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Guinea pig is a type of domestic rodent that is best suited as pets for elementary school children.
These rodents are not related to pigs in any way as the name might suggest or to Guinea (Africa) as you might feel.
How these fluffy creatures got them their name, nobody knows, but since they have existed in history since the 18th Century, nobody cares about the name now.
This article will tell you all you need to know when it comes to the question, “Can guinea pigs eat Sage?” Keep reading to figure out how to give your guinea pig Sage.
Can My Guinea Pig Have Sage?
A Guinea pig’s diet is a matter of great certainty as a little change in their pre-planned diet can cause them to react uncertainly.
Being herbivores, a small imbalance in nutrients can cause them health problems ranging from diarrhea or obesity to heart, liver, or kidney diseases.
New foods should only be introduced gradually and only after consulting with a pig veterinary.
A regular schedule is also necessary for them: twice a day (morning & evening).
Anything left uneaten should be immediately removed as there is always a chance of them over-eating.
Sage or Mediterranean herbs are not a steady source of food supply for a Cavy mainly since they are high on essential oils, which may become toxic for a guinea pig when fed in high quantity.
However, feeding them some fresh leaves may not create any problem.
If they lose their interest in eating them after a few, then the sage leaves should be removed.
Since there’s always a danger of them returning and overeating, a constant check is also necessary to see their behavior or reaction to sage leaves.
If a Cavy likes to eat its Sage leaves, then feeding them a few leaves once a day might not result in any harm.
Is It Safe To Eat Sage?
People have been using Sage leaves for a couple of centuries, native to the Mediterranean region.
Sage leaves have been used for multiple reasons ranging from medicinal to culinary use and now most recently as an ornamental garden plant.
These changes have developed over time mainly due to features of a sage leaf like it, including essential oils, have a sweet smell when used in culinary.
These kinds of attributes make them suitable for pets like rabbits and hamsters as they lack the ability to create these necessary oils for themselves.
Benefits Of Eating Sage
Sage leaves are beneficial for humans as well as guinea pigs.
Sage leaves are high in nutrients such as Vitamin K, Iron, Vitamin B6 &, etc.
Since guinea pigs lack the ability to create Vitamin by themselves, feeding them these can result in a healthy Cavy.
A small number of sage leaf packs 10% of human’s daily Vitamin K needs.
Sage leaves are high on antioxidants, which enable them to increase the body’s defenses against bacteria and other diseases.
Not only these but, these sage leaves are good for teeth as they contain antimicrobials that defeat microbes that cause dental plaque.
Sage leaves have been traditionally used to fight diabetes and diarrhea.
As tested, sage leaves help in clearing out excess fatty acids, which in turn helps in insulin sensitivity.
This thing has also been tested in the rat.
Sage leaves also relax the stomach, which decreases the severeness of diarrhea.
One of the most significant benefits of giving Sage to a guinea pig is that it helps it in loss of appetite.
So if a guinea pig is starting to eat less or you see a change in behavior, feeding them some of the sage leaves might do the trick.
Scientists also tend to feed them sage leaves to improve or boost mental performance so that they can perform specific tasks.
When Can It Be Bad For Guinea Pigs?
Sage leaves include a high number of essential oils, which, if fed in high amounts, can become poisonous for humans as well as a guinea pig.
Sage oil is known to have a chemical called thujone.
Thujone is known to be silent poison if indulged in daily. It can cause liver failure, which is already a sensitive point for a guinea pig.
Sage herbs are also known to have a different variety of oils, which can cause restlessness and an increase in heart rates in a hamster.
Sage leaves, when fed continuously, might decrease the sugar level more than it is supposed to, which may cause a guinea pig to start to act out.
How Many Sage Can We Feed Our Guinea Pig
Experts have not yet come to a decision on this. But people have been trying to excite the lives of their little partners.
A guinea Pig lives almost 4-8 years, and depending only on hay throughout their life is something that is not going to happen.
Sooner or later, a guinea pig, like any other pet, shows a tantrum and try to avoid or change his daily intake.
Being herbivores, the Guinea pig has a likeness towards leaves and herbs; however, their primary diet still tends to be hay, but an occasional mix of sage leaves or other herbs tends to get them very excited.
Occasionally only 1-2 meals of sage leaves are allowed per week with only 2-3 leaves.
Usually, guinea pigs tend to not like them after a few, so your Cavy doesn’t need to eat them quite often.
Anything left uneaten should be immediately removed as there is always a chance of them overheating.
Conclusion
Most of these creatures are very fragile.
They are supposed to be kept with high care; their diet needs to be held in check; their behavior is to be followed so that any new or out-of-routine habit can be monitored.
These smart and cute creatures tend to show their behavior through their sound and their reactions.
Anything can be corrected whether a routine or food is healthy for them or not by just following their habits and a set schedule.
So, if it was to be checked whether Sage leaves are good or bad for the health of a guinea pig, a simple procedure like feeding a few leaves and seeing the behavior of the rodent could tell us a lot about our little house partners.
