Kale?

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Katy Felix

Katy Felix

Junior Guinea Pig
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mmkay so I asked my mom if when she went shopping if she could get some stuff for my little cocoa bean. They didn't have any romaine lettuce, so she texted me asking what to get, and I asked for green leaf lettuce. She came back with KALE?!? can Cocoa even eat that? I usually feed him a leaf of lettuce and some pepper and cucumber, or carrots and whatnot. The lettuce is half of every meal, though. Is that okay, and can he have kale? How often? Oh, an he always has Timothy hay.
 
Just had a look in the 'Food' section on here, seems kale would be fine (though I'd suggest better advice would come from someone more experienced than me).
 
Tiny said:
Just had a look in the 'Food' section on here, seems kale would be fine (though I'd suggest better advice would come from someone more experienced than me).
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Okay. I'm still open to suggestions, but your advice seems quite solid. thanks!
 
Kale is very high in vitamin C which is good for guinea pigs, you just have to be aware that it is also high in calcium as well. My vet told me to stop feeding this to an individual guinea pig I had before who had a history of bladder stones for that reason, but unless you have been advised by a vet that your guinea pig needs a low-calcium diet for any reason then the kale will be fine.
 
Kale is cruciferous, meaning too much could give your piggy bloat. Don't be alarmed though- just a little bit will be fine, it's good for them, just not what I'd use in a daily salad.
 
3Tyger said:
Kale is very high in vitamin C which is good for guinea pigs, you just have to be aware that it is also high in calcium as well. My vet told me to stop feeding this to an individual guinea pig I had before who had a history of bladder stones for that reason, but unless you have been advised by a vet that your guinea pig needs a low-calcium diet for any reason then the kale will be fine.
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Okay. He doesn't have any problems like that, so I think he'll be fine. I'm still going to feed it in small amounts first though.
 
TheCavySlave said:
Kale is cruciferous, meaning too much could give your piggy bloat. Don't be alarmed though- just a little bit will be fine, it's good for them, just not what I'd use in a daily salad.
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Alright. I think what I'll do is let him have some every now and then but I will try to get lettuce soon.
 
Yes, always best to feed new things in small amounts, they have delicate digestive systems ☺
 
And I usually try and vary the veggies I feed mine daily a bit so they don't get bored & also I believe its better they have a more balanced diet that way. I'm not a vet or anything though, just basing it on my experience of keeping guinea pigs for many years.
 
3Tyger said:
And I usually try and vary the veggies I feed mine daily a bit so they don't get bored & also I believe its better they have a more balanced diet that way. I'm not a vet or anything though, just basing it on my experience of keeping guinea pigs for many years.
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I do that too. He always get lettuce, though. Then I mix n match other veggies or fruits in. He likes finding what yummy snacks he has today!
 
I might be wrong but at the last meet I attended @Stewybus said there was something in kale that helped piggies deal with the extra calcium.Am sure he will tell us whether I've got it right or not when he sees this
 
Y
madguinealady said:
I might be wrong but at the last meet I attended @Stewybus said there was something in kale that helped piggies deal with the extra calcium.Am sure he will tell us whether I've got it right or not when he sees this
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Yes, Kale may be high in calcium but it has almost a perfect ratio of phosphorous, magnesium and potassium and these elements are essential in assisting calcium uptake. Getting pigs out in the sunshine is important too as vitamin D is also necessary for the calcium that is taken up in the bloodstream to be utilised by the guinea pig's body.

Inadequate phosphorous/magnesium/potassium causes calcium to be excreted in the urine which can often be seen as white chalky deposits in the urine.

This info came from Lil Chuffnut Chuffnut Cavies - Australian Cavy Sanctuary Melbourne Shelter
 
Stewybus said:
Yes, Kale may be high in calcium but it has almost a perfect ratio of phosphorous, magnesium and potassium and these elements are essential in assisting calcium uptake. Getting pigs out in the sunshine is important too as vitamin D is also necessary for the calcium that is taken up in the bloodstream to be utilised by the guinea pig's body.

Inadequate phosphorous/magnesium/potassium causes calcium to be excreted in the urine which can often be seen as white chalky deposits in the urine.
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This is very interesting to hear. Years ago I used to feed mine kale almost daily, but when 1 of my guinea pigs got bladder stones the vet told me it was because kale is too high in calcium. I felt awful and haven't fed mine kale ever since, even though I don't have that guinea pig now. I completely changed their diet after that happened.
 
Tiny said:
I'm learning so much from this thread
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Me too ☺ I'm now reconsidering my decision to remove kale completely from my guinea pigs diet. Still not 100% sure, i'll probably discuss with my vet at their next check-up.
 
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