20 Best Low Calcium Vegetables For Guinea Pigs

So you found out that you need to put your guinea pig on a low calcium diet or maybe you want to make sure your guinea pigs aren’t eating too much calcium. What does that look like? What are the best low-calcium foods for guinea pigs?

Zucchini, celery, beets, asparagus, and bell peppers are just a few great low calcium options for guinea pigs. Just because your guinea pig needs to be on a low calcium diet, doesn’t mean that they can’t enjoy a wide variety of foods. After all, a well-balanced diet is key to a happy and healthy guinea pig.

But, just feeding low-calcium foods to your guinea pigs isn’t enough. It’s best that you have an idea of how much calcium piggies need and what happens if they have too much (or too little) calcium.

So, let’s dive into everything you need to know about feeding your guinea pigs low calcium foods.

How Much Calcium Do Guinea Pigs Need? 

An average adult guinea pig needs about 8 g of calcium per kilogram of their body weight. 1 kilogram is about 2.2 pounds. So, that means that an average adult guinea pig needs about 16 grams of calcium a day.

I’ve never been one to literally track every milligram of food that my guinea pigs ate. But, your fur babies will be get the calcium (and all the other nutrients they need) if you do the following:

1. Provide hay and lots of it. All guinea pigs need an unlimited amount for good digestion and to keep their ever-growing teeth a manageable length.
2. No more than 1 cup of vegetables a day. Feed the rainbow, always include a leafy green veggie, and make sure that high calcium veggies aren’t fed too often.
3. Rotate the vegetables that they eat – at least every week. Giving piggies different types of food will make sure that they get a variety of nutrients and stay healthy. It also prevents them from getting bored with their food.
4. Track what you feed them for the week. I did this mainly to make sure that I wasn’t feeding high calcium veggies on back to back days and that I was really giving them a variety.

If you want to be really precise about how much calcium your guinea pigs are eating, then I recommend that you buy a food scale and weigh their vegetables every day and calculate the calcium-phosphorus ratio. It’s explained well here.

But, if you’re like me and just want to make sure that they’re getting the right amount without being too obsessive, then following the guidelines that I mentioned above should work just fine.

Now, let’s take a scary dive into the dangers of overfeeding calcium to your little friends.

Disadvantages Of Too Much Calcium in A Guinea Pig’s Diet

Just like other nutrients, too much calcium can be bad for guinea pigs. Too much calcium can cause them to have health problems like:

1. Bladder and Kidney Stones 

When your guinea pigs eat foods with high calcium, they can get sick. The calcium becomes hard clumps in their urine since it can’t dissolve there. So when your piggie tries to pee, the lumps try to come out too.

You may even find one or two in their urine.

But when the clumps are too big, they’ll block your piggie’s urinary tract. Then they settle as bladder or kidney stones. They mostly need surgery to be removed.

This surgery is normally very dangerous and isn’t something that you want to put your guinea pig through.

2. Bladder Sludge 

Now, this is quite easy to notice. Your guinea pigs will show signs of pain when they’re trying to pee. They won’t be able to pee frequently. You might even notice white crystals in their urine. Those are the calcium stones. And they’re so, so painful (really!).

3. Eventually Death 

Your little furry friend might be unable to bear the pain for long. Plus, the inability to urinate due to the stones is a big issue. 

If surgery isn’t done in time, your little friend will die. Piggies with former health issues are more prone to lose their lives from bladder stones. 

Effect Of Not Having Enough Calcium 

Like I said before, you shouldn’t cut off calcium from your piggies’ diet completely. It’s there for a reason. Calcium plays a vital role in the growth of young piggies. 

And if you don’t give them enough calcium, they’ll have one or both of these:

1. Brittle Bones 

When your guinea pigs lack calcium, their bones become weak. It can become fragile enough to break even without injury. Your little friend will have a tough time doing zoomies and playing around.

Then movement will become absolute torture. Because the bones can’t support their body weight. 

2. Brittle Teeth 

Okay, so you wouldn’t want your guinea pig to experience this, trust me.

