Branches of which trees can be given to guinea pigs

Guinea pig eats only plant foods: fruits, cereals, fresh grass. Branches with greens will complement the diet of a pet. To enrich the pet’s menu, you need to figure out which branches can be given to a guinea pig.

Benefit

Branches plucked from a healthy tree are a healthy addition to a rodent’s diet. They contain biologically active substances necessary for the pet. Eating such food along with the bark helps the pet grind teeth and improve digestion.

Which ones to choose?

Far from all types of twigs can be given to a guinea pig, since many plants contain cyanide glucosides and essential oils, which provoke severe poisoning in an animal.

List of fresh branches, the presence of which in the menu of the animal is unacceptable:

• citrus fruits (lemon, tangerine, orange);
• with stone fruits (apricot, plum, cherry, sweet cherry);
• coniferous (thuja, cypress, pine);
• horse chestnut.

Important! If the raw materials taken from the listed plant species are dried for six months or more, then the animal is allowed to eat them.

Cute rodents can eat tree branches of all kinds:

• and you;
• birch;
• ash;
• alder;
• mountain ash;
• apple trees;
• pears;
• lindens.

In order for the animal to get the maximum of useful substances from them, vegetable raw materials are offered fresh, having previously washed off dust and dirt from it.

Do they give leaves?

Young branches are covered with leaves until autumn, which allows them to be included in the pet menu during the spring and summer seasons. The leaves of the trees are juicy and fragrant, so they will be a useful and tasty addition to the diet of a rodent.

Together with greens, you can pamper your pet with branches of those plants that are allowed in the diet of the animal. It is also separately allowed to offer birch (together with buds), willow, linden, maple leaves to the animal. The listed components of the diet offer the rodent without restrictions, that is, put it in a cage without controlling how much raw material the pet will eat.

When harvesting plant materials for a rodent, you need to choose only healthy trees that are away from the roadway and industrial facilities. Before you give a sprig of greens to the animal, it must be washed and dried in the air. For the winter, the owner is recommended to make a supply of plant food by washing and drying the collected blanks for several months in the open air.

You may be interested in the information in the articles “Can I give nuts and seeds to a guinea pig” and “How long can a guinea pig live without food and water“.