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No, guinea pigs should not eat mushrooms. The PDSA and Burgess both put mushrooms on their lists of foods guinea pigs must avoid, and that covers shop-bought, cooked and wild ones. If your guinea pig has eaten a wild mushroom from the lawn, ring your vet straight away and take the mushroom or a photo of it with you.
| Safe? | No |
| How much | None |
| How often | Never |
| Best served | Not at all |
| Watch out for | Wild mushrooms in the run, especially in autumn |
Why can't guinea pigs eat mushrooms?
Because they are on the "avoid" list of every major source we use. The PDSA lists mushrooms alongside potatoes, onion, garlic and avocado as foods guinea pigs should not have, explaining that the foods on that list are poisonous, cause an upset tummy or are a choking risk. Burgess gives the same advice.
Mushrooms are a fungus, not a plant, and nothing in them is part of a guinea pig's natural diet of grass, hay and leafy greens. Wild mushrooms are the bigger worry, because many are toxic and they are hard for anyone but an expert to identify. Guinea pigs also cannot vomit, as a vet-reviewed guide on The Vet Desk points out, so anything harmful they swallow has to pass all the way through.
Button, wild, cooked and dried mushrooms
| Type | Okay? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Button, chestnut, portobello | No | On the PDSA and Burgess avoid lists |
| Wild mushrooms and toadstools | No, urgent | Many are toxic and hard to identify |
| Cooked or fried mushrooms | No | Still mushroom, often with butter, oil or garlic |
| Mushroom soup, sauce, pizza | No | Usually onion, garlic and dairy too |
| Dried mushrooms | No | Concentrated mushroom |
What to do if your guinea pig ate a mushroom
- Take away what is left. Keep the rest of the mushroom, or photograph it and where it was growing.
- Work out what kind. A piece of a shop-bought button mushroom is a different risk from a wild toadstool.
- Ring your vet. For any wild mushroom, ring straight away, day or night. For a nibble of a shop-bought one, ring for advice.
- Watch closely. Look for not eating, fewer or softer droppings, diarrhoea, drooling, wobbliness or a hunched posture. The PDSA says to call promptly if a guinea pig stops eating or has severe diarrhoea.
Don't wait for symptoms after a wild mushroom. Some take hours to show, and small animals have little in reserve. Ring the vet as soon as you know.
Keeping the grazing lawn safe
Outdoor guinea pigs are most likely to meet a mushroom on the lawn, especially in damp autumn weather. Walk the run area each morning before they go out and pull up anything that has popped up overnight. Our page on guinea pigs and grass covers safe grazing, and the guinea pig health guide explains the signs of a sick guinea pig.
What to give instead
If you want something savoury and earthy, try a little celery or a few dandelion leaves. Our pages on onions and potatoes cover the other kitchen foods on the avoid list. For the whole picture, read what can guinea pigs eat, our guinea pig diet guide and the guinea pig care guide.
Mushroom questions
Are shop-bought mushrooms safe for guinea pigs?
No. The PDSA and Burgess lists of foods to avoid simply say mushrooms, with no exception for the button, chestnut or portobello kinds sold for people. Even if a supermarket mushroom is less risky than a wild one, there is nothing in it a guinea pig needs, so leave them all out.
What should I do if my guinea pig ate a wild mushroom?
Ring your vet straight away, or an out-of-hours vet at night. Take the rest of the mushroom, or a clear photo of it and where it grew, so the vet knows what they are dealing with. Don't wait for signs to appear, since some wild mushrooms act slowly.
Mushrooms are growing in my guinea pig's run. Is that a problem?
Yes, pick them before your guinea pigs go out. Check the lawn every morning in autumn and after rain, pull up any mushrooms or toadstools and bin them. If they keep coming back, move the run to a drier spot or use a patch that you can check easily.
Can guinea pigs eat cooked mushrooms or mushroom soup?
No. Cooking does not make mushrooms suitable, and soups and sauces usually add onion, garlic, butter or cream. Onion and garlic are on the PDSA list of foods to avoid, and Burgess calls dairy particularly dangerous for guinea pigs.
