Treats

The best treats for cavies are veggies, and fruits. Cavies should be given small portions of veggies and even smaller portions of fruit, no more than 1 cup daily.

"But isn't this mean to the cavy? They obviously love their veggies, so why not give them more?" In the wild, the cavy's diet consisted of dried leaves, dried grass, and other dried vegetation with little nutrition value. Though our domesticated cavies are not the same as their wild cousins, their systems are still created to handle mainly hay and dry pellets. Feeding too many veggies can cause your cavy to become picky and can give your cavy diarrhea. Too many fruits will make your cavy obese. Of course they like the fresh veggies and fruits better - but many people like sweets better than healthy foods, too. Practice moderation when giving your cavy fresh fruits and vegetables - especially when giving fruit, which is very high in sugars that the cavy is not made to handle much of.

If you feed your cavy a variety of safe treats when they are young, they will be more willing to try new foods when they are older.

Veggies

Veggies marked with an * should only be given occasionally and not as a regular treat

Fruit

Fruits marked with an * are known to cause mouth sores when fed too often

Some treats to avoid

Fruit/nut/honey bars (too much sugar, and seeds are not a normal food)

dehydrated/frozen foods