Grazing on Clover?

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Linny pop

Linny pop

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Hi, I was just wondering if i should put my guineas out everyday in their run as my grass is full of clover ...ive read too much have cause bladder stones etc..if so how the heck am I going to sort this clover problem out of my grass? HELProlleyesrolleyes...my girls are only 8 weeks old..Thanks in advance.. Lins:{:{
 
My lawn is full of dandelion and clover as well. I just put them out after pulling clover out hasn't made much of a difference - it's still spreading around!
 
They eat it!

It's up to you what you think is more important - time outside in the run or the possiblity of a bladder stone. I would perhaps not put an acute bladder stone piggy on clover.

Why don't you just try and adjust your diet around it and give more less high calcium food in their veg diet? It is all a matter of balancing things out; clover counts as veg anyway, unlike grass.
 
Hi
I got rid of all my clover as my lawn use to be full :{ and i had an awful time with bladder stone problem with darcy.That may not have been only cause as he was rehome piggie but i decided to reduce my risks :) clover is difficult to control so i just got rid of it all.
When i did research and took advice i decided any high calcium risk had to be reduced.
I had Green Thumb came last Autumn and start lawn treatment.All weeds have gone and my lawn is now just full of lucious grass ! They are loving it.
At least if stones rear their head again i know i have tried.
Helen xx>>>xx>>>
 
I just put them out on the grass, there's too much clover to pick it all or anything! It's funny though, my rabbits eat around the clover but the pigs eat it all.

(They will eat around some other weeds though, that I guess are poisonous or don't taste nice.)
 
I never knew clover was bad for them! I have been letting them eat it! :(
 
I wouldn't say it is bad for them, just they shouldn't eat too much. It has lots of good things too.


YOu know how it is meant to be bad for cows if they eat too much, they get bloat? Is that true for piggies does anyone know?
 
I didn’t know clover was bad for rodents re. getting bladder stones, I’ve been feeding my two on it for a few weeks and they have long-running bladder stone issues.
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Can’t say it made them worse though, they both seem rather well at the moment.
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& also I just noticed today that it says here http://www.freewebs.com/rabbitsnrodentscareinformation/guineapigs.htm that red clover is bad for them.
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I didn’t know that either as I’d been mainly gathering the red flowers.
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Again, it hasn’t done them any harm though.
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Clover is ok for piggys just not in large amounts as it contains alot of calcium. Small amounts now and then should be fine.

If your having trouble with access to grass, why dont you pick some grass when you go out walking? I do this for my piggys when I'm waiting for our lawn to regrow once they have eaten it all! Just make sure that the grass you pick isnt from the side of road and check that their isnt any dog mess nearby, then take it home give it a good wash in cold water and pop it in the cage or place the run on concrete and put the grass in too, that way they will be having grass,fresh air and their nails will benefit from being on the concrete.

:)
 
I’d never thought of letting my roddies wear their nails down on concrete.
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Suppose I could but when I let mine out they tend to just sit there and eat and don’t do running. I only have a tiny outdoor enclosure too, I’d probably be best just bringing a flag stone into the house. Could do actually, I have a spare one.
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I can’t find any decent grass around where I live. The only bits which look tempting are where dogs might have fouled, and on long walks in the country it’s all that long stuff and they ain’t as keen on that. I feed my two roddies grass twice a day from my own lawns (small ones), if it’s sparse they might have to miss out a meal.
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Wish it’d grow quicker.


So you think red clover’s ok then do you?
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You mean pink clover? Ive never seen red clover before, only white and pink ones. They can eat the white ones but again only in moderation as they are high in calcium. I couldn't find any information about the pink ones though.

:)
 
I thought the red ones were the pink ones.
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They're dark pink in my area, I'd call them red.
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Haha yes that what i mean, they look pink to me! :))

But I'm sure that when i was looking before about clover flowers, they said they can have both colours but in moderation.

:)
 
You know I could have sworn some literature on safe foods that I have at home just said clover cos that’s why I was feeding mine on it, I really can’t see what the colour of it matters TBH.
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Think I’ll carry on giving mine it but just maybe not in bulk.


Dandelions are fine but it’s best to not give them too many at once I’ve heard.
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piggy person said:
whont they know its bad for them and eat around it?
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Mine were put on a patch of clover-rich grass recently and they ate round the clover, whereas they scoffed it like mad last year when they were babies. They also eat round the buttercup (which is poisonous), so I don't bother removing it anymore. Older guinea-pigs are very good at knowing what's good for them and what's not; young guinea-pigs haven't yet learnt to be discerning.

Red clover is good for baby guinea-pigs as it's full of calcium, which they need in larger quantities whilst they're still growing. White clover can be eaten by both old and young guinea-pigs without any problems.
 
This is the first I'd heard about problems with clover! But my guinea pigs won't touch the stuff! (That's on the lawn btw, as they don't like it I've never picked it for them)

I wonder if they know what's good for them, or instictively eat/don't eat the right things, which would explain why some of them eat it and some don't. If we provide a rich vareity of things, hopefully the won't be hungry wnough to eat something that might not be good for them.

I think most human foods have been proved to cause or contribute to causing some condition or other, but most things are ok in moderation :)
 
Furries said:
Mine were put on a patch of clover-rich grass recently and they ate round the clover, whereas they scoffed it like mad last year when they were babies. They also eat round the buttercup (which is poisonous), so I don't bother removing it anymore. Older guinea-pigs are very good at knowing what's good for them and what's not; young guinea-pigs haven't yet learnt to be discerning.

Red clover is good for baby guinea-pigs as it's full of calcium, which they need in larger quantities whilst they're still growing. White clover can be eaten by both old and young guinea-pigs without any problems.
Click to expand...

How poisonous is buttercup? I've been religiously digging it out of the lawn, as the first ever guinea pig I had as a young child ate one, then died soon after. I can't recall now how soon after, but she died after only four days of being with us.
 
Tupeny said:
How poisonous is buttercup? I've been religiously digging it out of the lawn, as the first ever guinea pig I had as a young child ate one, then died soon after. I can't recall now how soon after, but she died after only four days of being with us.
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I think it's very poisonous. Mine won't touch the stuff. I don't remove it because there's too much of it and the lawn is massive. However, if I pick them weeds from the garden then I am careful only to pick edible stuff. My guinea-pigs as a child were free-range in the back garden (and I know someone now who has four free-range pigs) and they lived to be 7-years-old. I think older guinea-pigs who are used to grazing outside, do know what's good for them, but baby guinea-pigs do not.
 
Thanks Furries, I think I'll keep on digging it out then!
 
The bale of hay I’m on at the mo has buttercup in, I keep picking it out but bits get left in with them, dunno if my roddies eat it or not. Can’t imagine one strand every now and again will make them real ill though.


My roddies love clover, I’m gonna get some tonight. (Outside the Late Shop on a busy road getting stared at like I’m an alien in the process.
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) As far as some roddies knowing what’s good for them and what’s not I’m not too sure about my ones, mine could just eat cauliflower leaves all day but that’s supposed to be bad for them with their UTI/bladder stones problem, they don’t seem to put two and two together.
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The same with parsley, and Rumball could eat loads of apples if given the chance, I’m sure he doesn’t understand that he’d end up a right porker on the sugar.
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I shan’t be adding poisonous plants into the pen just out of curiosity to see if they avoid them or not, but my bet is if they look tasty they wouldn’t.
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