Overtime you’re little friends, can end up with brittle teeth if they don’t have enough calcium in their diet.

This can lead to a number of problems, including difficulty eating and chewing on their food – which would be a disaster. In severe cases, the teeth may even break off.

If you think your fur baby may be at risk, it’s important to talk to your veterinarian about ways to ensure they’re getting enough calcium – like incorporating foods with high calcium content into their diet every now and then.

With proper care, you can help your guinea pig stay healthy and avoid any dental problems.

3. Slow Growth 

If your guinea pigs don’t get enough calcium when they’re young, it can stunt their growth. This is why it’s so important to make sure that baby guinea pigs are getting enough of this essential nutrient in their diet.

Cavy savvy vets recommend that baby guinea pigs enjoy alfafa hay (which has a high calcium content) to help them grow big and strong.

Popular Low Calcium Diet Choices for Guinea Pigs (Piggie Parents Weight In)

Making a low calcium diet for your guinea pigs might seem difficult. Especially when you have no guidance and no guinea pig owners to relate with. Well if you’re in that situation, you’ll love this section (trust me).

To help you with your diet choices, I made findings from other piggies owners. Yes, you read that right.

I manually surveyed 57 guinea pig owners to find out what’s in their low-calcium diet. The research highlights contain low calcium foods that they offered their guinea pigs. Plus helpful tips.

So here are the highlights of my findings:

• Most piggie owners placed emphasis on treating piggies’ water.
• Their low-calcium diet has vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers.
• High calcium veggies were spaced apart (once every 7 days).
• Most agreed that you shouldn’t feed calcium veggies back to back.
• Several owners stopped mixing calcium veggies with pellets.
• Many owners use no grain pellets from Timothy hay.
• They also use low or no calcium pellets.
• Alfalfa hay and clover hay was removed from their piggies’ diet.

65% (37 piggie owners) changed their hay and vegetables. They also recommended a change of water. This group hasn’t had piggies with bladder stone issues.

35% (20 piggie owners) started using no calcium pellets. This group has guinea pigs with bladder stones. Plus some have seen crystals in their piggies’ urine. They reduced calcium foods to the possible minimum level. They also gave their piggies more water.

These are tips for piggies with bladder stones:

• Give orchard grass hay to piggies that already have bladder stones.
• Give your little friend green leaf lettuce and run it underwater for more hydration.
• Never give your fur baby iceberg lettuce.
• Use no calcium pellets only.

If your guinea pig has white crystals in its urine:

• Stay away from kale or spinach (and other high calcium veggies)
• Stay away from parsley too (lots of calcium in that herb)
• Feed them low calcium pellets (they’re easy to find)
• Avoid alfalfa or clover hay (plenty of calcium in those, too)

20 Commonly Fed Low Calcium Veggies 

Selecting low calcium foods can be so exhausting. I know this because I’ve been there. And I feel ya.

Here’s a list of 20 low calcium vegetables for you to choose from. So next time you need a low calcium vegetable, you can pick one from this list and get on with enjoying your fur babies:  

1. Squash

Squash contains antioxidants and has low sugar. Its calcium content is not very low compared to others. But it has a lot of vitamins and can be fed a few times a week.

2. Radicchio 

Radicchio contains less calcium than many of these vegetables. It’s a great addition to your guinea pig’s diet. You’ll want to watch how much radicchio leaves you’ll feed your piggies though. Too many may cause digestion issues.

3. Beets 

Beets contain a good amount of antioxidants. They’re nutrient-rich root vegetables with reasonably low calcium content. Beets make a decent roughage because they have about 2.8% dietary fiber content. They have more phosphorus and magnesium (which is great).

4. Sweet Potato 

Sweet potato is also low in calcium, sugar, and calories. It’s a good source of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals like iron. This veggie is also rich in beta-carotene (which is great for vision).

5. Cauliflower 

Guinea pigs can eat the leaves and the stem of cauliflower. They provide a bit of vitamin C and have a low calcium content. It has good nutrients in the right proportion.

