Can Guinea Pigs Drink Juice?

A group of guinea pigs sharing some water

What Do Guinea Pigs Drink?

On a daily basis, guinea pigs should only be drinking fresh and clean water. Just like with all mammals, a regular supply of water is essential for the body to successfully function, and guinea pigs should be drinking about 100ml per day. This amount will vary depending on their life stage, or if they are sick, pregnant, or lactating.

Water is the best drink for guinea pigs, and they can become quickly dehydrated if they go without it for even a few hours. You can recognise a dehydrated guinea pig by their poops. A normal guinea pig poop should be firm and moist, but a dehydrated poop will be much drier and harder.

How to Get My Guinea Pig to Drink Water

Guinea pigs can be quite picky when it comes to their water. Some guinea pigs prefer to drink from a bowl, and some prefer a bottle, and some may have no preference at all. If you have owned your guinea pig for a while, it should be pretty easy to tell what they prefer. However, if you notice your guinea pig isn’t drinking water, then you may want to switch them over from bowl to bottle or vice versa, or add both to their enclosure, and let them pick which one they enjoy more.

A great way of helping your guinea pig drink water is incorporating vegetables with high water contents into their diet, such as cucumber and celery.

You may also want to soak their usual veggies in some water before serving to help add a little extra water to their usual meals.

Is Juice Safe for Guinea Pigs?

For the most part, juice is not safe for guinea pigs. Most juices are very high in sugar, calcium and phosphorus which can lead to a variety of health issues such as diarrhoea, weight gain, kidney and bladder stones.

It’s quite common to find juices in shops that are made from concentrate and contain additives. This means the juice has gone through a pasteurisation process to remove its water contents and the majority of its nutrients. This process leaves a thick, sugaring syrup that would be unhealthy for anyone who drinks it.

However, juices that are not from concentrate are a safer guinea pig juice option. While these will still be high in sugar, they will still contain the nutritional benefits of fruit. If you’re wanting to give your piggies a sweet treat, or encourage a stubborn piggy to drink more water, you can mix a portion of non-concentrate juice into their water bottle or bowl.

When Should I Give My Guinea Pigs Juice?

There are some benefits to giving your guinea pig juice in moderation, and ideally they should have it no more than once a week. Guinea pigs need high amounts of vitamin C in their diet as they can’t make it themselves, and fruit is a great way of ensuring they are receiving the needed amount.

If you give a sick guinea pig who is in need of a quick boost to their immune system, then juice may be the way to go. You can mix juice into their water, at about a 1:3 ratio to ensure they can taste the sweet flavour and gain the nutrients, but without overloading them with sugar that may do more harm than good.

If your piggy needs to take some foul-tasting medication, then mixing it with a little bit of juice can make the experience much more enjoyable.

What Juice Can I Give My Guinea Pig?

There are some juices that are better to give your guinea pigs than others, which is usually based on the type of fruit and its sugar content. However, there are some exceptions to this, as there are some fruits that are safe to eat directly, but dangerous if given in a juice form.

Safe Guinea Pig Juice

Unsweetened apple juice and unsweetened cranberry juice are the ideal juices to give your guinea pig. These are both packed with necessary vitamins and antioxidants that can boost your piggy’s immune system. Guinea pigs are known to be very fond of these fruits, so you can guarantee they will appreciate the juice.

Unsafe Guinea Pig Juice

Orange juice and pineapple juice are both quite harmful to guinea pigs. While the fruit themselves are perfectly safe in moderation, their juices are much more concentrated in sugar and acidity that can cause some stomach discomfort and diarrhoea.