Veggie List:biggrin2:
Red or Green Bell Peppers: One slice of a whole pepper, given daily, remove seeds.
Broccoli: Half a floret, including the stalk, twice weekly.
Kale: Two small leaves, twice weekly. Not always available in our supermarket.
Carrot: One baby carrot or a small slice of a large carrot, every other day.
Romaine Lettuce: One large leaf, twice weekly. Never give guinea pigs iceberg lettuce, its not nutritious and it can give them an upset tummmy and diarrhoea. To be on the safe side, I give my piggies Romaine lettuce and none of the other varieties.
Celery: One 1/4 of a stick, weekly. Very stringy so needs to be chopped up into small pieces to avoid piggy choking.
Dandelion Leaves: Two or three, average size, twice weekly. A seasonal food during spring and summer.
Fresh Grass: Small handful, three times weekly. A seasonal food, spring, summer and autumn. Sometimes my piggies go outside to eat fresh grass for themselves on warm sunny days. When spring has arrived and your grass has started to grow, just give your piggies a small amount of grass to begin with so their tummies adjust.
Baby Tomato's: One baby tomato or small plum tomato, every other day. Remember to remove the poisonous tomato top ( green part ). If using a slice from a larger tomato, remove seeds.
Cucumber: Very little nutritional value, but has high water content and is loved by most guinea pigs. One slice, include the outer layer which is their favourite part. Given every other day. Cucumber is really appreciated by guinea pigs in hot weather, it acts as a liquid and is nice and cool. A little like us enjoying an ice lolly.
Parsley: A few sprigs , twice weekly.
Apple: One small slice, include peel, give weekly, remove core and pips. Royal gala variety is a favourite. Many fruits are full of natural sugar and have fruit acid. To avoid your guinea pig getting a sore mouth, cut all fruit into small pieces and just give as an occasional treat because of the high sugar content.
Pear: One small slice, include peel, give weekly, remove core and pips.
Seedless Grapes: One or two, must be seedless, twice weekly.
Satsumer Pieces: One or two segments, remove rind and pips, give weekly. You can give a a little of any orange citrus fruit.
Corn on the Cob: A recent new food. I'm unable to find corn on the cob with outer leaves, but the leaves can be eaten by guinea pigs. Roughly a dozen tiny segments, twice weekly.
Green Beans: Two or three green beans, twice weekly.
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Guinea Pig SHOPPING LIST:
Recommended :
1 cup of mixed veggies per pig per day. Unlimited hay. Unlimited pellets.
HIGH Vitamin C foods:
- Guinea pig pellets with stabilized vitamin C - alfalfa based for youngsters, pregnant & nursing sows, slim or sick pigs; timothy based for healthy, grown, chubby pigs (do not substitute rabbit or chinchilla pellets; avoid mixes with nuts, seeds or colored bits)
- Parsley - curly or plain (high in calcium)
- Cilantro / Chinese Parsley / Corriander greens
- Celery leaves
- Collard greens
- Mustard greens / Leaf Mustard
- Water Cress
- Garden Cress
- Swiss Chard, Red Chard
- Beet greens
- Spinach (feed in moderation, linked to formation of kidney & bladder stones)
- Carrot tops / leaves
- Peas in pods, Pea Shoots (not dried)
- Dandelion greens
- Grass - wheat, winter rye (grown in pots from seed)
- Kale - curly or plain
- Broccoli, Broccolini (stems are liked better than flowers)
- Broccoli Rabe / Rabe / Rapini
- Cauliflower / Broccoflower
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Red Cabbage
- Tuscan Cabbage / Cavolo Nero
- Savoy Cabbage
- Kohlrabi leaves
- Bell / Sweet Peppers - red, green, yellow (not hot or chile)
- Tomato (sores around mouth can develop; leaves poisonous; artificially grown can be low in vit C)
- Tamarillo (leaves poisonous)
- Orange (caution - sores around lips can develop)
