Spinach

Emma050991

Emma050991

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
May 2, 2019
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Location
Ilkeston
Morning, the boys have really taken a liking to Spinach ... is this okay to feed daily or as a treat a few times a week? It is really helping with our bonding but obviously don't want to make them ill! Also worried they don't know how to drink from their bottle (they did have one at the breeders) any suggestions to get a little water into them - cucumber or watery veg that's not going to upset their tummy? Thanks Emma, x
 
Spinach is quite high in calcium so it is best used as an occasional treat rather than an everyday thing.
Coriander is usually popular so maybe try some of that for taming.

And they will know how to use a water bottle.
The key is to make sure it is working ok and leave a small drop hanging from the end and they will get the hang of it fast enough.
 
Some pigs don’t drink much. Cucumber can be fed daily. If you do a search there’s a pinned post on feeding.
 
Swissgreys said:
Spinach is quite high in calcium so it is best used as an occasional treat rather than an everyday thing.
Coriander is usually popular so maybe try some of that for taming.

And they will know how to use a water bottle.
The key is to make sure it is working ok and leave a small drop hanging from the end and they will get the hang of it fast enough.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much and is coriander okay daily? Xx
 
Hi!

You may find our detailed diet guide with an illustrated sample diet helpful; it talks you through what you can feed safely how much how often but is looking at all areas of feeding. Our drinking and bottle guide will hopefully answer most of your questions in that area.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
All About Drinking And Bottles

Please be sparingly with spinach. Guinea pig have a naturally very alkaline urine, which means that calcium is not dissolved well and that bacteria can flourish. This means that they are very prone to bladder stones and infections as a species. For the long term, a balanced diet is very important. It can save you lots of money and heartache in terms of vet fees and prolong your piggies' lives. It is well worth reading both links.

They are part of our new owners guide collections, which addresses all the areas we get the most questions about and also some areas that can save you preventable trouble in the long term. Some guides will help you to learn what is normal and what not, and how to understand guinea pig behaviour.
You can access our our full guide collection on a much wider range of topics via the shortcut on the top bar, but you are always welcome to ask any questions you may have.
Here is the direct link to our new owners guide collection: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
 
My girls absolutely adore spinach too! We do try to limit to maybe just a small handful once or twice a week though (honestly I think they would eat the whole bag if we let them!). Coriander is a really good one too that I’m sure you can give pretty much daily, we also tend to give celery about 4/5 days a week, it is fairly cheap and they just love it, plenty of water in celery too if you are worried about them getting enough water.
Maybe squeeze the water bottle so a little drops out and they pick up the scent of where the water is, they should be fine though they will work it out soon enough 😁 x
 
I'm late to this, but def dont feed spinach daily, i did everyday when i wasnt on the forum, to an old boar of mine. Months later 3 bladder stones and he passed away. Totally.my fault if it was the spinach, if theres any positive from his death, its to help other pigs.

Parsley and kale are two more you need to treat the same way👍
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
I'm late to this, but def dont feed spinach daily, i did everyday when i wasnt on the forum, to an old boar of mine. Months later 3 bladder stones and he passed away. Totally.my fault if it was the spinach, if theres any positive from his death, its to help other pigs.

Parsley and kale are two more you need to treat the same way👍
Click to expand...

I give two Cilantro stems in the afternoon and I was thinking about replacing it twice a week with Parsley. Is giving Parsley twice a week ok?
 
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