Fresh Forage for your pigs

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12bunsandpigs

Junior Guinea Pig
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What is everyone foraging for their guinea pigs at the moment? Mine are really enjoying dandelions, cow parsley a bit of clover, cleavers, hawthorn, herb robert, brambles and wild geranium.
is there any plants your pigs seem to love.
 
I haven’t started yet. There is somewhere I can get a few bits near here. We’ve got dandelions in the garden.
 
Dandelions and strawberry leaves from our garden. We were out today walking but I was a bit reluctant to pick anything either because I wasn't sure what things were or thinking dogs might have been there. I need to make up a crib sheet for myself with photos of the safe stuff!
 
First new soft spring leaves from the tips of brambles (weeds in my garden that I never quite manage to eradicate!), dandelions beginning to take off too, some daisy flowers from the lawn and plenty of young goose grass (cleavers)
 
I thought thy can’t eat daisies?
 
We picked some plantain, bramble leaves, dandelion, goose grass and hawthorn out on our walk today. Piggies have so far enjoyed the goose grass, bramble leaves and dandilion leaves. I was shocked to discover that goose grass is ok, and amazed they enjoyed it. Our Hector turns his nose up at green pepper- but woolfed down the forage.
I have just read one article that said daisies are poisonous, then found another saying daisies are ok?!
 
I don't pick daisys because I know my buns can't have them. I just pick one lot between the buns and pigs.
I started a foraging thread a few years ago on rabbit rehome forum and it's still going. There is loads of photos of plants and posters just post a photo of the plant they want to ID and if anyone knows they say what it is of it it's safe.
I just never know if the pigs can eat everything that is safe for the buns.
 
Siikibam said:
I thought thy can’t eat daisies?
Click to expand...
I have never heard this. "Daisies" in articles might be used to mean more than one plant? (as it's a large family of flowers.) My lawn is a very natural wild one and full of different plants not just grass. I remove ragwort and buttercups of course from the parts where the run goes (and thistles for the sake of bare foot children!) but everything else stays. The piggies have eaten a good share of daisies (Bellis perennis) over the years and love them. However if others are worried then "if in doubt leave it out" is safest I guess!
 
I know we can actually eat daisys. Well I'm not gonna pull them up this year when the pigs go on the lawn to have a play it will save me loads of time :P
 
My forage at the moment is grass. Not exciting as far as forage goes but I'm giving them small amounts and upping it.

We went to the veg market on Friday and that means the piggies have lots of new bits to try so didnt want to give them too much new at once.

Today was the green leafy bit of a carrot top, which was demolished. Yesterday was asparagus, they ate it but it wasn't their favourite.

We have brambles in the back garden so later in the week they will try some of them.
 
That sounds great. I tried mine on asparagus but none would eat it. I can understand introducing things slow, nobody wants a pig with a dirty bug, especially with the warmer months, with flystrike.
 
My forage is grass too. My guinea pigs love it and so do four of the rabbits, the other pair not so much.
 
Collected some goose grass and bramble leaves- the fresh new growth- both went down a storm! Nice to add something new into the mix.
 
Dandelion leaves and grass for our pigs today!
Also, can anyone tell me what this is please, and whether it’s safe for the piggies? We have quite a lot of it in our grass.
 

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I was thinking it was chickweed, but the flowers look a bit different. Or maybe they were closed up as it was pretty cold!
 
Minipiggies said:
Dandelion leaves and grass for our pigs today!
Also, can anyone tell me what this is please, and whether it’s safe for the piggies? We have quite a lot of it in our grass.
Click to expand...
My plant app thinks it is one of the bittercresses too. I don't know if it is ok for piggies though.

Edited to add: in this thread, hairy bittercress is shown as an ok forage plant.
Safe wild weeds/plants you can feed your piggies
 
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