Is Lettuce Bad For Guiena Pigs???

[Sugar]

Hello,

When I bought Sugar from the pet store on Friday, they said that I should give her all vegetables except Lettuce. You know Pet Stores, half the time, or make that all the time, they know nothing. So is it true or not?

Thanks

Love,

Sugar & Claire xox

[Fay]

Most lettuces are fine to give, Have a look at the sticky threads in the Diet and Nutrition forum (especially the nutrition chart), Iceburg lettuce is the lettuce you shouldn't be giving.

[cavy-cool-crazy]

I second that. And just ignore the pet store - if you need to know something or if you've been told something by the store, always check with the forums before you act on it!

[Sugar]

Hello,

Thanks for your help Why I asked is because it says lettuce is good on the Nutriction Chart. I didn't realize there were different types of lettuce, , thats what that little label thing is down at the super market. I'll buy Sugar some lettuce today, she loves Celery Leaves (probaly because she only has one tooth at the moment) so she'll probaly love Letuce to.

Thanks for your help

[socal805]

I am sure she will love lettuce, mine love romain and red leaf, they get so excited!

[Sugar]

Hello,

I've let my Mum know about lettuce, how iceberg is bad for them, but all other lettuces are fine. My Mum normally buys iceberg, but I have told her to buy any other brands of lettuce. However, now that I have read your post about Roman and Red Leaf, when we go shopping tomorow I will see if there is any Roman or Red Leaf avaible. Thanks for posting that.

[Fay]

Guinea pigs also really like endive which they can have daily. Mine prefer endive over romaine lettuce but I guess each pig is different! You will just have to try some to see which is your pigs favorite although you should always look on the forum to make sure the vegetable is okay to give. Luckily endive is A LOT cheaper then romaine! Don't tell my pigs though they might change their mind (spoiled little things)!

[Sugar]

Hello,

LOL! Vegtables are quite expensive at the moment due to Australia having a Drought, but I don't mind putting the extra Dollar to get my pigges favourite. When your involved with horses, and seeing their feed bills you think "wow, isn't Guinea Pig food cheap?"

I'm going to try all different lettuces over this week and see which one she gobbles down the fastest, , she loves her food, Sugar does, .

[socal805]

My girls don't really care for endive...it's so funny how they can all have different tastes. They also like green bell peppers, cilantro and as special treats grapes and the tops of strawberries. I have even considered growing my own lettuce and peppers to save money!

[Sugar]

Hello,

My Mum loves growing Vegtables and now she'll have even more to grow, . Sugar loves leaves off different vegetables, so I'm sure she'll love some lettuce. I am giving her Celery and Cabbage leaves which she loves and ate a lot of this morning. She also likes carrots and apples. I am going to try her on Tomato soon, but I don't know if she'll like it. She doesn't like Cucumber much.

[Piggersrule]

Go easy on the cabbage though, it is very gassy and can cause bloat, refer to the nutrition chart. Go slow with introducing new veggies. Too many new items can cause her to get an upset tummy and diarhea. Introduce 1 or 2 new veggies a week is good.

[Sugar]

Hello,

Ooops, I got it wrong, I gave her cornflower, ooops. Yes, I must reduce how many new things I'm giving her, two a week is plenty.

She loves her vegies though

[muffin]

Originally Posted by Sugar

I'll buy Sugar some lettuce today, she loves Celery Leaves (probaly because she only has one tooth at the moment) so she'll probaly love Letuce to.

Hi Sugar,

What do you mean when you say that she only has one tooth? She should have two teeth alongside one another in both the upper and lower gums at the front of her mouth. If she doesn't I would advise taking her to a vet to find out why. She also should have molar teeth at the back of her mouth, but these are almost impossible to see without putting your finger in and feeling them, or more advisably for most people, the vet having a look. Is she eating her dried food and hay? You want to make sure she is eating solid foods as well as soft veggies.

[Jenni_Feathers]

My Guinea Pigs love our homegrown lettus, it is their favorite right now, they like it better than store bought any day.