Can guinea pigs have sweet potato?

[Claire W]

We often have sweet potato as part of our Sunday dinner. Just wondering if the piggies can have some. Also, is it high in calcium and / or carbohydrate / sugar?

 

[PigglePuggle]

Puggle says yes she loves sweet potato, and so does new pig Blodwen- the others aren't too keen... it is rather high carbohydrate, my piggies get a couple of 1cm cubes each about once a week... rather like you would give fruit?

 

[Eriathwen]

My lot love it they usually ignore the skin though so I peel it. I treat it a bit like corn, a once/twice a month treat as it's quite carby.

 

[alpacasqueak]

Have never tried mine with sweet potato, think might have to give it a go and see if they approve

 

[Flutterby]

Mine get it as the odd occasional treat (I feed it a lot to my snails, millipedes and other bugs) and they go mad for it.

 

[Claire W]

Thank you. It’s just with having a history of diabetes, Ellen can’t have a lot of carbohydrate but I may try them with a little chunk as a treat

 

[Merab]

In humans sweet potato is good for diabetics - don’t know about piggy diabetes though.

I tried mine on a small piece of sweet potato when I saw it on an earlier thread and they love it. It’s an occasional treat though

 

[Claire W]

I gave them a piece and they quite enjoyed it

 

[Posyrose]

In humans it isn't really that good for diabetics as it is still full of sugary carbs, but better than normal potato!

 

[sport_billy]

Ours stare at it with contempt and mistrust, much like me with broccoli

 

[Lady Kelly]

Ahhh just a question that crossed my mind. I brought a sweet potato the other day for a slow cooker recipe and have a little bit left over. Might try the piggies with it and see if they like it

 

[Guinea Slave]

Mine do that with strawberries...I had one that literally backed away and run off from a strawberry...I mean what is so offensive about a strawberry!

 

[Merab]

In humans it isn't really that good for diabetics as it is still full of sugary carbs, but better than normal potato!

That is what I meant- it’s much better than normal potato because of the type of carbs and sugar in a sweet potato

 

[DMS260820]

Have you tried them on parsnips? Dot loves them

 

[PigglePuggle]

I might buy parsnips for our xmas advent calendar photo shoot... I am envisioning a herd of piggies in a big heap of xmas veg but need a strategy to keep bloaty Puggle away from the sprouts...

 

[Lorcan]

Mine do that with strawberries...I had one that literally backed away and run off from a strawberry...I mean what is so offensive about a strawberry!

I knew a certain pig that would trample strawberries into mush to get at pretty much anything else. And he rarely turned his nose up at anything, it was so weird. He also turned his nose up at parsnips, lol. Thyme and blueberries, however...I remember a certain other pig trying to climb onto the arm of the sofa because there were blueberries there.
Aren't they weird with what they decide is acceptable and what isn't? I've yet to see a consensus on these matters amongst piggies.