Fresh grass

[sharonk]

Is this part of a piggies hay quota, part of their fresh veg quota or totally separate?! And how much are they allowed to have? Obviously if they are in an outside run there will be no controlling how much they have so how can you prevent them getting bloat (which I'm really scared of!)?
Thanks

 

[mikulinek]

There are lots of varying opinions of food ratios etc. After many chats with owners and vets and much experience of my own I conclude that really, a piggy can have as much fresh grass as they want.

A lot of people say that a good balanced diet for a guinea pig is 80% hay, 10% fresh food and 10% dry food. This might be fine for a lot of people and we used to live by the same guidelines.

I am now of the opinion that a piggy should have exclusivley grass-based food in the main. Hay, readigrass and fresh grass and as much of all of them as possible. Generally, ours get about 75 hay, 15 readigrass and 10 fresh grass. They don't get dry food except as a treat (and even then only two of them get it as the others two either have sensitive digestion or are prone to weight gain).

We reward/treat them with fresh veg (generally small pieces of lettuce, dandelion, pepper or cucmber).

We avoid dry food because A) Aside from vitamin C, there is no real nutritional value to them that piggies don't get from hay. B) The vitamin C in dry food degrades extremely quickly (we use the Supreme Science resealabe bags to help aboid this) and there is better vitamin C content in fresh grass.

So, to get back to your question, I believe a piggy should be able to eat as much grass as they want. Especially if it's when they're outside. When they're eating dtraight from the ground, they actually end up eating slightly less than if you give them a big handful because it's shorter and they have to eat each blade individually rather than big chunks - plus they're moving around.

 

[neuroticmum]

My boys get to go on the grass in their run when it's dry for about 30-45mins at a time, and they seem to spend 90% of that time nibblnig away. I'm also worried about them getting bloat so am probably over cautious.

 

[sharonk]

Thank you for all that info so if they aren't able to go out for grass because of the weather then I can happily cut and give them grass everyday as an addition to their hay ok. Might have to do this anyway in the meantime whilst we get their outdoor run made

 

[mikulinek]

Thank you for all that info so if they aren't able to go out for grass because of the weather then I can happily cut and give them grass everyday as an addition to their hay ok. Might have to do this anyway in the meantime whilst we get their outdoor run made

This is what we do - we live in a flat so it's a little more problematic to take them outside. They probably only get to go outside aybe 10 days each year.

We give thiem grass from a nearby field almost everyday (when it's snowing and what not then we can't). Just pull up the grass by hand, they'll eat some of the roots too. Just be careful to avoid using mown or cut grass. Mown grass quickly starts to ferment and is very dangerous. Cut grass/mown grass that's lying around in fields etc will get parasites very quickly too. Freshly pulled grass is perfect.

 

[mikulinek]

My boys get to go on the grass in their run when it's dry for about 30-45mins at a time, and they seem to spend 90% of that time nibblnig away. I'm also worried about them getting bloat so am probably over cautious.

I can't imagine them getting bloat from grass. Bloat is caused by eating fermenting/fermented grass from lawn mowers or cut grass. If they get fresh grass, this will not cause bloat no matter how much they eat.

We base all our food on grass. Be it hay, readigrass or fresh grass. If you think what their wild cousins eat and what their wild ancestors would have eaten, it would have had very little variety and been mostly made up of grasses. If anything, it's unnatural to give them the European/North American veg that we do, it's not a natural part of their diet evolutionarily speaking.

 

[bsjlmb]

I can't imagine them getting bloat from grass. Bloat is caused by eating fermenting/fermented grass from lawn mowers or cut grass. If they get fresh grass, this will not cause bloat no matter how much they eat.

We base all our food on grass. Be it hay, readigrass or fresh grass. If you think what their wild cousins eat and what their wild ancestors would have eaten, it would have had very little variety and been mostly made up of grasses. If anything, it's unnatural to give them the European/North American veg that we do, it's not a natural part of their diet evolutionarily speaking.

from what i've read on here, the new spring grass is very 'rich' i believe, and this is what can cause bloat. i've never had a problem with my pigs but this is something i've heard mentioned on this forum.

 

[sharonk]

Yes that's what I read - about grass being quite rich at certain times of year, and that was my concern. We have a large garden so presumably I can cut grass from here with scissors, no the lawn mower, and give it to them? My only concern is that the grass is fed/treated four times a year but as long as we don't use any in the week or two following a treatment, and there's been some rain, that'll be ok will it?