- Tangerine / Mandarin (caution - sores around lips can develop)
- Grapefruit (caution - sores around lips can develop)
- Lemon, Lime (home-grown best, otherwise feed cautiously)
- Cantaloupe Melon
- Honeydew Melon
- Currants - yellow, red or black (leaves also edible)
- Gooseberries
- Strawberries
- Kiwi Fruit
- Mango
- Guava
- Feijoa / Pineapple Guava
- Papaya / Paw Paw / Tree Melon
- Persimmon - american or oriental
- Rosehip
LOW Vitamin C foods:
- Hay - timothy, meadow, alpine and others (must always be available)
- Alfalfa - green or dried (high calcium & calories - good for youngsters, pregnant & nursing sows)
- Romaine Lettuce
- Lettuces - red, green, butter, Boston and other (avoid iceberg)
- Frisee Lettuce
- Arugula / Rocket / Roquette / Rucola
- Green Endive
- Belgian Endive
- Radicchio / Italian Chicory
- Treviso Radicchio
- Salad mix (without iceburg lettuce)
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
- Anise
- Basil
- Dill
- Mint
- Thyme
- Chives (caution, feed in moderation)
- Green Onion tops (caution, feed in moderation)
- Green Leek tops (caution, feed in moderation)
- Sweet Onions (caution, feed in moderation)
- Celery stalks (cut into small pieces)
- Corn on the cob (strings, leaves & stalks are edible too)
- Green Beans in pods / String Beans (not dried)
- Carrots (feed in moderation, vit A in carrots said to cause liver problems)
- Yam / Sweet Potato (high in vit A? - leaves edible)
- Beets
- Celery Root / Celeriac
- Kohlrabi bulbs
- Radishes (if mild)
- Turnip
- Parsnip
- Rutabaga
- Parsley root
- Cucumber (fresh only, not pickled)
- Squash - acorn, banana, butterhorn, spagetti, and others (feed in moderation)
- Zucchini
- Pumpkin
- Pineapple - fresh (sores around lips & mouth can develop)
- Apple (avoid seeds; if too tart, sores around lips & mouth can develop)
- Crabapple
- Pear
- Asian Pear
- Plum, Prune (dried high in sugar - as treat only)
- Nectarine
- Apricot
- Peach
- Cherries (remove pits)
- Cranberries (whole fruit, not concentrate or juice)
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Bilberries
- Blueberries
- Watermelon (can cause diarrhea - high water content)
- Banana (feed in great moderation - can cause constipation)
- Passion Fruit / Granadilla
- Grapes (in moderation, high in sugar)
- Figs (dried high in sugar - as treat only)
- Dates (dried high in sugar)
EDIBLE wild grasses, plants and herbs:
(make sure you know what you are picking! be sure to pick from places free of contaminants such as pesticides , exhaust fumes or animal urine ; pick plants that are healthy looking, without insect damage, fungus spots, breakage, or wilting)
- Grass (common grasses are edible, avoid ornamental grasses)
- Clover (Trifollium repens or Trifolium pratense)
- Dandelion (Teraxacum officinale) - pick leaves, stems, flowers (even root OK)
- Anise (Pimpinella anisum)
- Blackberry leaves (Rubus plicatus) - pick young & tender leaves and shoots
- Calendula (Calendula officinalis) - leaves and flowers
- Caraway (Carum carvi)
- Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis)
- Chickweed (Stellaria media)
- Cleavers / Stickyweed / Goosegrass / Bedstraw (Galium aparine)
- Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)
- Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaeae) - berries, leaves in moderation
- Cow Parsley (Anthiscus sylvestris)
- Dog Rose (Rosa canina) - ripe fruits
- Duckweed (Lemna minor) - aquatic
- Fennel (Foeniculum capillaceum)
- Field Violet / Wild Pansy (Viola tricolor)
- Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)
- Lemon Mint / Melissa (Melissa officinalis)
- Linden / Lime Tree (Tilia cordata or Tilia platyphyllos) - flowers with pale yellow leaflets
- Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)
- Pepermint (Mentha piperita)
- Plantain (Plantago major or Plantago lanceolata)
- Raspberry leaves (Rubus idaeus) - pick young & tender leaves and shoots
- Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
- Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)
- Silverweed (Potentilla anserina)
- Vetch (Vicia x)
- Yarrow (Achllea millefolium)
- Whortleberry / Heidelberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) - berries, leaves in moderation
- Wild Chamomile (Matricaria chammomilla)
- Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) - berries and leaves
AVOID Danger foods:
- Iceburg Lettuce (low nutrition, high water)
- Hot Peppers / Chiles / Paprikas
- Hot herbs and spices
- Pickled veggies (dills, capers, sour krauts)
- Garlic or pungent onions (will not poison pigs, )
- Tomato leaves & stalks (poisonous)
- Tomatillo leaves & stalks (poisonous)
- Rhubarb (poisonous)
- Seeds (choking hazard)
- Dry beans and peas
- Nuts (too high in fat)
- Avocado (too high in fat)
- Coconut (too high in fat)
- Horseradish (leaves probably ok, root too pungent)
- Mushrooms
- Potatos (poisonous if green or sprouted) - sweet patatos / yams are ok
- Taro (dangerous if eaten raw / unprepared)
- Jams, jellies and fruit preserves (too high in sugar)
- Fruit juices (sugar-free, or unsweetened juices are OK)
- Teas, coffee, colas
- Fried, cooked and otherwise prepared foods
- Peanut butter, cakes, cookies, baked goods
- Milk and milk products
- Wild grasses, plants and herbs that you are unsure of, or that look different from ones you know
- Flowers (commercially grown decorative plants contain preservatives & pesticides)
QUESTION foods:
(just don't know much about them, or unsure if ok for pigs to eat)
- Canned veggies
Asian Fruit and Vegetables: (I tried to include names in various languages when possible)
- Abiu / Caimo / Canistel / Dan Huang Guo
- Bamboo Shoots
- Banana Leaves
- Betel Leaves / La Lop
- Bitter Melon / Bitter Gourd / Balsam Pear / Balsam Pod (must remove seeds)
- Chinese Broccoli / Gai Lum / Kai Lan / Kairan
- Chinese Flowering Cabbage / Choy Sum / Sawi Manis / Saishin
- Chinese Cabbage / Wong Baak / Kubis Gna / Hakusai
- Pe-Tsai Cabbage
- Chinese Chard / Bok Choy / Pak Choy / Pak Tsoi / Pechay
- Baby Bok Choy
- Chinese Spinach / Amaranth / Een Choy / In Tsoi / Bayam / Santonsai
- Chinese Mustard / Gai Choy / Kaai Tsoi / Mustaa / Ha Karashina / Cai Xanh
- Chinese Keys / Khao Chae / Suo Shi / Temu Kunchi (like ginger)
- Chinese Long Beans / Yard-Long Beans / Asparagus Beans / Dau Gok
- Chocolate Fruit / Black Persimmon / Black Sapote / Kaki Noir
- Durian / Dourian / Lau Lin
- Ginger Root
- Hairy Melon / Moa Gua
- Jute / Jew's Mallow / Meloukhia / Meloukhiya Sheitaani
- Kaffir Lime Leaves
- Longan / Litchi Ponceau / Loon Ngan / Lengkleng (like Lychee)
- Lychee
- Mangosteen / Saan Jook / Manggis
- Sin Qua / Luffa - smooth and angled
- Soursop / Guanabana
- Star Apple
- Taro / Woo Tau / Dalo / Sato-Imo leaves (leaves ok? raw taro root poisonous )
- Water Spinach / Convolvulus / Ung Choy / Yeung Choy / Kang Kung
- White Radish / Daikon / Loh Baak / Mu
- White Sapote / Casimiroa
- Winter Melon / Wax Melon / Dong Gua
- Yam Bean / Jicama / Di Gwa / Sinkamas / Seng Kuang / Kuzuimo (root ok?, leaves & stems poisonous)
- Yam / Shuyu / Ubi / Yama Imo (this tuber is safe for guinea pigs to eat)
Other Fruit and Vegetables:
- Acerola- West Indian, Pitanga, Surinam, Sour, Sweet
- Babaco
- Borage
- Breadfruit
- Burdock
- Cardoon
- Cassava / Yucca Root
- Catus
- Chayota
- Cherimoya
- Custard apple
- Dock
- Eggplant
- Fern bracken - Fiddlehead Fern shoots
- Ginger
- Jujube (high vit C)
- Kailan
- Kiwano
- Komatsuna
- Kumquat
- Lemon Grass
- Longan
- Loquat
- Mizuna
- Okra
- Opuntia Cactus
- Oregano
- Plantain banana (needs cooking, high starch)
- Pomegranate
- Quince
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Sakata
- Salsify / Oyster plant
- Sapodilla
- Sorrel
- Soy beans and soy products (too high in protein?)
- Star fruit
- Sugar Cane (too high in sugar?)
- Tapioca (too high in starch & calories?)
- Yucca