It’s also a good roughage for cavies – which helps with digestion. But, cauliflower can make piggies a bit gassy, so be sure to avoid overfeeding it.

6. Asparagus 

The shoots of asparagus are nutritious for guinea pigs. It contains a little vitamin C and dietary fiber. It’s also low in calcium. But it takes time for piggies to adjust to this veggie.

7. Bell Pepper 

This is an exciting treat for piggies, and guinea pigs can eat it daily. It’s high in vitamin C but very low calcium. It’s exactly what your fur baby needs.

8. Romaine Lettuce 

Romaine lettuce has a high water content that can flush your piggies’ bladder. But it’s a bit low on vitamins, like vitamin C. So feed it along with another veggie that has vitamins. Excessive romaine lettuce can give your piggies diarrhea.

9. Cucumbers 

Cucumbers help a lot in hydrating your guinea pigs. They provide good nutrients that piggies need.  Plus, they’re safe to eat. Feed your piggie cucumber weekly.

10. Brussel Sprouts 

Brussels sprouts have antioxidants and good vitamin amounts. They’re a great addition to your piggies’ diet. The downside is that they contain oxalates. Also, they’re a gassy veggie, so you want to make sure that you don’t overfeed it to your little friend. Otherwise, they might end up with bloat .

11. Pumpkin 

Pumpkins are high in vitamin A and C (sweet huh). It’s low in calcium too. There’s just one drawback though. The seeds shouldn’t get into your piggies’ mouths. They can cause choking hazards.

12. Parsnips 

Parsnips are delicious and a great treat for piggies. They’re nutritious and contain very low calcium. You can feed this to your guinea pigs often.

13. Turnips 

Turnips are a good choice, too. Plus, they have Vitamin C in them. Turnips can be fed to your little friend frequently.

14. Celery 

Celery is hydrating and contains vitamin A, C, and K. It also has fiber and is great for your piggies. It has oxalates too, so it should be fed in moderation.  Plus, it’s one of the more watery veggies, so don’t go crazy with feeding it to your fur babies.

15. Green Beans

Green beans have good amounts of vitamin C and can be fed raw to piggies. Their calcium is a bit higher than other low calcium veggies though. They should be fed in small amounts.

16. Butterhead Lettuce 

This is a good addition to your cavies’ diet. It helps in hydration. Plus it can help flush the bladder. But it’s low in vitamins. It can be fed a few times a week.

17. Tomato

Tomato is a great guinea pig treat. It’s low in calcium, and juicy. It’s also safe for piggies to consume. You can feed your little friend tomato once or twice a week.

But, don’t feed them the tomato stems or stalks. They’re poisonous to guinea pigs and will make them sick (or kill the poor, little ones)

18. Swiss Chard 

Swiss chard is rich in vitamins and antioxidants. It’s also a good source of hydration for piggies too. It can help to improve your piggies’ eyesight. It should be fed moderately.

19. Endive 

Endives aren’t bad either. The calcium content of the endive plant is very low. It’s also low in phosphorus and sugar. Plus it has vitamin C, A, K, and manganese. So yes, you can feed it to your piggies 4 times or more a week.

20. Zucchini 

Zucchini is very healthy for guinea pigs. It contains vitamin A and C. Coupled with its low calcium contents, it’s great food. You can feed it to your piggies often.

How Low In Calcium Are Low Calcium Vegetables for Guinea Pigs? 

Vegetables have varying amounts of calcium. Below is a table that shows the calcium content per 100 g of each vegetable.

