I'm still a little unsure of which certain veg guinea pigs are allowed, what with being a newbie.............
........It doesn't seem very exciting, but have read that some things are fine, but on other sites have read that the same veg mentioned, isn't suitable, so I'm a bit confused.
I was wondering about beetroot but wasn't sure if it was okay.
Can you give the vaccumed kind from supermarkets? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
With regard to beetroot, piggies can have raw uncooked beetroot but I've always been told that the leaves are poisonous to piggies. As I understand it, the vacuum packed stuff is usually cooked, so no good, and the pickled stuff (vacuum packed/jars) is also not to be given.
Knowing what to feed your piggy can be a minefield and very confusing, even for those with plenty of piggy experience!
There's loads of useful info around here, but as a heads up....
Basically there are some foods which must never be given to pigs because they're simply poisonous (e.g. tomato leaves/stalks, rhubarb & green or sprouted potatoes).
Then (and this is probably where it can get confusing) there are a whole load of foods which are safe (i.e. not toxic/poisonous) but for one reason or another shouldn't be given every day and should be fed in small quantities. These foods are not unsuitable per se (unless a specific medical condition dictates so), as long as they're well tolerated by your pig and they're given as part of a balanced diet and in moderation....
Some foods are very watery and contain little nutritional value (eg iceberg lettuce, which can cause diarrhoea if too much is given). Some foods contain high amounts of calcium and, whilst calcium is a very important part of a piggy's diet, too much of it can lead to bladder/kidney stones, if the diet doesn't also contain the right amount of phosphorous to balance it out and reduce the risk of sludge/crystals forming. Foods containing high levels of oxalates can also contribute to bladder/kidney issues if given too often and/or in large amounts (eg spinach & parsley).
Other reasons for limiting the amount of a particular food could be high sugar content (eg fruits) or fat content (eg avocado). Some foods can cause gassiness in pigs susceptible to gassy tums/bloat (eg broccoli, cauli, sprouts, cabbage), while other foods can sometimes cause sore mouths due to the natural acids contained in them (eg tomato, apple & orange).
It probably seems like there are way too many factors to keep in mind but the golden rule to putting together a good piggy salad is getting the right balance. You'll hear people talk about feeding a wide variety with everything in moderation and that really is the key.
It looks like you've already given Maisy some of the more acidic and potentially gassy foods and presumably she's been perfectly fine with them, so that's good. It's also good that you de-seeded the tomato as that's recommended. I wouldn't worry too much about her not being bothered about the fruit - I could be wrong but I don't tend to think of fruit as being considered a staple food so I don't give fruit every day.
As you hang around here you'll pick up more and more information about piggies' diets. If you want to read more about it, here's some links, but really don't worry if it all seems confusing at first - I'm sure everyone feels like that too, honestly! Some people go to great lengths to weigh out their food and work out menu plans based on calculating the optimum calcium : phosphorous ratio etc....but many others (the majority, I'm sure) take a less scientific approach and simply just offer a variety based on what their pigs enjoy and what happens to be available in the fridge at the time!
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=37030
http://www.guineapigwelfare.org.uk/guinea-pig-care/diet/a-balancing-act/
This link explains a balanced eating plan devised for piggies called the Ratewatchers Diet and has a link to the diet plan. Some people find Ratewatchers helpful as it does all the hard work for you - you simply choose from the colour coded combinations listed, as advised:
http://www.planetguinea.info/key-facts/
Good luck! x
