What Fruits Can Guinea Pigs Eat? (And How Much?)

You know the stare. The one your cavy gives you when you crunch into an apple. The give me some of that sweet goodness stare. But what fruits can guinea pigs eat? You don’t want to hand over any snacks that will make them sick.

You love your guinea pig, so you're tempted to give them everything they want! But you also want to make sure you're being a responsible parent. 

So let’s first jump right into our list, and then we’ll talk more about how to feed these fruits so that your cavy feels their best on their guinea pig diet!

The Fruits Guinea Pigs Can Eat

When giving your guinea pig fruits from this list, always remove any seeds or pits!

• apples

• apricots

• bananas

• watermelon

• blueberries

• cranberries

• strawberries (green tops are okay too!)

• raspberries

• plums

• pears

• cherries

• red tomatoes (not the stems or leaves!)

• cucumber

• kiwi

• mango

• papaya 

Never give your guinea pig avocados, rhubarb, or the stems and leaves of tomatoes. These foods can make your guinea pig sick. 

Lemons are too acidic and should be avoided as well. There are plenty of better options for your guinea pig diet.

How Much Fruit Should Guinea Pigs Eat?

A balanced diet is extremely important for guinea pigs, and fruit can certainly be a part of that! 

Check out our guinea pig expert Saskia on Youtube as she talks all about guinea pigs and fruit! 

The concern with fruit is making sure your guinea pig isn’t getting too much sugar. So while fruit gives your guinea pig lots of great vitamins and minerals, too much will give your cavy an overload of sugar. 

Too much sugar will do a number on your guinea pig’s gut bacteria. The far majority of the food your guinea pig eats needs to be high-fiber hay so the good bacteria will overrule the bad bacteria in your guinea pig’s gut. 

Too much sugar can contribute to weight gain and dental issues as well! Have your guinea pig brush their teeth by eating hay after!

Fruit needs to be an occasional treat. At most, something they get once a day, as a very small piece.

Remember, your guinea pig is much smaller than you. Something that looks like a tiny piece of apple to you looks much larger from their perspective! 

So give them a slice of a banana, not a whole banana. Or two blueberries and not a handful of blueberries.

Preparing Fruits For Your Guinea Pig 

Make sure you thoroughly wash any fruit you give your cavy. And remove any pits and seeds before feeding them to your cavy.

Don’t throw your guinea pig the apple core for them to snack off of. Apple seeds are poisonous for guinea pigs and can make them very sick. 

Fruit Gives Your Guinea Pig Vitamin C 

Guinea pigs don’t make their own vitamin C, so they must be getting this vitamin from their diet. 

Vitamin C helps with the maintenance of skin and joints. It helps their body heal wounds as well. 

What fruits can guinea pigs eat that are high in vitamin C? All of the fruits on our list are high in Vitamin C! As well as leafy greens like kale, parsley, and spinach. An excellent low-sugar option for vitamin C are bell peppers! 

Guinea pig pellets are also usually fortified with vitamin C, so even on days you aren’t feeding anything high in vitamin C, they can get an extra dose of vitamins there! 

Other Healthy Treats For Your Guinea Pig 

It’s fun to treat your furry friend. Having plenty of ideas for healthy treats can help keep you from overfeeding one type of treat. And every cavy loves variety in their guinea pig diet. 

Healthy Snackers are treats made from hay with a bit of dried fruit added. So your guinea pig can get a fruity treat that includes hay to keep their digestive system happy. 

Pea Flakes and Dried Red Clover Treats are also fun to mix up your guinea pig’s day and encourage foraging!

You have a lot of choices when you ask, what fruits can guinea pigs eat? Just make sure you’re always checking in with how your guinea pig feels when adding anything new to their diet.