Vegetables	Calcium (mg)	Feeding Tips/Precautions
Squash	20	Should be fed in moderation
Radicchio	19	Too many radicchio leaves can give your piggie a tummy ache.
Beets	16	Might turn your piggie’s pee a little red (which is perfectly normal)
Sweet potato	37	Only feed sweet potatoes; avoid regular potatoes (they’re poisonous for guinea pigs)
Cauliflower	22	Can give your guinea pigs gas and can cause bloat if eaten too much.
Asparagus	24	Introduce it slowly. Sometimes asparagus can give guinea pigs gas.
Bell pepper	9	Yellow peppers are high in sugar so feed them to your piggies, not more than once a week.
Romaine lettuce	36	It contains plenty of water so too much can cause diarrhea. There’s also been reports that feeding too much of it can increase the calcium content in a guinea pigs’ system. Don’t overfeed.
Cucumber	16	Feed your piggies cucumber slices weekly. Wash the cucumber skin or peel it off before giving your piggies.
Brussel sprouts	42	Should be fed occasionally because they can give your cavies gas.
Pumpkin	21	Pumpkin seeds can choke your piggies, so remove them.
Parsnips	36	Your piggies can eat parsnips 2 to 3 times a week.
Turnips	30	Turnips can be fed twice a week
Celery	40	It contains oxalates and more calcium than other low calcium vegetables. So you should be careful how much you give your little friend.
Green beans	37	Green beans can be fed raw but not frequently
Butterhead lettuce	36	Too much can cause diarrhea
Tomato	10	Get rid of the green stalks and stems f before feeding your piggie. They’re poisonous to guinea pig.
Swiss chard	51	This is a very healthy choice. Serve it with a variety of other veggies.
Endive	19	You can feed your piggies endive frequently. They’re healthy.
Zucchini	21	It can be fed as a staple veggie in your cavies’ diet. About 2 to 3 times a week

Other Potential High Calcium Sources To Watch Out For With Guinea Pigs

It’s not only the veggies that can cause bladder stones. Other things you didn’t even expect might be the cause of your guinea pig’s bladder stones.  Yes, your piggies’ favorite hay can be the problem. 

Don’t fret though, just read through. So the high calcium culprit might even be:

1. Tap Water 

Now you might not believe it, but tap water can be the cause of your little friends high calcium content.

How? Okay I’ll tell you.

The calcium content in tap water can be as high as 200 mg per liter. Yes, normal water calcium levels can range from 1 mg to 200 mg.  If your tap water is high in calcium, it gets transferred to your piggies when they drink it.

So, you might be feeding your little friend the right amount of low calcium veggies, but extra calcium sneaks in through the water.

Not all tap water has a lot of calcium in it.

But, if you’re not sure about your tap water, get it tested. You have to contact your water supplier and ask for the calcium analysis of your water. If it’s high in calcium, then you might want to look at other options like filtered water or spring water.

Actually, it’s not a bad idea to buy a filter for your house and just do the job yourself.

2. Commercial Guinea Pig Pellets 

Yes, I understand you love spoiling your piggies with trendy and tasty pellets. Trust me, I’ve been there before. And I can confidently tell you that you’re making a big MISTAKE.

A very big and costly mistake. Let me tell you why…

Some of those commercial pellets have too much calcium. 

Oh yes, some have very high (dangerously high) amounts of it.

And maybe you’ve been mixing your little friends’ pellets with high calcium veggies. That means your piggies are getting a double (or even a triple) high dose of calcium.

Not good.

You should read the labels of your pellets before buying them (please). I recommend you buy low calcium pellets made from Timothy hay.

3. Certain Types Of Hay  

Hay…..hmm. You or your piggies might have a preference for a particular type of hay. But is it the right one to keep your little friends’ calcium levels in check?

Any hay that’s high in calcium content is definitely not the right one.

So which hays has high calcium content?

Alfalfa hay and clover hay. Both are high in calcium and are more suitable for pregnant guinea pigs. They are also the best choice for baby guinea pigs. 

But when it’s for your adult piggies, you’ll want to stay away from Alfalfa and Clover hay.

Safer types of hays (with lower calcium contents) include:

• Timothy
• Orchard
• Bermuda hay
• Meadow

Changing your piggies’ hay can be challenging especially if they have a favorite. Piggies can also be picky and decide to make the change stressful for you. I know because I’ve been there (oh boy, it wasn’t easy). 

It’s worth it though. If your piggies are eating high calcium hay, change it today. 

