Carrots How Often?

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irene

irene

Teenage Guinea Pig
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hi! I've seen mixed views in feeding guinea pig carrots . Mine love them and I usually give them one baby carrot per day ( they are small and about an inch or so long) is this too much?
 
I give mine a carrot each twice a week before bed as also it lasts them all night so they don't get bored between naps. Mine used to get far to many carrots - they're definitely the way to a piggie's heart!
 
lol I'm probably going to be run off the board, now I no longer have access to unlimited grass mine have to have shop bought stuff especially this summer when it's been hard to find grass, my lawn hardly grew at all because it was too dry - so they get carrots adlib! But then I eat all the wrong things too and yet have never been on a diet in my life! lol
 
i do think that's too much really. a small amount once or twice a week i'd say would be ok :)
 
I
Bluebell said:
lol I'm probably going to be run off the board, now I no longer have access to unlimited grass mine have to have shop bought stuff especially this summer when it's been hard to find grass, my lawn hardly grew at all because it was too dry - so they get carrots adlib! But then I eat all the wrong things too and yet have never been on a diet in my life! lol
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t is very hard to refuse the begging l! I might be seeing some withdrawal symptoms lol!
 
lol I'm a bad owner! Everything gets adlib carrots here - horse dogs hamsters - everyone except the cat! I'm fairly laid back about what they eat to be honest - with all my bunch, I go on what they look like and their state of health really. I do tend to do a lot of things I've noticed are not really approved of! :shh:
 
Bluebell said:
lol I'm a bad owner! Everything gets adlib carrots here - horse dogs hamsters - everyone except the cat! I'm fairly laid back about what they eat to be honest - with all my bunch, I go on what they look like and their state of health really. I do tend to do a lot of things I've noticed are not really approved of! :shh:
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Be strong Bluebell ! A little of what you fancy does you good - but adlib carrots ! :yikes:
 
Bluebell said:
lol I'm a bad owner! Everything gets adlib carrots here - horse dogs hamsters - everyone except the cat! I'm fairly laid back about what they eat to be honest - with all my bunch, I go on what they look like and their state of health really. I do tend to do a lot of things I've noticed are not really approved of! :shh:
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Bluebell, after reading about your teenage pigs you are my knight in shining armour - I want to know all your pig-keeping strategies! ;-p
 
LOL @Jay648 - I used to have twenty year old hens too - only snag was they stopped laying at about ten!
My oldest of my current piggies is only six so I have yet to see whether a different lifestyle impacts badly on them - also tbh I don't know the genetic background of the two older ones. I had a really good start with my originals because they came from beautifully reared stock and then I bred on for several generations - so they all had good starts. It's very different when you take on a badly reared one with health problems and my heart goes out to people who have struggled so hard with their pets right from the beginning.
I think a lot of animal husbandry is instinct - you just know if something is wrong - I've been lucky enough to spend all my life living and working with animals - but bless them, just when you think you have got it sussed - you learn something new from them. I love rodents but currently only have guineas and hamsters - (don't tell the guineas but my favourites are mice!)
 
Haha @Bluebell well extra kudos for not, errm...getting rid...of the hens after they finished laying! Genetically it's going to be a bit of an unknown for me I think as the only source of pigs for miles around is pet shop pigs, still they seem healthy and happy in the shop I've chosen so we'll hope for the best.
I don't understand the whole 'too much vit A from carrots is bad for the liver' as we've had two dogs with liver issues and both went mad for carrots when they got poorly, it seemed to aid recovery, and funnily enough someone I know had a spot of liver trouble and happened to go onto a diet that consisted of many (many!) carrots, and what do you know the liver was back to normal without any treatment! So I'm not too worried about feeding carrots!

I've never had opportunity to try mice, I've had hamsters, rabbits, a rat, even (unsuccessfully!) fish, but I think my favourite so far has been my many gerbils, I think they're brilliant :)
 
Jay648 said:
Haha @Bluebell .
I don't understand the whole 'too much vit A from carrots is bad for the liver' as we've had two dogs with liver issues and both went mad for carrots when they got poorly, it seemed to aid recovery, and funnily enough someone I know had a spot of liver trouble and happened to go onto a diet that consisted of many (many!) carrots, and what do you know the liver was back to normal without any treatment! So I'm not too worried about feeding carrots
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You are comparing carnivorous creatures and vit A to herbivorous animals and vit A.

Humans would get most of their vit A through, oily fish, eggs, dairy and some animal meats. These are far higher in vit A than veg.

However if you are herbivorous, like a guinea pig you get most of your vit A in the occasional fruit and veg you come across whilst eating grass.

Comparatively vit A in carrots is very very high for a herbivorous animal. They are also listed in the top vegetables for humans to contribute to their vit A needs:

Vitamins and minerals - Vitamin A - NHS Choices

Also carrots are high sugar for veg
 
Cavy_lover said:
You are comparing carnivorous creatures and vit A to herbivorous animals and vit A.

Humans would get most of their vit A through, oily fish, eggs, dairy and some animal meats. These are far higher in vit A than veg.

However if you are herbivorous, like a guinea pig you get most of your vit A in the occasional fruit and veg you come across whilst eating grass.

Comparatively vit A in carrots is very very high for a herbivorous animal. They are also listed in the top vegetables for humans to contribute to their vit A needs:

Vitamins and minerals - Vitamin A - NHS Choices

Also carrots are high sugar for veg
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Interesting, thanks! Re sugar as it's not the same as the refined sugar we eat isn't it ok?
 
Jay648 said:
Interesting, thanks! Re sugar as it's not the same as the refined sugar we eat isn't it ok?
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Refined sugar is obviously really bad for all animals. However carrots are a very sugary veg and although it's a natural sugar, so better than refined, it is still a sugar. Too much sugar of any kind is not good for animals and is fattening.
 
Even natural sugars in a regular amount can take its toll on their teeth, my lot rarely have carrots, I save them as treats. Instead getting their daily vitamin c from spinach and kale. Anything dark and leafy like these are high in vit C
 
We used to give our boys carrots nearly every day, until the vet told us they were the piggie equivalent of doughnuts for us. They haven't had any for weeks now, but they seem happy enough with what they do get :o)
 
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