When the summer’s heat starts, many people start wondering can guinea pigs eat ice?
Many people like to eat ice, and many pet owners do let their animals cool themselves by playing with ice cubes.
Frozen bone broth is very often recommended for dogs. During the oppressive summer heat, to help them cool.
And everyone has bucketfuls of ice readily available 24/7. In one form or the other.
But what about piggies? Do they like ice? Is the ice safe for them?
Table Of Contents
- Can guinea pigs eat ice?
- What are the dangers of giving ice to guinea pigs?
- Teeth
- Digestion
- Mouth injuries
- Choking hazard
- Can guinea pigs eat ice cubes?
- Can guinea pigs eat snow?
- Can guinea pigs eat ice pops?
- Can guinea pigs eat ice packs?
- Can I put ice in my guinea pigs water?
- Can guinea pigs eat ice cream?
- Can guinea pigs eat ice cream cones?
- Can guinea pigs eat ice plants?
- Can guinea pigs eat frozen vegetables?
- Can guinea pigs eat frozen fruits?
- Can guinea pigs eat frozen yogurt?
- Can guinea pigs drink ice tea?
- I think that my guinea pig is overheated, what should I do?
- Other interesting articles
- Conclusion
Can guinea pigs eat ice?
Ice is the most popular way to quickly cool your drink. And many people like to chew it to cool themselves. Or just for the sake of the sensation.
During summer, pet owners often ask questions can guinea pigs eat ice?
The answer is no. Guinea pigs can’t eat ice and it can create several health issues for them.
Though the ice is just plain water, it is frozen. This makes it both cold and hard, and both can be issues for guinea pigs.
What are the dangers of giving ice to guinea pigs?
Ice is frozen water. And while piggies need to drink water, just like any other animal, they do not need ice.
Being frozen makes it cold and hard, and those can create some serious issues for cavies.
Issues that can even lead to death.
While you may think that you are helping them cool off from the heat of the day, you could harm them.
Teeth
Piggies’ teeth are made for grinding plant matter. While they have front incisors, they are intended for cutting plants.
Because of this, their teeth are constantly growing and being ground down by chewing.
When eating ice, they can break. Because they are not appropriate for crunching things. Tooth injuries can be very bad.
The main problem with them is that they are painful for a cavy. And that pain makes them unwilling to eat.
This in turn will lead to malnutrition. And particularly bad tooth breaks can actually lead to starvation of a piggy.
Digestion
Piggies have a very sensitive digestive system. And, just like with humans, its proper function depends on the body and guts’ temperature.
Low temperature slows down digestion. But also slows down the absorption of nutrients in the gut.
The biggest problem is that it slows down the actions of beneficial gut bacteria. This can lead to bloating.
For piggies, bloating is a big problem. It leads to the loss of appetite and is a very painful condition.
And piggies can develop a host of problems if they are malnourished. Even death, if the problem is not fixed.
Mouth injuries
Piggies’ mouths and tongues are very sensitive. They can get injured very easily, and they are also moist.
And moist things get stuck to the ice. When they separate from the ice, wounds can open. And this also leads to loss of appetite.
But can also make eating very uncomfortable for piggies. Both the loss of appetite and discomfort can lead to malnourishment.
Choking hazard
Another big problem for piggies when eating ice is the way it breaks. It can be split into small pieces.
And those pieces can easily be big enough to present a choking hazard. This is a real problem for them as they do not have the vomiting reflex.
Another problem is shards of ice. Shards can have very sharp edges. I can tell you, from my experience, sharp enough to cut.
So, they could cut their lips, tongue, inside of their mouth, even throat. Such injuries are painful and slow to heal.
And also make eating very uncomfortable. Which can lead to malnourishment, and sometimes even death.
Can guinea pigs eat ice cubes?
While you might like to chew ice cubes, and piggies like to chew everything, ice cubes are not good for them.
All the problems I’ve mentioned above can happen with ice cubes. Especially with the hollow ones. As they splinter more easily.
Can guinea pigs eat snow?
While domesticated guinea pigs have most likely descended from montane guinea pigs, piggies do not like winter.
Their ancestors maybe live in the wild mountains of the Andes, but piggies live in warm houses.
They will not be very happy if you put them outside during the winter. And also will not be very happy to eat snow.