 

[mikulinek]

from what i've read on here, the new spring grass is very 'rich' i believe, and this is what can cause bloat. i've never had a problem with my pigs but this is something i've heard mentioned on this forum.

Ah, you mean "bloating" rather than bloat. Bloat is very often fatal and is caused by eating something fermented/rotten like mown grass.

Bloating on the other hand can be very dangerous and, in the best case scenario, very uncomfortable and can cause digestion problems. This could be caused by very young rass I suppose (although I couldn't say for sure). It's more often caused by eating too many cruciferous vegetables like brocolli or cauliflower.

On the whole, I wouldn't feed these sorts of vegetable to a guinea pig anyway - there's no need and they cause more harm than good.

 

[bsjlmb]

Yes that's what I read - about grass being quite rich at certain times of year, and that was my concern. We have a large garden so presumably I can cut grass from here with scissors, no the lawn mower, and give it to them? My only concern is that the grass is fed/treated four times a year but as long as we don't use any in the week or two following a treatment, and there's been some rain, that'll be ok will it?

i'm not sure about that. i don't treat our grass. actually the only grass in our back garden is where the runs are sitting. my biggest problem is cutting it. well, actually what jumps out of the grass whilst i'm cutting it! in fact i have just been out and got a whole pile of grass and a frog! i am petrified of frogs and toads - i don't mind admitting it. all the other gardens round here have ponds and the frogs seem to love coming into my garden. my daughter had to finish cutting the grass yesterday as 3 frogs jumped up at me and nearly gave me a heartattack:...:...

 

[mikulinek]

Yes that's what I read - about grass being quite rich at certain times of year, and that was my concern. We have a large garden so presumably I can cut grass from here with scissors, no the lawn mower, and give it to them? My only concern is that the grass is fed/treated four times a year but as long as we don't use any in the week or two following a treatment, and there's been some rain, that'll be ok will it?

You need to check what it's fed/treated with obviously. Any chemical treatments may have potentially lethal substances in them. Just read the labels carefully to see what actually goes in there. We avoid fields/grass near main roads where we know that car exhaust will be in high concentrations. This won't be an issue for your garden but just keep in mind what chemicals are going to be in the grass.

 

[mikulinek]

i'm not sure about that. i don't treat our grass. actually the only grass in our back garden is where the runs are sitting. my biggest problem is cutting it. well, actually what jumps out of the grass whilst i'm cutting it! in fact i have just been out and got a whole pile of grass and a frog! i am petrified of frogs and toads - i don't mind admitting it. all the other gardens round here have ponds and the frogs seem to love coming into my garden. my daughter had to finish cutting the grass yesterday as 3 frogs jumped up at me and nearly gave me a heartattack:...:...

My mum's scared of frogs too - something to do with their speed/movement - so I totally understand.

 

[sharonk]

Well it's treated by Green Envy so don't know what he uses but I could contact him and ask. I have a feeling he once told me it was animal safe but I didn't worry unduly then either way as I didn't have any pets. Might just double check with him. Least we know our grass is not subject to dog wee, cigarette buts and traffic fumes, although we do have cats coming in now and then, much to our disapproval as we are big bird lovers and also feed a multitude of squirrels!

 

[bsjlmb]

My mum's scared of frogs too - something to do with their speed/movement - so I totally understand.

yes they jump to fast up into my face - or at least it feels like they do:...

 

[mikulinek]

Well it's treated by Green Envy so don't know what he uses but I could contact him and ask. I have a feeling he once told me it was animal safe but I didn't worry unduly then either way as I didn't have any pets. Might just double check with him. Least we know our grass is not subject to dog wee, cigarette buts and traffic fumes, although we do have cats coming in now and then, much to our disapproval as we are big bird lovers and also feed a multitude of squirrels!

Sounds like your garden's a lot of fun!

Yes, I would just double check that it's safe as a precaution - you can never be too cautious.

Dogs/cats are my biggest worry when I go out collectng grass. I know a lot of people walk their dogs nearby and some of them, very inconsiderately, do not pick up after them. Generally, I pick as clean grass as I can find and give it a quick rinse before I feed my piggies. Just like I would with veg that I eat.

 

[Sherlocksmum]

Well it's treated by Green Envy so don't know what he uses but I could contact him and ask. I have a feeling he once told me it was animal safe but I didn't worry unduly then either way as I didn't have any pets. Might just double check with him. Least we know our grass is not subject to dog wee, cigarette buts and traffic fumes, although we do have cats coming in now and then, much to our disapproval as we are big bird lovers and also feed a multitude of squirrels!

