Guinea pigs (or cavies) are adorable little creatures that can, with proper care, make for amazing pets. These animals are fun, friendly, gentle, and quite loving once you get to know them. Plus, they generally aren’t very bitey (unless startled or not properly socialized).
Like owning a cat or dog, though, keeping a guinea pig in your home requires a lot of work (a smaller size does not make for less work in caring for these pets!). One of the biggest things you’ll need to be sure you do with a guinea pig is to feed it a proper diet. Luckily, hay will make up most of what your cavy eats, which makes life a bit easier. But that hay should be supplemented with veggies and the occasional treat, such as flowers.
Not every flower is safe to give your guinea pig, though.
One of the most popular flowers around is the rose, so you’ll probably find those to be abundant in your area. But can guinea pigs eat rose petals? While rose petals are safe for your tiny friend to eat, they really don’t have any nutritional value. What else should you know about this flower when it comes to guinea pigs?
Roses and Guinea Pigs
Rose petals are perfectly safe for your guinea pig to eat, but they don’t contain any nutrients your pet needs, so this food definitely counts as an occasional treat. When giving rose petals to your cavy, ensure you’re stripping the petals from the flower so no leaves or parts of the stem (like the thorns) get caught up in them. Just a few petals on occasion should be enough to supplement your pet’s diet.
There is one other part of the rose that you can give to your guinea pig, too—the rose hip. Rose hips are tiny fruits that form at the base of the flower, and though this part of the rose is small, it offers tons of vitamin C; approximately three rose hips have the same amount of vitamin C as an orange! Of course, that means you don’t want to overdo it on this part of the rose either, as guinea pigs can experience overdoses of vitamin C, which can lead to joint issues and urinary stones. But the occasional rosehip will likely do your pet some good.
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Other Flowers Safe for Guinea Pigs
There are other flowers that are safe for your guinea pig, as well, some of which you can probably forage from the yard or surrounding areas (though be sure no pesticides have been used on them!). Just a few of the flowers that are safe to use as the occasional treat include:
Of course, there are also flowers you should never give your guinea pig because they are toxic to these animals. Some of these include:
Plants that are grown from bulbs (daffodils, bluebells, etc.)
Azalea
Buttercup
Chrysanthemums
Dahlias
For the most part, though, your guinea pig will only need hay/grass, a variety of veggies and usually a small amount of guinea pig pellets, to keep them healthy and happy. Whenever you decide to try out a new plant with your pet, remember to do so in small amounts so your guinea pig doesn’t become ill from a new addition to its diet.
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Final Thoughts
While rose petals are safe for your guinea pig to eat, they aren’t very nutritious, so they should only be given as an every once in a while treat. Your pet will do much better with a diet of hay, pellets, and veggies. If you do want to use roses as an occasional snack, you might want to go with the rosehip rather than the rose petal, as this at least is packed with vitamin C. Just don’t give your cavy too many rosehips; you don’t want to overdo it on the vitamin C!
Guinea pigs belong to the rodent order of mammals, along with rats, mice, rabbits, hamsters, and many other small toothy critters. Unlike rats and mice, guinea pigs are not nocturnal. They are crepuscular rodents that are most active at dusk and dawn. They are intermittently active during the remaining hours of the day and night. This has important implications for the structure and functioning of their eyes in comparison to other nocturnal rodents such as rats and mice.
Although guinea pigs possess dichromatic vision, the same as other rodents, some aspects of their eye structure and function are more comparable to the primates, including humans. To make them even more special, guinea pigs are born with open eyes and well-developed eye functionality, unlike humans.
Eye Structure and Function
Guinea pigs’ eyes work the same way as most other vertebrates. Light is focused onto the photoreceptors in the retina, at the back of the eye, by the lens, and then a message transmitted to the brain by the optic nerve is interpreted as an image.
The Cornea
In guinea pigs, light first passes through the cornea, which is the thickened transparent front part of the eyeball. The cornea’s two main functions include focusing light onto the lens and retina and protecting the eyeball’s more delicate inner structures. After passing through the cornea, light enters the inner eye through the pupil, which is a hole in the iris.
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The Iris
The iris is the colored part of the eye. It can constrict or expand (dilate) to control the size of the pupil letting in less or more light in variable light conditions. In cavies, the iris is most commonly brown, black, ruby, dark, pink, and rarely blue.
