Can Guinea Pigs Eat Dates?

Dates are a very sweet, rich flavoured fruit which has a chewy and lush texture.
The are one of the oldest cultivated fruits and we’re originally grown in Israel and North Africa.
Image http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dattes_deglet.JPG

They range in colour from red to brown to yellow and the sweetest variety if the brown coloured variety.
So can guinea pigs eat dates, and if they can, how much of them can they eat?
Let’s get under the skin of them and take a look at their nutritional data a it more closely. In particular, the sugar, phosphorus, acidic, ft and calcium content is that which is most pertinent to guinea pigs.
Energyt1,178 kJ (282 kcal)
Carbohydratest75.03 g
– Sugarst63.35 g
– Dietary fibert8 g
Fatt0.39 g
Proteint2.45 g
Watert20.53 g
Vitamin At10 IU
– beta-carotenet6 μg (0%)
– lutein and zeaxanthint75 μg
Thiamine (vit. B1)t0.052 mg (5%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2)t0.066 mg (6%)
Niacin (vit. B3)t1.274 mg (8%)
Pantothenic acid (B5)t0.589 mg (12%)
Vitamin B6t0.165 mg (13%)
Folate (vit. B9)t19 μg (5%)
Vitamin Ct0.4 mg (0%)
Vitamin Et0.05 mg (0%)
Vitamin Kt2.7 μg (3%)
Calciumt39 mg (4%)
Iront1.02 mg (8%)
Magnesiumt43 mg (12%)
Manganeset0.262 mg (12%)
Phosphorust62 mg (9%)
Potassiumt656 mg (14%)
Sodiumt2 mg (0%)
Zinct0.29 mg
Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_palm
As you can see dates contain a hint of fat, a bit of phosphorus, calcium, and are a little acidic. But they are very sweet which is a problem for guinea pigs.
Dates are not the greatest food for guinea pigs and be wary of feeding them to your piggies as they contain no vitamin c and their sugar content is not good for them. So if they happen to nibble on one or two they will be finest they shouldn’t be eaten on a regular basis. A few times a months would be fine.