Can guinea pigs eat dandelions and how much?

Dandelions for guinea pigs are a food that helps diversify the menu, making it more healthy. Juicy food, which includes a spring flower, is eaten by rodents with great pleasure. To properly feed a pet with a plant, you need to know which parts of the grass are allowed to be offered to the animal.

Stem

Fresh stalk contains bitterness, tannins, mucus and juice, which have a beneficial effect on the pet’s health. The animal eats crispy stalks with appetite, but despite this, care must be taken that the juicy delicacy brings only benefits. Pre-washed and dried stems give in the amount of grams, not exceeding 15% of the weight of the animal.

Flowers

Yellowish inflorescences are rich in components that have anthelmintic properties, so it is useful for a guinea pig to feed dandelions. The fragrant part of the herb is offered to the pet in an amount not exceeding 20% ​​of the daily food intake.

Important! Inflorescences are forbidden to be entered into the pet menu during their fruiting period!

The roots

For guinea pigs, dandelions are introduced into the menu in the form of a root collected during the flowering period. It contains vitamin C and tannins that strengthen the animal’s immune system. For the animal, it is preferable to harvest the root part of young plants, and then offer it dried and fresh in the amount of 2-3 pieces per day.

Leaves

In spring, the animal is given dandelion leaves, which are a juicy and fiber-rich food product. Like any fresh food, the leaves are given in a volume not exceeding 15% of the total weight of the greens fed per day.

General rules

Rodents eagerly eat spring gifts in the form of greens, as they have invaluable benefits for herbivorous pets.

General rules for the preparation of the product:

• grass is harvested away from highways, industrial facilities and other polluted areas;
• it is not recommended to take flowers growing in the walking areas of pets, as the vegetation may contain helminths;
• before feeding, the crop is thoroughly washed in running water, allowing it to dry slightly after washing;
• the pig is given whole leaves, roots, stems, flowers not damaged by insects.

For the winter, the plant is harvested by drying it washed in the open air.

If, after feeding with dandelions, the rodent shows signs of gastrointestinal upset, such food should be removed from the diet for a while.

You can learn about the benefits and harms of herbs such as dill, parsley and sorrel from our materials “Can guinea pigs be given sorrel” and “Is it possible to give guinea pigs dill and parsley”.

Video: the benefits of dandelions for guinea pigs