K
keesey
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- Joined
- Dec 31, 1969
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More food Questions
Hope this isn't a sensitive subject (got the impression the milkshake thing might be, so sorry if I'm stepping on toes), but I like to know the why of things so here goes...
I understand why we should not feed our cavies milkshakes (or any dairy product). Human beings are the only animal that can digest lactose past infancy (I was going to look this up a couple of days ago to be sure when I actually heard it confirmed on the radio--what luck). And even most of the world's human populations can't (European descended folks can tolerate it at something like 80-90 percent among the population, but Asian descended folks reverse the numbers...only 10-20 percent can tolerate it). Thus, milk products in animals can cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea.
My question concerns the why of other food products:
Popcorn, bread (toast), and sugar yogurt drops. What are the problems here? Empty calories? Is it that if the cavy fills up on this he or she won't eat the nutritious food? I know for instance that feeding ducks and birds white bread is supposed to be bad because if they fill up on that or get only that, they don't get the proper nutrition because they don't eat enough of their regular diet. Or is it that the kernels of say popcorn can get stuck in the teeth? Or will the sugar produce gas (like many starches)?
Chocolate. I understand chocolate is bad for dogs. The vet said he didn't know about guinea pigs, but he suggested that it was better to be safe than sorry...so, sorry piggies, no chocolate at my house! (Although I did here one report a few years ago that thought chocolate wasn't bad for dogs
Hope this isn't a sensitive subject (got the impression the milkshake thing might be, so sorry if I'm stepping on toes), but I like to know the why of things so here goes...
I understand why we should not feed our cavies milkshakes (or any dairy product). Human beings are the only animal that can digest lactose past infancy (I was going to look this up a couple of days ago to be sure when I actually heard it confirmed on the radio--what luck). And even most of the world's human populations can't (European descended folks can tolerate it at something like 80-90 percent among the population, but Asian descended folks reverse the numbers...only 10-20 percent can tolerate it). Thus, milk products in animals can cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea.
My question concerns the why of other food products:
Popcorn, bread (toast), and sugar yogurt drops. What are the problems here? Empty calories? Is it that if the cavy fills up on this he or she won't eat the nutritious food? I know for instance that feeding ducks and birds white bread is supposed to be bad because if they fill up on that or get only that, they don't get the proper nutrition because they don't eat enough of their regular diet. Or is it that the kernels of say popcorn can get stuck in the teeth? Or will the sugar produce gas (like many starches)?
Chocolate. I understand chocolate is bad for dogs. The vet said he didn't know about guinea pigs, but he suggested that it was better to be safe than sorry...so, sorry piggies, no chocolate at my house! (Although I did here one report a few years ago that thought chocolate wasn't bad for dogs