I was at one of the Glasgow museums today and apparently if you feed the birds they are less likely to be caught by a cat as there will be more birds, so more chances of the cat being seen and sounding the alarm.

 

[crumpets]

Any dietary change should be made slowly, this is particularly important when grass and wild plants become plentiful in the spring. Many pigs have access to outdoor runs allowing them to graze grass during the day, their access time should be gradually built up in the spring. Any sudden change will cause diarrhoea and digested upsets, they should never be put out on wet or frosty grass because of the potential of digestive upsets - similarly if fresh food is kept in the refrigerator it should be allowed to come to room temperature before being fed on cold nights fresh food should be removed as its likely to chill or freeze overnight. (Richardson, 2000)

Colic and bloat may occur after ingestion of fermented foods or an excess of brassica leaves (cabbage or kale).

 

[sharonk]

Going back to grass a minute.... When you say grass mustn't be cut grass does that mean I should be pulling it up shy the roots and not just tearing handfuls or trimming some off with scissors? Obviously I don't pull it up by the roots as my garden would look rather unsightly and surely when GPs are grazing in an outdoor run they wouldn't eat all the way down to the roots either?
I checked with my Green Envy man and be was happy that the guineas would be fine on the grass as long as they are not eating it directly after application.
They do seem to go more enthusiastically for a pile of grass than for their veggies sometimes but invariably both piles would be eaten one way or another! I might cut the veggies back a bit and replace with some grass in the bowl or in the hay, that ok?

 

[sharonk]

I was at one of the Glasgow museums today and apparently if you feed the birds they are less likely to be caught by a cat as there will be more birds, so more chances of the cat being seen and sounding the alarm.

That's very interesting and I suppose makes some sense! I still don't like this one very predatory vat though that sits by the bird feeder and squirrel feeder just watching and waiting grr! Scares them off!

 

[Pepperdog]

I trim my grass near the roots with scissors to feed to the pigs on the days that I cant give them access to their runs, the only reason that people suggest that cut grass is a problem is the way grass acts once it is cut. I posted somewhere about the process of grass cutting and taking it right to hay making but basically once grass is cut, the natural sugars start to cause a reaction in the blade itself which is the beginning process of fermintation.

Saying this, I have had no issues with cutting a handful of grass from my lawn and sticking it in a hay rack for the pigs to eat, I do this daily and have no problems, the amount I give them is less than they would eat if they were grazing it themselves but you dont want them to eat the grass once its wilted so they have enough that they can eat it before it does.

And to answer the query, yes grass is at its highest sugar level during may and june, its most rich and nutritious and as we know, too much of a good thing can be bad for us. But as my lawn tends to stay wet in the mornings of spring, but dryer in summer if I put them out about 1pm, they are back in again at 5pm giving them a lesser time on the grass than in the july/aug/set months when they can go out from 11am to 5pm. They dont eat all the time of course and often they will be out for less time than that from the start to build up their exposure to natural free range grass. I am blessed with a sheltered garden that has plenty of shade and is a lot cooler than you would ecpect - I can sit in the shade for hours in my garden happily on the hottest of days, and I dont do heat

 

[mikulinek]

Going back to grass a minute.... When you say grass mustn't be cut grass does that mean I should be pulling it up shy the roots and not just tearing handfuls or trimming some off with scissors? Obviously I don't pull it up by the roots as my garden would look rather unsightly and surely when GPs are grazing in an outdoor run they wouldn't eat all the way down to the roots either?
I checked with my Green Envy man and be was happy that the guineas would be fine on the grass as long as they are not eating it directly after application.
They do seem to go more enthusiastically for a pile of grass than for their veggies sometimes but invariably both piles would be eaten one way or another! I might cut the veggies back a bit and replace with some grass in the bowl or in the hay, that ok?

It's most important not to mow your grass and then use this mown grass as food. You don't have to pull it up by the roots and, I suppose there's nothing wrong with cutting it rather than tearing it by hand. I guess you'd have to make sure your sacatuers/scissors were clean. My wife rips up grass by the root but I tend to tear it off close to the bottom of the stem. Since I do most of the foraging for grass, I find that if I tear it off rather than rip it up, it will grow back long enough to tear again within a few weeks (my wife doesn't think about such things) Also, they will eat roots if you rip them up but they're not their favourite thing and are often left behind so it's a waste really.