Just a quickie food question as I can't find the right thread!

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pixachu

pixachu

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Can I feed guinea pigs black olives?
I have some as part of a pre-pack salad and as I don't eat them I thought the piggies might like them?
They have stones removed, and there is no dressing etc on them.
 
Yes they can but dont give them too much. Maybe one or two! :) x
 
Thanks. I did a quick google and got yes and no, lol
I will only give them a little bit and save some for tomorrow if they like it :)

I can't find our guinea pig book - will have to print off the lists on here to keep ready for next time.
 
I am not an expert but I would not give them to piggies as they are high in salt.
 
Personally, I wouldn't give olives, because they are preserved usually in brine, and surely would be too salty for guinea pigs?
 
Oh Dear! Looks like your getting a yes and no! If you are in doubt then it is best to leave it out! From my experience one or two will not do them any harm but I always live by the rule of if you are not sure then dont give it to be on the safe side! :) Hope this helps! x
 
I'd say no, definitely not. Olives go through an extensive process involving cooking, colouring (particularly black ones) and preservation.

"Olives are a naturally bitter fruit fermented or cured with lye or brine to make them more palatable.

Green olives and black olives are typically washed thoroughly in water to remove oleuropein, a bitter glycoside.

Green olives are allowed to ferment before being packed in a brine solution. American black ("California") olives are not fermented, which is why they taste milder than green olives.

In addition to oleuropein, freshly picked olives are not palatable because of phenolic compounds.[52] (One exception is the throubes olive, which can be eaten fresh.)[53][citation needed] Traditional cures use the natural microflora on the fruit to aid in fermentation, which leads to three important outcomes: the leaching out and breakdown of oleuropein and phenolic compounds; the creation of lactic acid, which is a natural preservative; and a complex of flavoursome fermentation products. The result is a product which will store with or without refrigeration.

Curing can employ lye, salt, brine, or fresh water. Salt cured olives (also known as dry cured) are packed in plain salt for at least a month, which produces a salty and wrinkled olive. Brine cured olives are kept in a salt water solution for a few days or more. Fresh water cured olives are soaked in a succession of baths, changed daily.[52] Green olives are usually firmer than black olives."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive
 
i also would not feed these as they are soaked in brine (salt) for months and are chemically processed to turn them black.
 
Thanks. I only gave them one small one between them but they didn't seem to like it.
Will not bother again - I also tried them with some readigrass (yay I got a sample free, thanks to you guys on here :)) and they loved it.

They have eaten everything I have given them - good little piggies. They have only left the olives and I can understand why. I also gave them a small amount of excell nuggets to try as I would like to get them off gerty soon and onto nuggets. Will have to read through the reviews on here :)
 
The olives would not have made it into my shopping basket- I hate even the smell of them! :{
 
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