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Guinea Pig Dangerous Foods
The below Guinea Pig Dangerous Foods List is a compilation of vegetables, fruits, and herbs that are not safe for guinea pig consumption.
Jump to the Guinea Pig Safe Food List to find out what plants are edible for guinea pigs.
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FOOD / PLANT / FLOWER
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Notes
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Aconite
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Anemone (windflower, tumbleweed)
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Autumn crocus
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Avodaco
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Any kind – Too high in fat.
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Baked goods (cakes, cookies)
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Beans
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Any kind – causes gas/bloating.
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May contain toxic levels of nitrates.
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Black locust
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Buttercup
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Caladium
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Caster oil plants (castor bean, palma)
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Cherry trees (wild and cultivated)
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Chiles
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Christmas pepper
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Clematis (virgin’s bower)
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Coconut
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Any kind – Too high in fat.
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Coffee, soda
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High in sugar, caffeine.
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Cycads
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Daffodil (narcissus, jonquil)
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Dairy products
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Daphne
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Delphinum (larkspur, staggerweed)
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Dicerna (bleeding heart, dutchman’s breeches, squirrel corn, turkey corn)
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Diffenbachia (dumb cane)
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Elephant ear
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English ivy
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Euphorbia (annual poinsettia, mexican fire plant, fire-on-the-mountain, snow-on-the-mountain)
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Four-o’clock
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Foxglove
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Garland flower
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Garlic
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Poisonous.
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Glory lily (climbing lily, gloriosa)
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Golden chain
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Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria)
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See Bishop’s Weed | ||
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Ground Elder (Aegopodium podagraria)
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See Bishop’s Weed | ||
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Gyacinth
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Hydrangea
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Holly
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Horseradish
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Too pungent.
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Hot herbs and spices
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Lettuce – Iceberg
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Iris
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Indian spurge tree (pencil tree, malabartree, pencil cactus, monkey fiddle)
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Jack-in-the-pulpit
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Jerusalem cherry
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Jams, jellies, fruit preservatives
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High sugar content.
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Jasmine
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Juice
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High sugar content.
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Lantana camera (red sage)
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Laurels
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Leeks
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Foods in the onion family (like leeks)
are not guinea pig safe |
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Lilac
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Lily-of-the-valley
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Marsh marigold (cowslip)
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Matrimony vine
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Mayapple
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Meadow saffron
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Meat
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Mistletoe
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Monkshood
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Mountain laurel
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Mushrooms (amanita muscaria&amanita phalloides)
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Poisonous.
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Nightshade
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Nuts
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Any kind – too high in fat.
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Oaks
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Oleander
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Olives (canned)
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Pickled or brined vegetables are
NOT safe for guinea pigs |
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Onions
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Green, yellow, and
red onions are not safe |
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Paprikas
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Peppers – hot and chiles
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Philodendron
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Phytolacca (poke weed, poke berry, ink berry)
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Pickled vegetables (dill, pickles, capers, sauer kraut)
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Pine needles
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Poinciana (bird-of-paradise)
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Poison hemlock
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Potato and potato tops (leaves)
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Pothos
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Potatoes
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Poisonous if green or sprouted. Yams and sweet potatoes are OK in moderation.
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Privet
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Pyracantha (firethorn)
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Raw beans
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Rhododendron (laurels, rose bay, azalea)
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Rhubarb
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Poisonous.
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Rosary pea
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Seeds
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Choking hazard.
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Snowdrop
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Snow-in-the-mountain (Aegopodium podagraria)
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See Bishop’s Weed | ||
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Soda, soda pop
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High in sugar, caffeine.
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Spring adonis (pheasant’s eye)
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Star-of-bethlehem
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Strelitzia (bird-of-paradise)
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Sweet pea
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Taro
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Dangerous of eaten unprepared or raw.
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Tea
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Tomatillo – leaves and stalk
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Poisonous.
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Tomato – leaves and stalk
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Poisonous.
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Trumpet flower (chalice vine)
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Water hemlock
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Wisteria
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Yellow oleander (lucky nut, tiger apple, be-still-tree)
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Yew
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omg! i gave my guinea pig elephant ear!! wats going 2 happpen!!! hes acting weird now 🙁
I just sent you an email. I hope your piggie is OK??
Depending on how much your guinea pig consumed, the elephant ear can be poisonous. Take him to the vet ASAP!
My guinea pig ate cheese once and they cant have cheese but he was ok.
can my guinea pig eat wheat grass? Ive been growing some and i use no pesticides or anything like that.
Go for it! We love wheat grass!
Just give it a good wash before giving it to your cavy. He or she will love it <3
Oh phew, I haven’t given my girls anything on that list! 🙂 Is there any other kind of lettuce that my mum and I could give our girls?
Hi Missy! Any kind of lettuce should work just fine. Just stay away from anything in the cabbage family (can cause gas) and iceberg lettuce (almost no nutritional value). The darker the leaf, the better the nutrition and vitamin contents. You may want to think about using organic lettuce, as veggies with high amounts of pesticides aren’t good for little guinea pigs 😉
Can we feed out Guinea Pig steak? It seemed excited when it smelled us cooking it two nights ago? I would make it extra rare.
No steak for guinea pigs!
We are herbivores and can only eat plants. You can use our Guinea Pigs Safe Food List as a guide for what you can feed to your piggie. If it’s not on the list, it’s best not to give it to your fuzzy 🙂
Happy squeaking!! ~ xoxo Hammy
[…] ever give your piggies wild foods? Elderberry is on this list of unsafe for guinea pigs foods– Can My Guinea Pig Eat… ~ DANGER LIST Blackberries, blueberries, and rosehips are safe. I haven't found anything on Oregon Grape yet. […]
Can guinea pigs eat pineapple by any chance? My one piggy love eating it every now and then but I’m not sure if I should give it to him again…
Most guinea pigs love pineapple! But just be sure to de-vein and feed in small portions. Munch away, little piggies! 😀
I noticed onion on both this list AND on your list of foods piggies can eat. What’s up with that?
