Also known as Japanese Medlar, Japanese plum and Chinese Plum, Loquats are a species of flowering plant that comes from south-central China. It has a smooth or downy, yellow or orange, sometimes red-blushed skin and are grown in clusters. They are an oval or pear shape measuring between 3-5cm long. They have a tangy flesh which is white, yellow or orange and sweet.
They are often used to make jams, jellies and chutneys, and are often tinned or are poached in a light syrup. Sometimes they are used to make pies and tarts.
So if we can eat them, can guinea pigs eat Loquats and if so how much can they eat?
As per usual, lets take a look at their nutritional data, focussing particularly on their acid, fat, sugar, phosphorus, and calcium content.
A good amount of vitamin c and a would also be very beneficial.
Energy 197 kJ (47 kcal)
Carbohydrates 12.14 g
– Dietary fiber 1.7 g
Fat 0.2 g
Protein 0.43 g
Vitamin A equiv. 76 μg (10%)
Thiamine (vit. B1) 0.019 mg (2%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.024 mg (2%)
Niacin (vit. B3) 0.18 mg (1%)
Vitamin B6 0.1 mg (8%)
Folate (vit. B9) 14 μg (4%)
Vitamin C 1 mg (1%)
Calcium 16 mg (2%)
Iron 0.28 mg (2%)
Magnesium 13 mg (4%)
Manganese 0.148 mg (7%)
Phosphorus 27 mg (4%)
Potassium 266 mg (6%)
Sodium 1 mg (0%)
Zinc 0.05 mg (1%)
(source: Wikipedia)
As you can see Loquats contain a bit of phosphorus,calcium, but are quite acidic.
They do contain a hint of vitamin c but have a very high amount of vitamin a which is great.
Do remove the seeds though and cut up before serving.
Because of their acidic content, they can only be eaten once a week by piggies in small amounts. But they do not particularly benefit guinea pigs because of the low vitamin c content and there are better fruits for them to have in that aspect.