Strawberries deadly? Was just told by another guinea pig owner that guinea pigs cannot have strawberries ever because the tiny seeds block the intestines and kill them. I am so confused because the nutrition chart here says they are a good treat and the vet said she needs them because of the vitamins. So confused and now worried because she has strawberries mixed with her antibiotics so she will take it, vet made it that way. Now what?
They are fine, don't be worried. Whoever told you that was misinformed.
I have never had any problems with my piggies eating strawberries. You might want to ask the person who told you this where they got that information from. You mentioned your piggy is taking antibiotics, I hope your piggy is feeling better!
They are fine to feed. Tops can be fed as well. As with any fruit, you'd limit them and not feed each day, due to the sugar, but go ahead and feed them as a treat !!
The whole straw berry can be fed to guinea pigs. Including the top. Just be careful, don't feed them to manny, or else there tummies will hurt and because there is so much suger, only feed once a week to prevent teeth problems!
Have fun!!
She said when her piggy died the vet said the seeds caused it.Glad to know its fine. I don't feed her many, and they are a treat. She gets excited for her meds because of how it tastes. She didn't want to let go of the syringe.
Thank you all. I would be so upset if I accidentally harmed her. She is so precious.
Strawberries are fine. But my weird pigs won't eat them. They love the tops, though, and eat the berry part that's attached to the tops when I put them in the cage. But if I put the whole berry in they won't eat any of it.
Haha. That is funny. I love weird animals.Originally Posted by bpatters
My mom had a ferret that would get angry if you didn't bring her cheerios when you would visit. She would actually nip you. She was funny though. Brought my mom lots of joy before passing.
Always always listen to your vet, if you don't trust your vet then it's time to find a new one. I am the office manager for an animal hospital and I am amazed all the time with the weird stuff I hear people say
Sorry, lyonmom, but many dog and cat vets know very little about exotic pets. You can read back through the threads on this and other forums and find many instances of teeth being trimmed too short for the pig to be able to eat because some vet was working off outdated information learned in vet school that recommended teeth trimming.
You can also find too many instances of pigs dying because they were given antibiotics that they can't tolerate -- penicillin, or any other "cillin," is an excellent example of antibiotics that should never be given to guinea pigs.
Most veterinary schools teach very little about exotic pets, and what is taught covers the gamut from hamsters to elephants.
This is not to say that there aren't vets who have learned about exotics and who give good care. But I would never "always, always" trust a vet until I was comfortable with their knowledge of good guinea pig practice. And that vet who told someone her guinea pig died because of strawberry seeds was way off base, in my opinion.
LilPig (11-19-11)
Yes, I agree with you about the vet who said the pig died because of the strawberries. I guess I can't understand why anyone would see a vet they don't trust is what I was getting at. I'm very lucky to work for the animal hospital that I do, if the doctors there don't know, they research and network with other vets. It's vets who think they know it all and just guess who really hurt their profession. I know all it takes is one bad experience and it could end a pig's life and that is so sad when it could have been prevented.
That was the first time we saw that vet. I have no bases to go off of other than what she has told me she knows. This is my first pig, and our old vet only sees cats and dogs. When someone tells you their pig died from something, you want to make sure your not harming your pet. All of the vets in my area that are listed on this site as great piggy vets told me not to bother with antibiotics for an URI, so honestly, I don't trust any vet even those that are recommended. They either care or they don't and it seems like other than her, they don't. Plus, doctors/vets screw up all the time. Believe me, I was turned away by six of the "best" doctors and I was telling them exactly what had went wrong. My appendix was about to rupture and not one doctor would check me. All told me it was either gas or maybe I needed to poop. One didn't even come in the room. I was in there for five minutes and he sent the nurse in with my discharge papers saying I just needed to poop. Finally a doctor not even recommended listened, did the surgery, found out I was right and had 10 other things wrong that needed to be fixed as well. He saved my life, where the other doctors would have just let me die. So no, I always double check on anything I think could be wrong. Trusting too much can get you killed.
Yes I agree. I double check on everything BEFORE there is a problem. I know sometimes that can't be the situation but better safe than sorry. I know how blessed we are to have such great vets in our area. Im also sorry for what you had to go through personally with your appendix. It's always good to get a second opinion.
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