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Lettuce.....now been warned by two people....starting to worry!

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Teejay

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Hi there, I need to just double, triple and quadruple check with you very clever people about feeding my piggles lettuce.......after much researching and reading, I was pretty sure that my boys could have dark green lettuce (such as Romaine and round/curly lettuce). However, within the past 24 hours two different people have looked at me in mortification and horror when I said I fed them lettuce! I'm starting to doubt myself......Pud and Squeak certainly love the stuff!

I tried to explain to both friends that, as far as I know, they weren't to have white coloured lettuce, such as iceberg, but dark green was fine.

The friend who I shocked today with my 'lettuce' revelation (rolleyes) told me that the local GP rescue where she got her piggies from told her that it was basically poison to piggies, as it was a diuretic. Mind you, they also told her to bed the piggies she adopted on straw......:{

So, what's the deal with lettuce? My two boys will bevery upset if they have to forego their favourite veggie!

Tracey
 
romaine is fine. curly/rond lettuce isn't very rich nutritively speaking but ok. iceberg is just water and fibre... so doesn't provide any real nutrients. if your pigs like it, go for it!
 
Phew......thanks everyone.....mind you, todays "shocked friend" also said the rescue told her that piggies should be given cucumber, celery, carrot and parsley every day (I thought most of those foods were occasional treats :{).

And she'd aso been told that all un-neutered boars would eventually have to be split up because of fighting, but all sows would be absolutely fine together.....I tried to say that maybe it was more to do with the individual piggies character? But no, apparently the rescue said it so it must be correct :x

I'll stick to my favourite forum for my info in future!

Tracey
 
oh i am glad your piggies will be happy. Mine just love lettuce too but i give all veg in rotation and moderation. They had parsley carrot celery bit lettuce and just grass for tea. I mostly use romaine when they do have lettuce. Tip to members always check out your local shop reduced section i quite often call in for bag veg. Nothing wrong with it they have it for tea that day. I got a bag full from tesco for £2 the other day ! X
 
I tend to base their veggie ration on peppers (their fave is red), with other different veg added to the peppers.

So far, I've tried them with sugar snap peas, baby corn, lettuce, parsley, mint, carrot, tomato, blueberries, grapes, cucumber, celery, apple, pear, brocolli, asparagus, satsuma, coriander.....I'm sure there are more.......

I tend to check what I've got in the fridge for our 'human' meals (we eat loads and loads of veg in our house) and then check if those veggies are suitable for GPs, and, assuming they are, I try the piggies with them!

I always check the 'reduced' section - some real bargains to be had, especially with herbs I've found!

While we're on the subject of suitable foods, 'shocked friend' told me that GPs go mad for the green top of a pineapple.....is that right? Seems a bit random to me!

Tracey
 
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Lettuce is a great food for them :)

I've actually heard iceberg lettuce is fine in small quantities, unless it's a guinea pig prone to digestive problems of course. Guinea pigs are better able to tolerate it than rabbits. I think it's not advised for rabbits to have it at all. I don't buy iceberg lettuce for my guinea pigs, but if we ever have some leftover then they get it (very rarely and not much) and never have any problems. :)

Darker ones have more nutrients though. Butterhead is a favourite with my pigs, and it's cheap! They love romaine too, even though some of romaine lettuce is quite light in colour like iceberg, it's fine for them.
 
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