which of these should i feed in moderation

[biscandmatt]

here is a list of all the veg and herbs chesney and maisie like. which should i be feeding less often and how often?

they have 4-5 different veg/herbs each day, 2 in the morning and 2 at night (sometimes 3 at one of those times) and because they like so much i mix up what they have each day from a selection for that week. then the next week i buy different things if i can.

parsley
coriander
basil
thyme
savoy cabbage
tenderheart cabbage
spring greens
pak choi
curly kale
hearts of romaine lettuce
little gem lettuce
curly lettuce
trio leaf lettuce (lollo rosso, lollo biondo, red oak leaf)
asda leafy rocket salad (rocket, virgil victoire, apollo, saigon)
asda tender leaf salad (baby coral lettuce, endive, chard)
watercress
watercress, spinach and rocket with red chard mix
wild rocket

they also used to have: red pepper, yellow pepper, green pepper, babycorn, cucumber, apple, pear, banana, honeydew melon, grapes, broccoli, red cabbage, cauliflower, carrot and green beans,

however the vet said i wasn't doing them any favours by feeding the fruit and any of the sugary veg, for the reasons they aren't natural for them and also they can disrupt the balance in the gut and also because chesney is prone to going overweight. he said to stick to just leafy greens, which i do. (just incase anyone was wondering why i don't feed anything but those!)

they also have natural foods like apple sticks and leaves, dandelion leaves, and a selection of dried herbs aswell from galens garden and aunty sallys. these are treats and not fed all the time.

they also have grass when it's dry outside and of course loads and loads of hay.

even though the vet recommends feeding no pellets to them, i still give them about an eggcup full of oxbow cavy cuisine at night, as back up incase i haven't got their diet quite right. (i worry!)

i'm lucky they like so many different veg and herbs but just wondered which would be best to limit?

the amount of fresh veg i feed is a side plate size between the two of them in the morning and the same again in the evening.

the vet is a top exotics vet and i trust him but i was surprised how many people feed alot of the veg he told me to avoid. :{ but to be fair, ches and maisie both had dodgy tums at one point and since changing their diet to what he recommended they haven't had any problems and maintain their weights really well. i know diets as close to their natural diet is recommened anyway for rabbits and guinea piggies. he said the sugary veg shouldn't even be given as a treat as they don't need treats, it's only people who seem to think they need treats!

thanks

to add: this is what he recommended for my two piggies individual needs. they are both healthy adult piggies.

eta: the broccoli and cauliflower didn't agree with ches and maisie's tums so i stopped feeding those.

 

[CiaraPatricia]

I agree with your vet Green leafy veg are the way to go, they should get plenty of vitamin C without the other veg too.

I do give other veg as a treat in small quantities, especially carrots :red but I definitely agree that they don't need treats, we just think they do They prefer lettuces anyway, so they're a better treat.

I'm not sure about all the veggies on the list, but I would limit the spinach and the cabbage. I give mine cabbage about 3 times a week maybe, in small enough portions, it can give them tummy problems too. And I think spinach has too much calcium or something, so should only be a treat. I think I heard something before about how rocket should only be fed in moderation, but not sure why . . . ?

With any of those lettuces, I think they should be able to have lots of them.

 

[biscandmatt]

thanks. i do trust the vet but then when i see most people do things differently to what he recommends i start to panic. i'm such a worrier anyway. rolleyes and then every so often i panic, then relax again and carry on the same! rolleyes (i think it's an ocd thing)

i'm finding it harder then normal to mix up the veg because the mixes in the packets don't tend to keep very well and have to be used quickly. rolleyes

i'm trying to introduce more natural foods to them aswell. they like apple sticks and leaves. they weren't keen on pear sticks and leaves though.

ok, i'll try and limit the cabbages, and also the spinach and rocket aswell.

i have a list taped to the cupboard with foods that are high (the calcium to phosphous rate or something, i can't remember! :red) and the ones that are low. and i feed one high and one low in the morning and one high and one low in the evening aswell.

i asked the vet and he said don't worry, just feed a selection of leafy greens and mix them up regularly so they don't have the same of one thing too often etc and they shouldn't have any problems or issues caused if i do that.. which they haven't. i just wish i didn't worry so much. rolleyes i think i annoy him because i ask him every so often the same questions. :red

thanks

 

[CiaraPatricia]

Sounds like you're doing the right things anyway They get such a variety, it's great

 

[Wiebke]

Please be aware that Romaine lettuce is even higher in vitamin A than carrots - and should be treated the same; the vitamin builds up in the liver.