The Retina
The adjustable disc-shaped lens sits behind the iris and focuses the light rays onto the retina at the back of the eye. The retina contains two types of photoreceptors: rods and cones.1 These cells are responsible for determining how well an animal perceives colors and how well they see in various light conditions. From here, messages are sent to the optic nerve, which travels to the brain as nerve impulses. These nerve impulses are converted to an image by the brain.
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Field of Vision
Guinea pigs are prey animals characterized by having their eyes set on either side of their head. This is in contrast to predators that have their eyes facing forward. The placement of eyes on either side of the head provides a significant advantage in increasing an animal’s field of vision. This allows them to detect predators approaching from almost any direction. A guinea pig’s field of vision is an impressive 340 degrees.
They have two narrow blind spots: one directly in front of them and one directly behind them. They only need to make small head or body movements to compensate for these regions.
Depth Perception and Distance Vision
Guinea pigs do not have great depth perception due to their eyes being on either side of their head. Their sight is comparable to a short-sighted human. Because of their poor depth perception, they rely heavily on their other senses, which are highly developed and astute. The hairs on their muzzles, called vibrissae, are very helpful, for example, to measure the width of openings, allowing them to move around easily in poor light conditions.
Color Vision
Guinea pigs have dichromatic vision, but the complete spectrum of color that guinea pigs can see is unclear. However, scientists have ascertained the presence of two types of cones in the guinea pigs’ retina, which positively confirms their ability to see color. Moreover, the type and number of cones in guinea pigs differ from that of other rodents, so it has been inferred that they may possess better color vision than their toothy brethren.
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Night Vision
Although it may be intuitive to assume that guinea pigs can see well at night, that is not the case, like rats, mice, and some other rodents. Unlike some of their rodent counterparts, guinea pigs are not nocturnal and have not developed the ability to see well when it is dark.
When active at night, they use their other senses, such as smell and hearing, to move around effectively and safely. They also have very sensitive vibrissae on their face that can pick up how close to an object they are and what it is. The other superpower that cavies have is excellent spatial memory.
They can recall precisely the location of particular fixed objects around them, which helps them navigate in familiar environments even when they can’t see. This characteristic serves domesticated guinea pigs particularly well but may be less useful to wild guinea pigs with a more variable environment.
FAQs
Once you start delving into a topic, it’s not unusual to have more questions about it than you did at the beginning! Below we’ve answered some of the more frequently asked questions people have about guinea pigs’ eyes.
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How Does a Guinea Pig’s Eyesight Affect Their Other Senses?
Since guinea pigs have relatively poor vision, some of their other senses are acutely developed. They have excellent hearing and smell to help them detect the presence of predators. They also have highly developed spatial reckoning and spatial memory. Sensitive whiskers on their face also help them navigate around objects in poor light conditions.
Do Guineas Pigs Blink?
Guinea pigs blink, but not very often; their blinking frequency has been calculated at 2 to 5 times every 20 minutes. They also don’t close their eyes frequently when compared to humans, dogs, and cats. You’re likely to miss it when they do blink since it is lightning fast—much faster than we blink. This is because, as prey animals, they must be on high alert at all times, and frequent or slow blinking will diminish their vigilance.
If your guinea pig blinks more often than usual, it could be a sign of a problem with their eyes. Under these circumstances, getting your little cavy checked out by your veterinarian as soon as possible is vital.
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Do Guinea Pigs Close Their Eyes to Sleep?
Cavies are thought to only close their eyes to sleep if they are completely relaxed and trust their environment. It is possible to see them with their eyes closed, but not frequently. They nap on and off during each 24-hour period, attaining on average around 9 hours of light, semi-alert sleep in each cycle.
What’s The White Fluid In My Guinea Pig’s Eyes?
The white fluid that you see in your cavy’s eyes from time to time is completely normal. It is secreted and cleaned during their grooming process and helps lubricate their “unblinking” eyes. An excess of other fluids, such as a clear, weepy, or pussy discharge, is cause for concern and should be checked out by your veterinarian as soon as possible.
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Are Guinea Pigs Prone to Eye Problems?
