Winter veggies

[weta!]

We're moving into winter, and I'm not sure what veggies to feed my boys. Our produce is seasonal, so all their favourite leafy vegetables will be going up in price. The only vegetables and fruit that will be readily available will be carrots, peas (frozen), and apples and brocolli, which they would only get occasionally.

What do others feed their guineas in winter?

[PiggieMom]

You're going to have to bite the bullet and pay the higher price for their regular veggies.

[My Baby Mu]

Ditto to what PiggieMom said, and don't feed frozed vegetables. Guinea pigs need to have fresh veggies.

[911guy]

I plan on paying more for the romaine lettuce and such. As it is, it's expensive but to me it's worth it for these little fellas.

[weta!]

Originally Posted by My Baby Mu

Ditto to what PiggieMom said, and don't feed frozed vegetables. Guinea pigs need to have fresh veggies.

Why is that? My understanding is there is little difference between the nutritional content of fresh and frozen peas. Frozen peas can be superior because they are flash frozen within hours of being picked, rather than having to travel to markets.

And I really don't want to deprive my boys of one of their favourite vegetables. They get so excited when they see the little green balls.

I guess I was interested in seeing what others feed their guinea pigs during the winter months. They would quite happily eat carrots, peas and tomatoes each day, but they need to have a more balanced diet, and I was looking for some winter veggie ideas.

Thanks for the contributions though - if there are other suggestions I'd like to hear them.

[albert]

These are some of the winter vegetables that i feed and have had no problems with them.
Spinach Broccoli Cauliflower Brussel Sprouts Cabbage
Celery Carrots Turnip Parsnip Zucchini
Pumpkin

[Percy's Mom]

You don't want to feed previously frozen veggies for a couple of reasons. If they were frozen raw, they usually thaw out mushy and gross. The rest of them, like peas, corn, green beans, etc are blanched first. Blanching slightly cooks the vegetable so they keep their lovely color and makes them quicker to cook when you take them out of the package. You only want to feed your pigs fresh raw veggies.

[valerie k]

OK, but on something like a pea (I have never tried them on the crew) would it hurt the veggie from being frozen first (blanched).

Another question, what about frozen peas in the summer on a hot day? Give them an accual frozen pea? I have put frozen peas in the rat cages, and they LOVE them. But I also feed them popsickles on really hot days, and I dont think that wise with pigs. The rats sure do appreciate the treat.

by the way, I do have central air, its not like my animals will ever suffer the full effects of a really HOT day.

[Percy's Mom]

If you want to feed them peas, get fresh ones at the market. Don't give them any frozen veggies.

[VoodooJoint]

Originally Posted by valerie k

Another question, what about frozen peas in the summer on a hot day? Give them an accual frozen pea?

That's a choking accident waiting to happen. A rat's mouth is much smaller and they would have to chew at the pea. A GP could take the whole, frozen pea in their mouth and choke on it.

[weta!]

Peas are only of the few vegetables that freezes really well. I won't give my boys previously frozen carrots or spinach, for example, because they do turn mushy, and if I wouldn't eat them uncooked, neither should my lads. And frozen peas available here aren't blanched before being snap frozen.

Nevertheless, peas are an occasional treat, and they usually only get them if I've got them out of the freezer for cooking. There's no point giving them something that can keep if there are fresh veggies in the fridge. But they really, really like them, and I love how gentle they are taking each pea from my fingers.

Albert - thanks for the tips. I've got some pumpkin in the cupboard that I'll try them on next time I'm making soup.

Has anyone tried silverbeet? It wasn't a total success, but it's readily available and I might try persevering with it. Its dark green leaves have got to be good for them.

[aqh88]

Spinach Broccoli Cauliflower Brussel Sprouts Cabbage
Celery Carrots Turnip Parsnip Zucchini
Pumpkin

Pretty much all of these are rather poor veggies to feed daily. The whole first row either causes gas which can lead to life threatening bloat or in the case of spinich is way too high in calcium and oxalic acid causing bladder stones. I wouldn't feed any of these more than once a month and for mine it's usually an every few month treat. I don't feed spinach at all under any circumstances. It can cause far too many problems. The celery to the pumpkin are all ok more frequently. In small amounts they could have some of those daily(such as 1 baby carrot per day) but they definitely would not be good as the main part of their diet. There's little nutrition in any of those and all could cause problems if fed in large amounts daily. Frozen vegetables also have little to no vit c no matter how they are frozen. Vit c is extremely unstable and unless it's preserved with something it does not survive being dried or frozen very well. The main point of vegetables is to give vit c so that kind of defeats the purpose. Several other vitamins will start to break down quickly when dried or frozen as well and most of the vegetables that can be easily frozen are not the healthiest ones. Things like lettuce do not freeze well.

You can grow some vegetables and grasses indoors in pots under plant lights or in front of windows. Lettuce grows quite quickly and easily although it can outgrow it's pot and end up hanging down on your floor. Cilantro and parsley are often grown in rather small pots and can still reach up to several feet high. Peppers and tomatos can be grown indoors but aren't really worth it because it takes so long to mature, needs tons of light, a large pot, and I've never gotten more than 1 month worth of peppers from 1 plant. I suppose if you have alot of space and planted each one a couple months apart it would work. For those without indoor space about your only option is to buy from the store. In the summer we spend maybe $5-$10 a month on mostly just treats and grow the rest. In the winter it's around $80 a month.

[weta!]

Well, grass, dandelions and puha will continue to grow during winter, so they can get that in the weekends. They can have a mixture of celery, carrots, peas (as a treat), parsnips, cucumber, pumpkin, coriandar/basil as it grows, apple, and lettuce if suitable varieties are available. We will also get bananas, tomatoes and melons as occasional treats. Maybe watercress if I can get it.

How does this sound?

Summer is so much easier.

[valerie k]

Originally Posted by VoodooJoint

That's a choking accident waiting to happen. A rat's mouth is much smaller and they would have to chew at the pea. A GP could take the whole, frozen pea in their mouth and choke on it.

thank you, thats a valid point I hadnt thought of. My rats are nawers... and they love frozen fruits and veggies in the summer. Of cource, rats love just about any food you put in front of them. No frozen peas for the crew! And temp wise isnt a concern, central air... they should be very comfortable all day and night long.

[KjerstiMoo]

You don't import produce in New Zealand? Here in Norway we're closing in on summer now, but all winter I still got veggies for my piggies. The only thing I couldn't get my hands on, was romaine salad.

[weta!]

Do you know how far away we are from other countries? We import fruit, especially tropical fruits, and get imported tomatoes and cucumber from Australia (although quality is not as good), but we don't import any leafy vegetables.

There's a few reasons for this - leafy vegetables are more persishable, we don't have roads or railways connecting us to other countries (so would have to come by air), and we have very, very strict biosecurity requirements. If you think the UK is bad, try coming to Australia or NZ. Leafy vegetables have gots of places for bugs to hide, so everything would get fumigated at the border.

But at least it doesn't snow or freeze, so the grass will keep growing. That's something we have over you Norwegians

[KjerstiMoo]

Norway is pretty strict on import too, but mostly on stuff they don't want competition on.

But a suggestion, if it doesn't get that cold, perhaps you can grow salad indoors? Or at least coriander and a bit of parsley? It wouldn't work up here with us because we have so little day time light, but how is it down there?