You may find this chart helpful:
http://www.guinealynx.info/chart.html#chart

It is not easy to find a find an ideal diet; most foods have some problem somewhere if you dig deep enough!

A mix and bit of everything is usually the way forward. My piggies are getting some green veg everyday; I feed quite a bit of the less bloaty cabbages, like sweetheart, broccoli, occasionally spring greens or savoy and have never had a problem with bloat. I keep mostly away from curly kale and spinach due to one of my piggies having chronic cystitis. I don't feed any of the "bloatier" cabbages like white, red or Brussels sprouts.

Parsley they get only occasionally, but fresh coriander more regularly. The stronger herbs like thyme or rosemary are more like an occasionaly treat in small quantities.

Mine have a small slice of pepper daily. But it is easier to feed a bigger variety when you have more piggies.

 

[Lizzie]

spinach, kale and lettuce, along with all fruits, should only be fed in small quantities - say, once a week/every other week. I, personally, stay away from all lettuces, as they have something in them which is really not good for them. Cucumber doesn't really have anything in it...so is neither here nor there with regards to how much they're fed.

I feed mine a lot of melon/cucumber/celery on warm days to keep their hydration to a max. Other than that they get tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, etc..

Peppers are the best for vit.c - red and yellow, as are spring greens. So I'd just say everything in moderation! Don't worry about it too much, give them what they enjoy and as long as you're feeding a selection of foods and they're getting what they require from them then all's fine

 

[biscandmatt]

Please be aware that Romaine lettuce is even higher in vitamin A than carrots - and should be treated the same; the vitamin builds up in the liver.

You may find this chart helpful:
http://www.guinealynx.info/chart.html#chart

It is not easy to find a find an ideal diet; most foods have some problem somewhere if you dig deep enough!

A mix and bit of everything is usually the way forward. My piggies are getting some green veg everyday; I feed quite a bit of the less bloaty cabbages, like sweetheart, broccoli, occasionally spring greens or savoy and have never had a problem with bloat. I keep mostly away from curly kale and spinach due to one of my piggies having chronic cystitis. I don't feed any of the "bloatier" cabbages like white, red or Brussels sprouts.

Parsley they get only occasionally, but fresh coriander more regularly. The stronger herbs like thyme or rosemary are more like an occasionaly treat in small quantities.

Mine have a small slice of pepper daily. But it is easier to feed a bigger variety when you have more piggies.

i think i read about the romaine lettuce on another of your posts actually and it got me thinking about what i feed as i didn't know about it being high in vitamin A. i might feed less of that from now on aswell.

ches and maisie do well with bloaty foods except broccoli and cauliflower which they both got dodgy tums with so i avoid those now.

i know coriander can be fed daily so i try and use that as one of the main foods they have. they love it. they will eat thyme but not in big amounts.

the things i miss feeding them are peppers and cucumber. i'm undecided whether to introduce these again in small amounts. :{

 

[biscandmatt]

spinach, kale and lettuce, along with all fruits, should only be fed in small quantities - say, once a week/every other week. I, personally, stay away from all lettuces, as they have something in them which is really not good for them. Cucumber doesn't really have anything in it...so is neither here nor there with regards to how much they're fed.

I feed mine a lot of melon/cucumber/celery on warm days to keep their hydration to a max. Other than that they get tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, etc..

Peppers are the best for vit.c - red and yellow, as are spring greens. So I'd just say everything in moderation! Don't worry about it too much, give them what they enjoy and as long as you're feeding a selection of foods and they're getting what they require from them then all's fine

i used to be wary of lettuce aswell. :{ i do worry about the vitamin C aspect which is why i use the small amount of pellets at night as a back up.

i might do a chart to make sure certain things are only fed in very small amounts a couple of times a week.