Guinea pigs are, unfortunately, prone to several eye issues, such as conjunctivitis (pink eye), corneal ulcers, eye infections, dry eye, and injuries from foreign objects that get trapped inside their eyes. These are usually plant materials from bedding or feeding.
It is essential to book an appointment with your vet whenever you notice any signs of eye problems in your guinea pig so that it does not turn into a bigger problem if left untreated.
Conclusion
It’s always beneficial to our beloved pets when we understand how their bodies and minds work and how they affect their behavior and functioning. Hopefully, this article has provided insight into how your cavy sees their world and how their eyes work.
A better understanding of their ocular physiology will help you provide an ideal habitat and environment for them. It should also help you to be on the lookout for any eye problems that may arise.
For caring guinea pig parents, picking the right foods to make up a safe and healthy diet for your furry, squeaky friend is of paramount importance. So, you’re here because you’re unsure whether or not your guinea pig can eat rosemary. Luckily, rosemary is a safe herb for guinea pigs among many others, but your guinea pig’s diet should be varied and include a wide range of other vegetables and herbs.
In this guide, we’ll share more information on which foods contribute to keeping your guinea pig healthy and in what quantities they should be fed.
What Do Guinea Pigs Eat?
Guinea pigs are herbivorous, which means they require a diet made up solely of plant matter—no meat. In the wild, guinea pigs forage for their food, mostly grass, weeds and other plants. Therefore, domestic guinea pigs should be provided hay (like timothy hay) and grass (not lawn cuttings), which should make up the most part of their diet: 85–90% to be more precise.
Guinea pigs need hay and grass because it’s a great source of fiber and helps keep their digestive systems running as they should. It also allows your guinea pig to chew and wear down their teeth naturally, which is very important for these animals. Furthermore, since foraging and burrowing are important behaviors for guinea pigs in the wild, the hay you offer provides them with a place to hide and feel safe and mental enrichment.
In addition to hay and grass, guinea pigs can be fed various greens and vegetables. Vets from the PDSA recommend offering a teacup’s worth of varied greens and vegetables for each guinea pig on a daily basis. To prevent the greens from spoiling over the course of the day, you can try offering half the cup in the morning and the other half in the evening.
You can also feed guinea pig pellets (a tablespoon per day for adults, as recommended by PDSA vets), but these should only make up a small part of your guinea pig’s overall diet. It’s best to avoid colorful guinea pig mixes that look similar to muesli. These are commercially sold, but they’re not good for guinea pigs due to their high sugar, low fiber content and selective feeding.
Finally, fresh water should always be available. It’s best to provide this via a guinea pig water bottle to keep the water clean—it’s easy for guinea pigs to tip over bowls of water or get food in them. Just be sure to make sure the water is coming out of the bottle’s tube (they can sometimes get blocked) and that you clean the bottle every day.
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Safe Greens for Guinea Pigs
PDSA Vets recommend feeding 5–6 different types of greens each day for the best nutritional balance and, of course, to offer some variety. At least some of the greens you offer should be high in vitamin C since guinea pigs’ systems can’t make vitamin C, so we need to make sure they get it from food sources. You can however over do the vitamin C so balance is key. Rosemary contains a lot of vitamin C and should be limited to small portions on occasion. Here are some safe vegetables and herbs your guinea pig can eat:
Safety tip: Avoid overindulging your guinea pig with greens as this may upset their stomach.
Yes, but only as a treat now and again, and the amount of fruit you offer should be minimal. Fruit is high in sugar and can cause digestive upset resulting in diarrhea in addition to being bad for your guinea pig’s health. Too many fruits could also cause your guinea pig to pile on the pounds due to the high sugar content. The following fruits are safe in very small amounts from time to time:
To recap, guinea pigs can certainly eat rosemary in addition to a broad variety of other greens and vegetables. Nevertheless, guinea pigs shouldn’t be fed the same kinds of vegetables every day. It’s best to provide various types of vegetables and rotate them regularly to help your guinea pig benefit from a wide range of nutrients and enjoy a versatile diet that they don’t get bored with.
On a final note, it’s important to introduce new foods gradually to prevent your guinea pig from experiencing an upset stomach. You can do this by adding foods your guinea pig isn’t used to their regular food in small amounts at first, gradually building up to the full amount over a couple of weeks.
