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to lettuce or not to lettuce?

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hayleyandjohn

When i was 12 i got 2 guinea pigs and my mum bought them lettuce and they loved it had it twice daily and lived until they were 8 and 9.
But since i have got my new piggies i have read up on the internet that lettuce has toxins in it that are bad for the pigs, so i have not fed them on it, i gave them a tiny bit each and they love it!

What does everone else think about giving lettuce to piggies?
 
I have heard that this is only the case with iceberg lettuce?
 
yer thats what i read also, but I'm still not sure what to do.
i suppose its better not to give it to them than to give it to them and then be sorry. I have only given it to them once so they dont really miss it, i give them varied other things, cucumber, peppers, parsley and celery.
 
I dont use iceberg but do get the salad bags - mixed leaf ones, they go off so quick i get a bag have some for my tea and share the rest with the 3 guineas. Leo bunny doesnt have any as it doesnt suit him.

Mine seem fine with it but i dont give it every day maybe twice a week and only a small amount.
 
My two have romaine lettuce about 3 times a week and they absolutely love it!

I dont give them loads but when i do they start popcorning and squeeking as if to say thank you! lol ;D
 
I dont bother with Lettuce at all- I read about the toxins thing but also that it has very little in it nutritionally so thought if there is no good reason to feed it I would leave it out.
 
i feed my two lettuce but not iceberg as it gave them runny poos. they love peppers the most
 
Willie loves Romaine lettuce and the mixed baby greens but he's never had any other lettuce besides that. I wouldn't think of giving him something that might make him sick. He loves cuccumbers, dandelions, parsley, spinach, and a few others that get mixed and given to him. He's very picky about what he'll eat.
 
Mine have Romaine and round lettuce fairly regularly - probably a couple of times a week. They love it and I hide it around the room for them when they are playing out as it gets my lazy older lads moving!
 
iceberg lettuce is a big no no then, cool.
I'm gonna try getting romaine lettuce then as a treat and hide it about for them to make it more fun!
 
When i was at the diet and nutrition lecture at the CCT, this question was brought up. Gina said that lettuce (even iceberg) isn't harmful to them but it has little or no nutritional value (especially iceberg). Trouble is, because the pigs like it so much they will eat any lettuce given to them rather than the more nutrional food. Its rather like giving a kid ice cream and liver at the same time. The kid will chose the ice cream. As for the toxins, it does have a teeny bit of laudenum in it but it is so minute that there is no cause for concern.
lettuce is definately a treat food. Feed like you would a child ice cream (not like you would feed me ice cream yum yum ;D)
 
In my opinion Iceberg lettuce is a definate no-no. It has very little vitamin C it in, or it could even be none at all. My girls do not get lettuce very often though they love the stuff, they have it gobbled up in one minute flat :) but that's only because I think other vegetables such as peppers and brocoli have a lot more vit C in them and therefore are a lot more beneficial to my girls.
 
I do feed mine lettuce as they LOVE it, but I would never feed Iceberg lettuce as it has no nutrional value whatsoever.
 
I give mine lettuce now and again if we have some in. Usually from a bag of mixed leaves. I suppose like humans a little of what they fancy is OK just not in large amounts or to often.
 
ive glad i have found this thread as i have wondered myself what to do,but i have given my piggies some leftovers from a mixed bag,so i hope thats ok. could i ask can you give cabbage ok?
 
thats ok then,and i don,t give too much by the way i don,t want to causre problems.
mine like a little bit of a banana for a treat now and then.
 
Mine have a little lettuce (Romaine or round) every day in a big mixed bowl with spring greens, often spinach & curly kale, cucumber, tomato, celery, carrot, sometimes apple, occasional fresh beetroot which they love and sometimes sections of corn on the cob. None have any poo problems at all!

Gemma x
 
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