lettuces

[zingo-pig-hops]

Are there any other lettuces that are bad for guinea pigs, besides Iceberg?

[Ly&Pigs]

All varieties except iceburg are fine and safe to feed.

[zingo-pig-hops]

So lettuces like Belgian Endive, Bibb Lettuce, Butterhead, Curly Endive, Collard Greens, Escarole, Mustard Greens, and Swiss Chard are all safe? Are there any that should be fed sparingly?

[tattooyu]

Collard Greens are very high in calcium as are Mustard Greens, I believe. If you haven't already, please check out the awesome food chart posted by Ly.

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...arts-info.html

[LucyJane]

Is it that Iceberg is harmful, as in toxic, or just nutritionally empty?

[Ly&Pigs]

Iceburg is not toxic but it is pretty much nutritionally empty and it's super high in water. It normally causes diarrhea in pigs if fed too much.

[PhoenixFeather]

Originally Posted by zingo-pig-hops

So lettuces like Belgian Endive, Bibb Lettuce, Butterhead, Curly Endive, Collard Greens, Escarole, Mustard Greens, and Swiss Chard are all safe? Are there any that should be fed sparingly?

Those aren't all lettuces. They are all "greens" but other than Bibb and Butterhead, they're not lettuce. Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Chard, etc. are all safe, but should not be fed daily. As tattooyu said, check Ly's chart for details for each specific type of vegetable.

[zingo-pig-hops]

I forgot that they are not lettuce. It is probably because all leafy greens that can go in a salad is considered lettuce in my house. (Off subject: when we have a family get together, we always ask my aunt to bring a salad. Most of the stuff she puts in the salad looks like stuff I could find in my back yard. My old piggies loved her salads more than I liked them).

Thanks for the food chart. I had seen the link before but my computer wouldn’t open it at that time.

Also another two questions: If veggies are grown in a garden using guinea pig waste as a fertilizer then the veggies are still fine for the pigs right? And I am thinking of buying a thing called an Aero-garden. It can grow herbs and lettuce using water, nutrient pills, and lights. Would the produce from this machine be safe for guineas?

[julsie]

Aero-garden claims to use organic nutrients, so I don't see how the food produced could be unsafe.

For your garden, you might consider composting your guinea pig waste first -- that makes your vegetables safer for everyone who's eating them, including you. The used bedding from our guinea pig cage (carefresh) composts pretty easily with some added moisture.

[zingo-pig-hops]

My grandma actually has a garden. She grows zucchini, tomatoes, baby pumpkins, and I think she has an apple tree. So I could give her compost from my pigs in return for veggies and fruit.

For the Aero-garden, I wasn’t sure if the nutrient pills would make the veggies different because of the higher concentration of nutrients.

[julsie]

Good thinking! This will be my first year with a real vegetable garden, and I have a big compost pile to get it off to a strong start.

I wouldn't expect the Aero-garden to grow plants with a higher concentration of nutrients than any other method would. Lots of grocery store produce is hydroponically grown, which means there were nutrients added to the water. The same nutrients that have to be present in the soil to grow a healthy plant in your garden. I'm not an expert, but I don't think this is something you need to worry about.

[zingo-pig-hops]

That makes sense. If there is no soil then the nutrients have to come from somewhere.