Chives are a big No for guinea pigs.
It can be really harmful to your guinea pigs due to the disulfide compound.
Disulfide compound is highly toxic, and if ingested, it can damage the red blood cells of your guinea pigs, leading to anemia.
As a result, your guinea pig may experience weakness, breathing difficulty, fatigue, light headache, etc.
Read more to learn “why guinea pigs shouldn’t eat chives” and what you can do if your pet ingests some of it.
Table of Contents
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Chives
Guinea pigs shouldn’t eat chives; they contain disulfide, which is toxic for your guinea pigs.
Eating chives can be harmful to your guinea pigs. Even a small amount can lead to gastrointestinal distress, causing vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and so on.
Moreover, the disulfide in chives is highly dangerous for guinea pigs, and they usually damage the red blood cells causing anemia which could be life-threatening. [Source]
Usually, they don’t eat chives due to their strong smell, but if you suspect they have ingested them, you should immediately contact your vet.
Even a tiny amount can be life-threatening for guinea pigs.
Is Chives Safe For Guinea Pigs?
No, chives are not safe for guinea pigs. They contain disulfide, which is toxic for cavies.
Even a small amount of chives can be dangerous for your cavies. It will damage the red blood cells causing anemia.
As a result, your guinea pig will experience dizziness, weakness, irritation in the eyes and mouth, breathing difficulty, and so on.
Moreover, the potassium and calcium of chives can cause urinary problems like bladder and kidney stones.
Therefore, you should never feed chives to your guinea pigs, and it’s best to avoid them at all.
Do Guinea Pigs Like Chives?
Not really!
Usually, guinea pigs don’t like the strong smell of the chives.
However, it depends on their individuality; some may get curious and want to try it.
But as you know, chives can be really harmful to your guinea pigs; they can upset their stomach, causing vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, anemia, and so on, which can be fatal in some cases.
Therefore, it’s your responsibility to keep your guinea pigs safe. Make sure you do not leave chives or any other similar vegetable lying in the kitchen, especially when you are not around.
Why Guinea Pigs Shouldn’t Eat Chives?
Chives are a family member of Allium, along with onion, garlic, shallot, etc. And they are all toxic to small pets, including guinea pigs.
Guinea pigs shouldn’t eat chives, and they contain sulfur , which can be highly dangerous for your pets.
Ingesting it in a large amount can cause severe health problems like upset stomach, urinary trouble, and anemia which could be life-threatening.
So, be cautious if you have a guinea pig and chives both at your house.
Cause Anemia:
Chives are not meant for guinea pigs, and they contain sulfur, a compound that damages the red blood cell of your guinea pigs.
And low blood cell means low oxygen flow in the body, which results in anemia, which leads to breathing difficulty, fatigue, light headache, and so on.
Anemia is a life-threatening condition, so if you suspect your pet ate even a small bite of chives, you should contact your vet right away.
Digestive Problem:
The digestive system of a guinea pig is susceptible.
And they were only meant to digest herbs, fruits, and veggies.
But chives are a family member of Allium, and they contain sulfur which can easily cause gastrointestinal problems in your guinea pigs.
As a result, your guinea pigs will experience upset stomach, diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc.
Therefore, guinea pigs have a weak tummy. So, you should avoid feeding chives at any cost; it can be really harmful to your guinea pigs.
Weakness And Dizziness:
Once your guinea pig eats chives, the compound “N-propyl sulfur” damages the red blood cell, which will dramatically reduce the RBC count.
And low red blood cell triggers make their body fragile.
As a result, your guinea pig may experience weakness, dizziness, fatigue, and irregular breathing.
Urinary Issues:
Chives contain a decent amount of potassium which is essential for the overall function of their organs.
However, if your guinea pig had chives in a large amount, it can lead to urinary problems and cause bladder and kidney stones.
And if your guinea pig has a pre-existing kidney problem, it can be life-threatening.
Other Troubles:
Once your guinea pig has chives, they can cause other health issues too.
For example, your guinea pig may experience eye irritation, breathing difficulties, wooziness, and excess secretion of saliva.
Therefore, guinea pigs shouldn’t have chives; it can badly affect their health, leading to serious illness.
What Happens If A Guinea Pig Eats Chives?
Well, it depends!
Chives have a very strong smell and flavors, and because of this, most guinea pigs don’t like them.
However, there are possibilities that your guinea pigs may eat chives out of curiosity.
If your guinea pig had a small number of chives, it wouldn’t be that harmful to them.
But if they had many chives (which is rare), it can be really dangerous for your cavies.
Firstly, chives will go into their intestine, which will lead to gastrointestinal problems causing diarrhea, abdominal pain, and so on.
And after a while, they may feel dizziness, weakness, eye irritation, breathing issues, and if your guinea pig had a large amount of chives, it could cause anemia, a life-threatening condition.