While snow is not a choking hazard, it will disrupt digestion. Because it is cold. Piggies can drink water, but snow is a no-go.
Can guinea pigs eat ice pops?
No, ice pops or popsicles are not good for piggies.
Ice pops can be store-bought. And they are just loaded with sugar, in the amounts that make them bad for piggies.
You can make them at home. And those that you would make for yourself are as bad as store-bought ones.
If made from a vegetable smoothie, they are still not good for piggies. Foremost because they are still cold.
And they are cold enough to make problems with piggy’s digestion.
So, if you were wondering can guinea pigs eat ice lollies, the answer is no. Industrial ones are too sweet, but even homemade ones are too cold.
Can guinea pigs eat ice packs?
No, piggies can’t eat ice packs and should never eat them. Ice packs are made of plastic. Which is not good for piggies to eat.
They might try to chew on them out of curiosity and boredom. But thankfully piggies rarely eat anything made of plastic.
Plastic doesn’t taste nor smell good for piggies. So they very rarely bite off a piece from it.
Various plastics can be toxic for piggies when ingested. So it can be a very big problem if piggies would want to eat it.
Can I put ice in my guinea pigs water?
The first problem that piggies can have with iced water is digestion issues. It’s cold water after all. And cold slows down digestion and causes bloating.
So, piggies can’t drink iced water. No matter how worried you are that your piggy is too hot, you should never put ice in their water.
It’s always better to give them fresh, clean water, slightly cooled in the refrigerator. Ice cubes can cool the water too much.
Can guinea pigs eat ice cream?
No, ice creams are not good for piggies for several reasons.
First, they are loaded with sugars. Enough to cause them problems with digestion. And those are simple sugars that piggies don’t digest easily.
Ice creams are also made with milk. And piggies are lactose intolerant, and any milk product is bad for them. Again, because of digestion issues.
And, let’s not forget the “ice” part in the “ice cream”. It is cold and will cause problems with digestion.
Can guinea pigs eat ice cream cones?
The main ingredients of ice cream cones are flour, eggs, milk, white sugar, and butter or vegetable oil.
None of these are recommended for piggies on their own. And particularly not when they are baked.
But when they are combined together and baked, on top of that, they are even less suitable for piggies.
So, piggies should never eat ice cream cones.
Can guinea pigs eat ice plants?
There are several flowering plants that are called “ice plants”. But there is no relevant study showing their safety or danger for piggies.
Generally, they are considered non-toxic for humans in very small amounts. But it is always better to be safe than sorry.
Can guinea pigs eat frozen vegetables?
No, piggies should never eat frozen vegetables. They will cause problems with digestion. Anything that is much colder than room temperature is bad for piggies.
Veggies should be eaten fresh. If frozen should be thawed and left for a couple of hours to warm up.
Can guinea pigs eat frozen fruits?
Just like frozen veggies, piggies should never eat frozen fruits. And for the same reasons.
Can guinea pigs eat frozen yogurt?
No, frozen yogurt is a milk product. This makes it impossible to digest for piggies. Which will lead to stomach aches and loss of appetite.
Can guinea pigs drink ice tea?
Ice tea is tasty only when it is very very cold. And made with an unhealthy amount of sugar.
Both of these make it bad for piggies. But ice tea also contains caffeine, which is very bad for piggies.
I think that my guinea pig is overheated, what should I do?
If you are worried that during a summer day your piggy is too hot, you should not give them ice or iced drinks.
The best thing to do is to chill a bottle of water and wrap it in a thick kitchen towel and place it in their crate.
This will cool the air around it, and create a zone of cool comfort for them to safely hang around.
Other interesting articles
- Can guinea pigs eat pecans
- Can guinea pigs eat cake
- Can guinea pigs eat clover
- Can guinea pigs eat rice
- Can guinea pigs eat daffodils
Conclusion
Hot summer times make us look for any kind of respite from the oppressive heat. But also for our pets too.
This is why you may wonder can guinea pigs eat ice?
The answer is no. Eating ice can cause various health issues for piggies. Digestive problems and injuries.
And if they are serious enough, can lead to malnourishment and even death. In this manner, anything cold can be a problem.
We all worry about our pets. And it is better to not expose them to any suffering.
