Cabbage or Lettuce

Cat_3386

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Hi we’ve recently adopted two female 14 week old guinea pigs. We were told at the pet shop that they can be fed cabbage, broccoli and basically any veg you would find on your Sunday dinner. I was looking online and have come across a lot of posts saying cabbage is bad for guinea pigs and to give them lettuce instead but in the pet shop we were told that lettuce is bad. I’m rather confused...
 
Hello and welcome to the forum.
Here is a guide to what veg can be fed safely, and in what sort of quantities. Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading
Cabbage is not a great food for piggies as it is very gassy. Broccoli, sprouts and cauliflower can all cause gas too so should be limited. Lettuce while enjoyed lacks much in the way of nutrition for piggies but has a high water content so can cause loose tummies. A little bit of romaine or little gem lettuce does not harm from time to time.
 
Hi we’ve recently adopted two female 14 week old guinea pigs. We were told at the pet shop that they can be fed cabbage, broccoli and basically any veg you would find on your Sunday dinner. I was looking online and have come across a lot of posts saying cabbage is bad for guinea pigs and to give them lettuce instead but in the pet shop we were told that lettuce is bad. I’m rather confused...
Only iceberg lettuce is bad. Cabbage can cause gassy bloat in guinea pigs. Kale is ok sometimes though
 
Both foods have a bit of controversy about them, but both are fine to feed (as long as it is not iceberg lettuce) :) the key is moderation. And lots of hay. Cabbage gets a reputation for being gassy, and with bloat being such a serious condition a lot of people avoid cruciferous vegetables. Whereas lettuce has a high water content and less nutrition than a lot of other veg, so can cause soft poops. Personally, I feed the gassy veg regularly without issue, I give hay in huge amounts all over the floor so they're getting lots of roughage to counteract any issues. And I give lettuce once or twice a week as a nice treat.
 
Coriander is good but it triggers bloaty Puggle's tummy problems... as far as I can tell though she's quite unique in being coriander intolerant! So coriander is generally good, and parsley (another thing off bloaty Puggle's menu). But also peppers and beansprouts and cucumber are very good, and occasional carrots or apple or melon once a week :)
 
When i fed dot and burnie corriander for the first time, burnie screwed his face up , and dot nibbled it and ran away. Then they both tried a second nibble and loved it. Its that zesty taste it has
 
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