Therefore, if you notice any of the above symptoms, you should instantly take your pet to a professional vet before it gets worse.
In this case, the first thing you should do is take them to a vet immediately; chive poisoning is lethal and can be life-threatening.
What Should I Do If My Guinea Pig Eats Chives?
Firstly, be patient and try to find out how much quantity your guinea pig had. A small bite of chive won’t probably severely affect your guinea pigs.
But if your guinea pig had chives in a large amount, it could be really harmful, and it raptures the blood cell, which immediately leads to hemolytic anemia.
As a result, your guinea pig may experience diarrhea, breathing issues, pale gums, etc.
Chive poisoning is a serious condition, and do not try home remedies at this moment.
It can get worse with time, so do not wait for any further and immediately call a veterinarian; the longer you wait, the more it becomes life-threatening.
Meanwhile, try to calm your guinea pigs.
They might be experiencing dizziness, weakness, and fragile. So make sure they have excess to fresh hay and water in case they want to have some.
Can Chives Cause Allergies?
Not really!
It’s not uncommon for guinea pigs to have an allergic reaction to foods. But it doesn’t mean they are allergic to chives as well.
The most common way to find out whether your pet is allergic to a particular food or not is by offering them a small bite of it.
But chives are toxic due to their sulfur compound, so even if your guinea pig is not allergic, having chives can seriously harm them.
The sulfur of chives damages the red blood cell and leads to anemia which can be life-threatening.
So, you must avoid feeding chives to your guinea pigs at any cost.
How To Prevent Chives Poisoning In Guinea Pigs?
There is no doubt that chives are extremely harmful to guinea pigs, and in no circumstances they should be eating it.
Usually, guinea pigs don’t like the strong smell and taste of chives. So, the chances of your pet eating a chive are pretty low.
However, there are some curious cavies that might just want to give it a try.
In this case, you can follow these steps to prevent your guinea pig from chive poisoning:
Do Not Feed Chives:
Most of the time, guinea pigs eat hay, fruits, and vegetables, however, occasionally, we like to treat them with our food.
And this is when we unconsciously feed chives or other allium family foods to our little pet.
So, if you want to treat your cavy, you must check the label and make sure there is nothing that could be toxic or harmful to them.
Keep Them Out Of Your Guinea Pig’s Reach:
The first thing you could do to prevent them from eating chives by keeping them in a very safe place.
If you let your guinea pig roam in the house freely, you must keep the chives in a cabinet or something with the door closed.
And just don’t let chives lay in your kitchen or around them.
Prevent The Garden Access:
A garden or backyard is where most plants are.
So, make sure your guinea pigs do not enter your backyard; this is where they easily get close to toxic plants like chives.
And if you take your guinea pig to the Garden with you, make sure you keep watch on them. Ingesting or even smelling some plants could be really damaging for your pet.
There are several methods to avoid chive poisoning.
Can Guinea Pigs Eat Other Type Of Chives?
Chives are not safe for guinea pigs.
But what about chives flower, dried chives, and wild chives?
Are they safe?
Can guinea pigs eat them?
Let’s find out!
Garlic Chives: These are no less toxic than traditional chives.
Garlic chives contain the same harmful compound disulfides, which are highly dangerous for your guinea pigs.
They can cause several dangerous health problems. So, it’s better to avoid them as well.
Wild Chives: Of course, no, guinea pigs cannot have wild chives. Wild chives could be more dangerous than regular chives.
There is a higher possibility that it could affect guinea pigs more badly than regular chives.
Chive Flowers: chives blossoms are edible and safe for us, but it doesn’t mean guinea pigs can also have them.
Since they are a member of the Allium genus, it does contain disulfide, which is highly toxic for small pets, including guinea pigs.
Therefore, do not feed chives, whether it’s flowers, buds, or stalks; it’s not safe for the guinea pigs.
Fresh Chives: Fresh chives are the green ones that are mainly used for garnishing because of their strong flavor and taste.
However, chives contain some compounds which are not safe for guinea pigs. So, no matter whether it’s fresh, dried, or stored, avoid them at any cost.
Dried Chives: Drives chives are handier and the often used to enhance the flavor, but it’s not safe for guinea pigs.
And the reason is the same, they contain disulfide compound, which is highly dangerous for guinea pigs. So, if you are using dried chives, be cautious!
Final Thoughts
So, chives are a big No for guinea pigs; this herb is highly toxic and can cause mild to severe health problems.
They contain a compound called sulfur, which is toxic for guinea pigs.
Consuming it even in a small amount can cause several health problems, including anemia which can be life-threatening.
So, it’s best to avoid feeding them any chives; it can seriously harm your guinea pig’s health.
Other Useful Articles: