity.

Digestive tract issues

Most cereals, including Weetabix, contain processed sugars. Because they are herbivores, guinea pigs’ digestive systems don’t handle processed foods and sugars well. As a result, giving your pet pig some Weetabix may cause problems such as stomachaches and constipation.

Inconsistent stool

Since guinea pigs find it difficult to digest Weetabix, their poop will change consistency after eating the cereal. Weetabix also contains a lot of fiber since it is made of whole grains.

While fiber generally benefits guinea pigs, too much causes stomach upsets. Because of its high fiber content, eating Weetabix can cause pain, flatulence, softer poop and, for some pigs, diarrhea.

Choking

Guinea pigs should never drink milk, so Weetabix must be served dry. However, since Weetabix contains crushed whole wheat grains, there’s always the danger of choking.

Diabetes

Although Weetabix has a comparatively lower sugar content than other cereals, the amount of sugar is still high. Hence, if your guinea pig consumes the cereal regularly, the probability of developing diabetes is high.

Do Guinea Pigs Like Weetabix?

Since Weetabix has good taste, guinea pigs like eating it. Your pet pig is likely to love the cereal even if it is reluctant to eat it at first. Some guinea pigs may find Weetabix so tasty that they ignore other foods.

However, despite the pigs’ liking of Weetabix, it can lead to diarrhea and other issues. Also, since processed food is difficult for guinea pigs to digest, Weetabix cannot provide enough nutrients to sustain your furry friend when it neglects other foods.

Here’s a guinea pig eating Weetabix.

Can You Feed Weetabix To Baby Guinea Pigs?

No, you should never give Weetabix to baby guinea pigs. Since their digestive systems are still developing, the fiber in Weetabix will affect baby guinea pigs more than adults, causing severe diarrhea. The baby pigs are also likely to experience severe bloating and constipation.

Since Weetabix is sweet, baby guinea pigs may get accustomed to eating sweet foods and neglect the normal diet of hay and vegetables.

Related Questions

Here are some common questions related to feeding guinea pigs with Weetabix.

Conclusion

Guinea pigs shouldn’t feed on Weetabix since it can lead to many health problems. For instance, the cereal contains a lot of fiber that will cause stomach upsets and diarrhea. Feeding your furry friend regularly with Weetabix will also cause diabetes and obesity. Though guinea pigs can enjoy eating Weetabix because of its taste, they shouldn’t consume the cereal regularly. Because that can cause them to refuse their normal nutritious diet.