When In Doubt Do Nowt

[gizzy]

I have just been eating a pomegranate! The juce is all over my hands! When I went down to the pig room, some of my pigs were very interested in the smell, But l have never heard of pigs eating pomegranate, ? The little pips are very tasty, but the white flesh is very bitter! Anyway l decided to air on the side of caution

Any one know if pomegranate is safe for pigs to eat?

 

[rome_italy]

Pomegranades are quite rich in vit C, but also in sugars. They are safe for piggies, but as all the fruits they should have be given as a treat only.
You can eat pomegranate also using it as if it were an orange: you can squeeze it and take only the juice. A lot of people here do that. The white part is not edible and there is a method for opening the fruit easily and let the seeds fall down on the plate. I friend of mine showed me this method but I am not able... I also end up with making a mess and having my hands red.
Have a glance on this video:

Anyway this below is what I have just found about its nutritional values:
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Lets take a look at their nutritional data and dig a little deeper under their skin to find out how good they are for them.

In particular, we are interested in their acidic, phosphorus, sugar, fat, and calcium content, as they are most pertinent to guinea pigs.

Pomegranate seeds
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 346 kJ (83 kcal)
Carbohydrates 18.7 g
– Sugars 13.67 g
– Dietary fiber 4 g
Fat 1.17 g
Protein 1.67 g
Thiamine (vit. B1) 0.067 mg (6%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.053 mg (4%)
Niacin (vit. B3) 0.293 mg (2%)
Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.377 mg (8%)
Vitamin B6 0.075 mg (6%)
Folate (vit. B9) 38 μg (10%)
Choline 7.6 mg (2%)
Vitamin C 10.2 mg (12%)
Vitamin E 0.6 mg (4%)
Vitamin K 16.4 μg (16%)
Calcium 10 mg (1%)
Iron 0.3 mg (2%)
Magnesium 12 mg (3%)
Manganese 0.119 mg (6%)
Phosphorus 36 mg (5%)
Potassium 236 mg (5%)
Sodium 3 mg (0%)
Zinc 0.35 mg (4%)



As you can see they contain a little phosphorus, a hint of fat and calcium, but are quite acidic and quite sweet.
They also have a decent amount of vitamin c

With this information in mind, pomegranates are not the best food for guinea pigs. They can eat them in small amounts on a once a week basis but nothing more than that.

The skin and the pith should not be eaten.
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My piggies love the branches and the leaves of pomegranate and they have almost destroyed the lower part of my poor dwarf-pomegranate plant:

 

[gizzy]

O Wow! Thanks for that, you have convinced me! My pigs are nibbling pomegranate as I speak,
Personaly I am a great fan of pomegranate and all other types of fruit, but l prefer it juced

 

[Kylie80]

I have never tried pomegranate, I will need to try one and maybe let the piggies try some too unless i really like it then sorry piggies lol.
Wow your piggies are getting really big (not fat) @rome_italy , must be all that lovely grass you are feeding them. They are little beauties.

 

[Hoppity.K]

When I was a child, my Grandad used to make me sit down & eat half a pomegranate with a pin, one seed at a time. It was several years later when I realised you didn’t have to eat it in this way x

 

[Betsy]

When I was a child, my Grandad used to make me sit down & eat half a pomegranate with a pin, one seed at a time. It was several years later when I realised you didn’t have to eat it in this way x

What a sensible chap your Grandad was! Bet it kept you quiet for hours! I can just see you now sitting on the back doorstep pomegranate in one hand and pin in another ......bless!

 

[Veggies Galore]

When I was a child, my Grandad used to make me sit down & eat half a pomegranate with a pin, one seed at a time. It was several years later when I realised you didn’t have to eat it in this way x

What a sensible chap your Grandad was! Bet it kept you quiet for hours! I can just see you now sitting on the back doorstep pomegranate in one hand and pin in another ......bless!

My Mum tried that trick with me too !

I've found an old thread from the Jamie Oliver "halve it and bash it "

era ...pomegranate

I like @rome_italy 's suggestion of treating it like an orange - must try that sometime - but must confess - I get mine in a packet nowadays

 

[rome_italy]

I have never tried pomegranate, I will need to try one and maybe let the piggies try some too unless i really like it then sorry piggies lol.
Wow your piggies are getting really big (not fat) @rome_italy , must be all that lovely grass you are feeding them. They are little beauties.

I have a dear friend with a lot of pomegranate trees in his garden and last year he gave me a lot of those fruits but I was not able to open in a proper way; he showed me how to do, it seemed very easy, but it was not... I just make a mess!
About my piggies, I hope to not find myself with a capibara around home! Calliope is becoming quite big!!!

 

[rome_italy]

My Mum tried that trick with me too !

I've found an old thread from the Jamie Oliver "halve it and bash it "

era ...pomegranate

I like @rome_italy 's suggestion of treating it like an orange - must try that sometime - but must confess - I get mine in a packet nowadays

the fact is that there is a lot of waste with pomegranate and they are not cheap at the market...
when I was a child I used to eat the seeds with my cousin, competing to see who could spit the seeds further
(and then parents gave us detention )

 

[Pawz]

That’s a great video. I love pomegranate but don’t eat it often because I found it such a chore to eat without making a huge mess.

I should try the recommendations in the video you shared, I especially like the juicer idea.