Can Pigs Eat Bananas

Pigs are mammals from the Suidae family. There are two categories of pigs, the wild and the domesticated. Pigs are stout animals, with tiny eyes, and coarse hair on their thick skin. They are usually referred to as hoofed mammals because of the presence of hooves on their feet. Other animals like horses and sheep also have hooves. Pigs are also known as omnivorous animals, meaning pigs can feed on both plants and animals, and their origins. 

Banana on the other hand is a yellow-skinned elongated and edible fruit. Yes, that yellow-skinned fruit we all or we all mostly love. According to Wikipedia, Bananas come from the wild species - Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana.

 

After this little introduction, we can now move on to the topic of the day 

CAN PIGS EAT BANANAS

New pigs owners might be curious as to whether they can feed their pigs with certain fruits, bananas included. 

Yes, pigs can eat bananas, some pigs might even love bananas. It is thus important to know your pig or pigs individually and pay attention to what they like and what they do not like. Also, pigs are not known to be picky eaters, and they mostly eat anything they find available to them but pig owners should still be mindful of what they feed their pigs. 

Aside from whether or not your pigs like bananas, bananas are a healthy choice of fruit for your pigs. Bananas like any other fruit have a ton of benefits to offer your pigs. They have multiple benefits for pigs. Not only pigs, humans, and other animals too. But pigs are our main focus here. Some of these benefits include :  

HEALTH ADVANTAGES OF BANANAS TO PIGS

• Bananas help maintain a healthy balanced diet for your pigs. One of the lists of balanced diets includes fruits. Thus, adding bananas as a source of fruits to your pig's meal would help keep their dirt balanced. 
• Bananas help maintain pigs' body weight. Bananas as a low-calorie fruit can be eaten by pigs without them gaining extra weight. This just shows how healthy bananas are to pigs. One medium-sized banana contains about 105 calories. Although, consumption of too much of it might be counter-productive by adding to your pig's weight. But eating it on a moderate do not. 
• The high fiber level in bananas helps pigs with digestion problems. It helps softens the stool of your pigs making it easier for them to defecate. Fibers also help maintain bowel movements. It helps prevents cases like constipation. 
• Fiber also helps makes pigs fuller for a longer period. 
• Bananas like many other fruits contain vitamin C. We all know vitamin C is an anti-scurvy vitamin. Scurvy is a vitamin c deficiency disease that causes symptoms like general weakness, bleeding of the gum, and pain in joints. All animals including pigs need vitamin C in their diets. It is an essential mineral. 
• 5 Essential minerals like potassium, iron calcium, and magnesium can be found in bananas. Calcium is one of the most essential minerals required by pigs, especially piglets. Calcium is required for proper and healthy growth. Calcium helps with the proper development of bones and teeth.  Magnesium deficiency in pigs might lead to detrimental health-related issues like heart disease and the presence of fat in the blood. Magnesium helps reduce the risk of heart disease in your pigs. It also helps to relieve anxiety in pigs in stressful situations. Most importantly, magnesium aids better sleep in pigs. 
• Iron helps to aid the transportation of oxygen in pigs' bodies. Oxygen is essential for life, therefore, iron is also essential. 
• Fruits and vegetables are good sources of antioxidants including bananas. Antioxidants in their nature help protect the cells and tissues in pigs by preventing cell and tissue damage. 
• Another benefit of bananas is that they can be easily added to your pig's diet. It is. A convenient meal that doesn't need any extra or stressful preparation. This is a win-win for you. 

TIPS TO OBSERVE WHEN FEEDING BANANAS TO YOUR PIGS

Pig owners, oftentimes tend to randomly toss any food including bananas to their pigs without being mindful of some important tips. Some tips to observe include

Serving in pieces

Yes, pigs can eat bananas without the help of their owner, but to avoid cases like choking it would be best to cut the banana in small consumable sizes. This allows your pigs to enjoy the bananas more. 

Aside from the choking benefits of serving in pieces.  Research has shown that eating fruits or food in pieces is an advisable way to feed as it helps prevent overeating. Smaller pieces allow your pigs to take their time in eating, thus, aiding better digestion.

Through cleansing 

Of course, this is only for pig owners that choose to serve their pigs the peels of banana in addition to the banana fruit. Yes, your pigs Can consume banana peels depending on whether they enjoy it or not. They are animals doesn't mean they can be served with anything either clean or dirty. 

This simple process of cleansing the peels of bananas before serving them to your pigs can help prevent a ton of health-related issues like diarrhea. 

Moderation

As mentioned earlier, the consumption of too many bananas has its side effects like being overweight. Too much of anything can be detrimental. Thus, keep it in moderation. Serving bananas with other fruits or vegetables would help with controlling the portion of bananas in your pig's meal. 

SIMPLE WAYS TO FEED BANANAS TO PIGS

There are several ways for you as a pig owner to feed bananas to your pigs

In its plain form

This is the most common way pig owners serve their pigs and it is also the simplest way. This form should include slicing the bananas before feeding them to the pigs

A treat

Bananas do not have to be served as a meal. It can be served as a treat to pigs. It can be served as banana chips or in any other banana form. Bananas can also be mashed up with other meals like oats. This helps create different forms of varieties. 

In conclusion, it is no longer a doubt that bananas are safe and healthy for your pigs as long as all these above-mentioned tips are followed.