are there any flowers piggies can safely eat?

[lovelygirl]

as title really - wondering whether there are any edible flowers that guinea pigs can eat that i can grow? What about chamomile?

 

[lovelygirl]

also can they eat the herb lovage?

 

[Wiebke]

They can eat dandelion flowers and marigold.

They won't eat much of the petals, but mine loved taking a broken off or cut off (dethorned) rose bloom and stem apart! (Make sure that they haven't been sprayed.)

 

[lovelygirl]

ooh marigolds are pretty! surely there must be more?

 

[Joey&Gizmo]

This is the link from pampared piggys and his has pictures too of edible flowers and leaves.

http://www.pamperedpiggies.co.uk/edible_weeds.php

 

[Wiebke]

Looking through my huge and still growing collection of useful weblinks, I found this one:
http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/site/Edible_Weeds.html

I guess I need to reorganise them yet again!

 

[lovelygirl]

i want to grow them at the allotment so was thinking something pretty and pretty sure i will not be allowed to grow weeds - pretty sure that is frowned upon! rolleyes

 

[sharonS]

P@H used to do hay with camomile and dandilion in smelled lovely, my guineas used to love it, so I would say camomile is a safe herb/flower.

 

[Little Piggles]

I'm so glad you asked this, as I've been wondering the same for some time!

What about sunflowers?

 

[Ange17]

They can eat Nasturtiums, people can as well although I've never fancied them!

They can have the flowers and leaves.

Maybe if you grow your weeds in pots people wouldn't mind so much?

They can also eat most herbs apart from chives.

 

[lovelygirl]

Well i also want to attract the right combination of insects hence the requirement of flowers!

 

[butterfly68]

They can eat Nasturtiums, people can as well although I've never fancied them!

They can have the flowers and leaves.

Maybe if you grow your weeds in pots people wouldn't mind so much?

They can also eat most herbs apart from chives.

Are you very sure you can give Nasturtium flower and leaves to Guinea Pigs as me and a friend just rescued 4 Guinea Pigs and want to give Nasturtiums to them. I have Nasturtium plants growing in my back yard.

 

[ortonc]

When I had guinea pigs as a child, one of them was very partial to my dad's crocuses, and he never suffered any ill effects. Other than my dad chasing him away from them that is!

 

[Hermes]

When I had guinea pigs as a child, one of them was very partial to my dad's crocuses, and he never suffered any ill effects. Other than my dad chasing him away from them that is!

Despite the fact that in this case the piggy was fine do not feed crocus to guinea pigs, most are toxic, in particular the autumn crocus/Colchicum (though technically it's not a crocus). In fact, don't feed anything that grows from a bulb.

 

[primrose]

i want to grow them at the allotment so was thinking something pretty and pretty sure i will not be allowed to grow weeds - pretty sure that is frowned upon! rolleyes

On my allotment this year I've grown a patch of wild flowers (it is the Bumblebee Margin Mix by Marshalls) - it is mainly made up of borage and red clover. It has looked beautiful, the insects have loved it and the piggies have eaten it! I also mixed in a packet of cornflower seeds, which are also edible. It has been in flower since about June and I've only started to dig it up now! I would recommend it; I'm definitely planning to grow a big patch of it next year.

 

[SpinningNickel]

Not sure how this link will be received here as it's from the British Cavy Council, which is about show pigs, so hopefully no offence taken...

Their list of edible garden plants includes several flowers and earmarks several more as poisonous.

 

[Floydie]

Mine go mad for corn flowers, I'll often pull a full plant and split it up they eat the lot flowers and all!