Treats Can my sweet guinea pigs chew on birch or arbutus branches and leaves?

[Alison Archer]

Hi, I live on the very West Coast in Canada and we have an tremendous amount of trees around. A lot of evergreens which I know they cannot chew on, but there is also a large amount of Arbutus, White Birch and Willow Trees. Can I give my guinea pigs any of these three types of branches to chew on?

 

[FailedFoster]

I would stick to apple tree branches. Those trees haven't been proven to be safe for piggies. Also, there's no telling the chemicals that have been sprayed on it, so sticking with apple tree branches from a place you know you can trust would be the way to go.

 

[TrueColoursProd]

Well - white birch and willow are accepted "safe" branches and twigs for piggies, bunnies, etc along with pear branches. A lot of the All Natural pet stores also sell shredded birch and willow bark

If you are talking about going into someone's backyard and taking some of those branches, probably best to ask if they have sprayed anything on them but if they are growing wild in the forests, they would be safe and the piggies would probably appreciate the variety

Everything I have read states that willow and birch are safe for them