Hi,new To Piggies And Have A Couple Of Food Questions.

[Emily]

Well, first one is this, is lavender like catnip to certain piggies? (Mine are both sows.) Smaug the bigger of the two just enjoys it quietly but Spook jumps about making funny noises and her back goes up. They certainly seem like happy noises and she is quite active and "talkative" around food in general (I'm almost sure that other to her name, she knows the words "food and "feed"!).
The other is a feeding question, are the plants Feverfew and Asyum safe to feed them or should I give it a miss? I have loads in my garden and if they are good fodder, I would prefer to put them to use since they are still going quite strong.

 

[Sarah from Chucklebunnies]

Hello. Feverfew is a member of the daisy family, given to people for migraines and associated pains. It has strong chemicals in it and can cause bronchial (breathing) difficulties in guinea pigs so please don't feed it to them. I have no idea about Asyum. Do you mean Alyssum? Alyssum is toxic to rats and may cause problems in piggies, there is no scientific data to back this up it is simply a possibility. If it is alyssum then please don't feed this either just in case.

Sorry to be so negative. Lavender is generally accepted as ok, but I don't know what feeding a lot would do. It does have strong flavoured and strong smelling oils in it, perhaps that is causing the reaction in your piggy. I would give it in small amounts, rather than lots.

 

[Emily]

Okay, I though probably not on either of those plants, but it is worth knowing for sure!
They seem to enjoy strong flavours, they enjoy oregano too, but I know this is certainly up in the rare treats category!
Is the rhizome of couch grass suitable then? (I know it has antibiotic uses in humans, but I thought since it IS grass it would probably be safe?)

 

[Wiebke]

My piggies are usually only interested in the green bits of grass and leave the rest lying (including the couch grass from my borders).

Please stay off feeding too much Mediterranean herbs like lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme; they are all high in essential oils. Rather go for leafy green herbs like coriander/cilantro, parsley, dill, mint, lemon balm, fennel, basil, celery greens, marjoram/oregano - they can all been grown in pots.

 

[Sarah from Chucklebunnies]

It contains tiny traces of triticin which tastes sweet when chomped so has some psychological effect on people as it basically tastes nice but there have been no careful studies or assays of the amount of useful drug inside the rhizomes if any. Frankly, the chemicals in it are not nasty like those in such as feverfew.

I know the proper diet of piggies includes a lot of grass, so I am with you in thinking that because it is grass their systems are probably well able to deal with it. I just pull grasses up with the roots and throw it all in, to be honest. If they don't eat it then it gets taken away, but I don't think it will hurt them.

 

[Emily]

Well I give them plenty of hay (if Spook thinks it is anywhere near low she shouts at me!) and make sure it has a good green colour to it. Not sure how much fresh vegetables to give them.
Also, how do I stop them pooping in their food bowls, or is this normal behaviour? It doesn't matter where I put them, they seem to use them a mini loos.