A snack known as popcorn is made from maize or corn grains that have been cooked until they have burst and grown to be big and light. With salt or occasionally sugar, you may consume it. This is one among the things that we most frequently eat as snacks. Although it is not advantageous to guinea pigs.
Guinea pigs definitely shouldn’t be allowed to eat popcorn. It has no benefits for them. Besides that, popcorns can cause a lot of problems for your guinea pig, as it contains a lot of salt and even sugar. Also, guinea pigs can’t eat processed foods, like popcorn.
Nutrition Facts of Popcorn
The snack that everybody eats when watching a movie is popcorn. For humans, it is considered to be the healthiest processed snack out there.
- Energy – 387 kcal
- Protein – 12.9 g
- Total lipid (fat) – 4.54 g
- Fiber – 14.5 g
- Sugars – 0.87 g
- Starch – 54.4 g
- Calcium – 7 mg
- Iron – 3.19 mg
- Magnesium – 144 mg
- Phosphorus – 358 mg
- Potassium – 329 mg
- Zinc – 3.08 mg
- Vitamin C – 0
If you look up the nutritional facts of popcorn, they do contain some amounts of good substances, like fiber, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc.
Still, popcorns are not a recommended food for guinea pigs because popcorns are processed food. Their digestive system is simply not designed to process anything besides raw foods.
Is Popcorn Bad for Guinea Pigs? | Possible Risks
A lot of us get very upset when a piece of popcorn gets between your teeth or gets stuck on your throat. If we can get uncomfortable with small pieces of popcorn, why wouldn’t guinea pigs?
The little bits can get stuck on the inside of guinea pig’s first part of the digestive system and become very uncomfortable. If a piece of popcorn gets stuck on the side of the respiratory system, it could eventually block the whole respiratory tube.
This is very dangerous mostly because guinea pigs, unlike humans, cannot clearly explain their pain. Even if they look bugged by something, they cannot verbally tell you what is going on with them.
Besides the physical risks, there is another very important one. Sugar is found in pretty much everything that is processed, even if it does not seem like it. Feeding popcorn to your guinea pig means a lot of sugar for your guinea pig. In the long run, excess sugar can definitely cause diabetes.
Quick Facts On Popcorn
- Popcorn is a special type of corn that expands (“pops”) when it is exposed to heat, hence the name of “popcorn”.
- Popcorn became popular during The Great Depression because it was very cheap.
- 70% of the popcorn eaten in America is eaten at home, while the other 30% is eaten in movie or theaters.
- Popcorn contains more iron than eggs or roast beef, more protein than the rest of cereals and more fiber than potato chips or pretzels.
- A cup of actual plain popcorn equals to 31 calories.
We have also made a full list of foods that guinea pigs can and can’t eat (150+ Types of Foods). Be sure to also check our recommended products page for everything you will ever need to assure a happy life for your guinea pigs. Hope this information was helpful and you have found the answer you were looking for.
List of Sources
Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals: Fourth Revised Edition
The Effects of Diet on Anatomy, Physiology and Health in the Guinea Pig
