Is Avocado safe?

[Piggygirl123]

Hi,

When the weather is cold my Guinea pigs come inside the house at night. They are very good(most of the time)and will sit on a towel with their food,water and little hut we have wooden floor and they don’t like the feel of it under their claws because they tend to slip around so they stay on the towel all night. Last night though one of them got a bit brave and ventured of the towel and we noticed in the morning had bitten apart the stalk of an avocado plant she seems fine in herself but after doing some research there seems to be a lot of mixed signals about wether or not it is safe some saying it isn’t and some saying in small amounts avocado is fine but no mention of the stalk of the plant anyone have any ideas?

Thank you

 

[Piggies&buns]

Keep an eye on them and ensure they are still eating and pooping well. See a vet if they seem unwell.
It’s not something they should be deliberately fed though

Please do note that if they normally live outdoors, then they should not be brought into the house at all at this time of year - piggies who need to live outdoors, must stay outdoors as the temperature fluctuations from inside to outside can make them unwell.
If you are bringing them in because it’s cold, then they need to move into the house permanently and not go back outside until next April/May when when they nights are warmer again.

 

[Piggygirl123]

Thank you. We adopted them and they lady who looked after them at the shelter was given them with little information about their keep before and was therefore unable to tell us wether they were used to indoor/outdoor climates , the ages, any health issues(we don’t think there are any for now),any dietary requirements and they seem to be fine with their foods.
They don’t come in often but seem happy either way.
Although thank you for this information about climates I wasn’t aware of that before and it’s certainly something I will keep an eye on.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you. We adopted them and they lady who looked after them at the shelter was given them with little information about their keep before and was therefore unable to tell us wether they were used to indoor/outdoor climates , the ages, any health issues(we don’t think there are any for now),any dietary requirements and they seem to be fine with their foods.
They don’t come in often but seem happy either way.
Although thank you for this information about climates I wasn’t aware of that before and it’s certainly something I will keep an eye on.

Piggies need a stable temperature and to be kept ideally between 18 and 20 degrees. Anything below 15 is too cold and anything above 25 is too hot.
Going from an outdoor temperature to an indoor temperature and vice versa can cause illness as they should not be exposed to sudden temperature changes which is why outdoor piggies should not be brought inside at all (unless they are to stay inside for the whole of winter)

As rescues that is always an issue of not knowing their previous care but do ensure if you are having them live outside that their hutch is well covered with thermal hutch covers, that they have plenty of dry fresh hay for bedding and snugglesafe heatpads so they are always kept warm enough.

 

[Swissgreys]

Additionally while it may seem cute that they are happy to sit all night on a towel, this really isn't safe or appropriate housing for them.
It's highly likely they are not moving becasue they are terrified, and this is a stressful experience for them.

So if you plan to bring them in please ensure they have an appropriate safe and secure encolsure.