Onion is, in fact, safe for guinea pigs to eat. Its entry on the Guinea Pig Safe Food List is correct. When we first made this list, we were very careful about adding “potentially unsafe” foods. Since then, we learned that onion IS safe, we just forgot to remove it from this list.
Good catch! Thank you!! 😀
ummm… can guineas eat pumpkin?
Yes, guinea pigs can eat pumpkin, just not the seeds. Just feed in moderation, just a few bits of the “fleshy” parts of pumpkin 1 to 2 times per week.
I’ve noticed that you said that guinea pigs can eat peas but then on the dangerous it says not too! I gave my piggie many peas.. Should I stop feeding it to him or is it ok? I mean the piggie is sick but not from that.. Also my piggie gets pink diarrhea even when I just feed him pellets.. Should I change brands? Thank you so much xoxoxo guz guz
Hi, Angela!
Your guinea pig CAN eat peas. Thanks for noticing the error, it’s been removed from the Unsafe Food List.
About the pink diarrhea: that isn’t good at all, and regardless if you change his diet, he should see a vet immediately. It may be blood, which can indicate a variety of serious health issues. Best of luck to you and your piggie!
My husband accidentally fed my guinea pig turkey it was late at night he was squeaking and he just saw a piece of bread my mom left out and didn’t notice the piece of turkey he fed my guinea pig it will he be okay? I’m wondering what to expect Thank-you
Just watch your piggie closely and monitor to make sure he/she is eating and drinking. If you notice that the cavy stops eating, take him/her to the vet immediately. It’s a good idea to keep some Critical Care around for situations like this; Critical Care can be fed if your piggie stops eating on his or her own.
if you notice weird behavior, “unhealthy” poos, or lack of interest in eating, it’s urgent you seek medical attention straight away.
By the way, tell your brother guinea pigs can’t have bread, whether it has turkey on it or not 🙂
what is the easiest/best way to give my little man timothy hay? i used a contraption that hooked on the side of his cage but it got hay all over the carpet 🙁 so now i put it in a ball sort of thing but it doesnt hold very much and he cant get it all out. suggestions??
What about using a home-made hay rack, just use a piece of grid and bend into shape, like this: http://pinterest.com/pin/89016530105903587/
I am a new owner of two guinea pigs and I have a Fiancee and a daughter, but I am the one who does all the work and there is a lot of items on that list I did not know about. I am so thankful that I found it. Thank you So much. It is such a big help!!
Glad this list helped! Good luck! 😀
my guinea munches all the time, but i swear that these are pumpkin seeds in his food, i buy “timothy complete” from pet smart.
Guinea pigs really shouldn’t be eating the seeds, as they can lead to digestive issues. Seeds in cavy food is the sign of low-quality feed. Try getting food that contains only hay-based pellets, like the kinds for sale at KMS Hayloft
You have ‘any beans’ listed as dangerous, but green beans listed as safe. This is the first time I have come across the dangerous foods list, so I have been feeding our piggies green beans. Which brings up another question. A different site stated that the small bean seeds inside the green beans had to be removed before feeding because they were poisonous to the piggies and a choking hazard. Do you agree that this is necessary? And thank you for all your hard work to bring all this valuable info to all of us newbies. The ear cleaning video was SOOOO helpful!!!
Raw beans of any kind are dangerous. This list is vague for a reason – it lists foods that are poisonous or simply not safe for guinea pig consumption, meaning dangerous or toxic if fed carelessly. Green beans are safe but I’ve never heard about the bean “peas” posing a choking hazard. But that is a good point, especially for small cavies or if the “pea” part is large and/or hard. That being said, greens beans, like any bean, should NOT be fed regularly as they can cause bloat/gas. Thanks for your kind words! I’m glad you liked How to Clean Your Guinea Pig’s Ears! Best of luck to you, newpiggiemom!
I have yet to see a guinea pig eat anything unsafe.
what about peanuts or almonds is that okay some say it isn’t but it in there treat bag i got at pet-smart mad for guinea pigs and rabbits
Most nuts, especially peanuts, are too high in fat for to be considered safe for guinea pigs. It really is unfortunate that some large stores have treats for sale that are not appropriate for guinea pig consumption 🙁
And that’s a very good thing! 🙂
is it safe to feed them canned veggies
Nope, just fresh veg please!
what about fruit is that of any kind not good? like blueberry and water melon or melon ect????
Will my guinea pig die because she ate a caterpillar?
That is a pretty random question, and really gross. I honestly have no idea what consequences may be in store. Please consult with your vet, a trained professional is the only one who can give you a definite answer and treatment option.
What if I gave my guinea pig a little bit of tea from a straw. What will happen
can she eat tea leaves
Tea leaves, or any tea, is not safe.
The vets feed my we man weatbix is that safe
My we man was given weatbix to eat is this safe
If you’re referring to Weetabix cereal, then no. If your vet is referring foods like Weetabix, it’s probably time to look for a new vet 🙁
yes i am referring to weetbix they gave it to him before his surgery them they sent him home when it was plain to see he was not copping he passed away that night and there is not a dame thing i can do about it
Can Guinea Pigs Eat kiwi? I don’t see kiwi in the safe food’ list.
Guinea pigs can eat kiwi on occasion. We just added kiwi to the Guinea Pig Food Nutrition Chart. Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂
can g pigs have acorns?
No 🙂
Can this be printable like the safe foods list please?
My guinea pig likes to eat cooked rice and chapatis (a kind of thin whole wheat bread which is not baked.),.. are these healthy for her?