To do so, you should follow the steps below:

1. Mix in a small amount of the hay that you want your piggies to eat with their current hay.
2. Do this every day and slowly increase the amount of new hay while decreasing the amount of old hay.
3. In a week or two, your piggies should be eating mostly (if not all) of the new hay.

What Foods Are Too High In Calcium For Guinea Pigs? 

Spinach, beetroot leaves, and many other foods are too high in calcium for guinea pigs.

I guess you’re wondering which foods and treats? 

Well, to be sincere, it’s a long list. Before I start, you should know that these foods aren’t toxic.

They just have a little too much calcium in them to feed to your cavies regularly. So let’s start. Here’s the list of high calcium vegetables :

• Beetroot Leaves: Isn’t all that bad for piggies. It doesn’t even have oxalates. It’s nutritious but has a strong calcium content. It’s safe to feed beetroot to your guinea pigs once or twice a month 
• Dandelion Greens: 187 mg of calcium per 100 g of dandelion greens. Isn’t that a bit over the top? Yep, it’s too much. This is strictly a once-in-a-while treat for piggies. Not once a week (not with all that calcium).
• Kale: Great for immunity. But the calcium content kind of ruined the vibe. It has about 135 mg of calcium per 100 g. Now that’s a no (regardless of the other nutrients). It’s not bad for a one-time treat though.
• Dill Weed: Dill weed is a favorite of many piggies. But, you really need to limit how much you give your little friends. When I say limit, I mean once or twice a month. Yes, it’s that bad. 208 mg of calcium per 100 g is no joke.
• Spinach: It’s not only high in calcium, it has oxalates too. Trust me that combo isn’t what you want in your piggy’s tummy. What’s worse? The calcium is a whooping 210 mg per 100 g.
• Alfalfa hay: You should really avoid this one completely unless you’re dealing with pregnant guinea pigs or baby ones. Hay is necessary for a guinea pig to survive and thrive. That’s why alfalfa hay is best avoided. In this case, eating a lot of hay means eating A LOT of calcium.
• Turnip greens: This isn’t bad if it’s fed once or twice a month. But if you overdo it, bladder stones will come knocking. It has high calcium too.
• Mustard Greens: a tasty treat but a not-so-good one. It contains high calcium so you’ll need to cut back on it. Once a week would do
• Collard Greens: 145 mg of calcium per 100g is high on our calcium scale. So it’s a no. This one belongs to the “few times a month” group.
• Parsley: Parsley contains 138 mg of calcium per 100 g (so it’s a big no). It isn’t toxic though so once a week (in small amounts) should be fine.
• Watercress: Watercress 120 mg of calcium per 100 g is high. But can be fed once every two weeks.

How Do I Know If My Guinea Pig Has Too Much Calcium? 

You know that your guinea pig has too much calcium when your guinea pig pees sandy, gritty white urine. Sometimes the urine will be cloudy.

That’s a huge red flag.

I guess you’ve seen white spots or powders in your fur babie’s urine before. That’s normal. It’s just passing out calcium residues from its body.

The white spots being gritty means that there’s so much calcium in your cavies’ body that it’s peeing out small clumps of it. And that’s not good.

Next stop, bladder stones.

Your guinea pig might also have these symptoms:

• Excessive thirst
• Lethargy or depression
• A decrease in appetite

Those are signs of too much calcium. So you have to reduce the calcium levels in their vegetables, pellets, and water – immediately.

Things To Remember About Low Calcium Foods For Guinea Pigs 

Conclusion paragraph: So what does this mean for you and your guinea pig? It means that you don’t have to avoid giving them calcium-rich foods altogether, but you should definitely be mindful of how much they’re eating.

Stick to low calcium options like zucchini, celery, and bell peppers, and make sure to give them a variety of different fruits and fresh vegetables so they get the nutrients their little bodies need.  

And that way your fur babies won’t end up with excess calcium in their diet.

Don’t rush, change the diet step by step. You’ve got this!

Do you have any questions about providing your guinea pig with a healthy diet? Leave us a comment below!