Diet Water Spinach a species of morning glory

[Pywakyt]

a friend of mine saw some at a farmers market in norther California. She thought the pigs might like it but they avoided it like a monkey avoids a snake! Any idea why?

 

[bpatters]

No, but I wouldn't be feeding them anything like that. Guinea pigs have pretty fragile digestive systems, and anything out of the ordinary can cause serious problems.

 

[Pywakyt]

I figure anything they avoid is best not to even think about putting in their cage! Thanks for the input!!

 

[spy9doc]

a friend of mine saw some at a farmers market in northern California. She thought the pigs might like it but they avoided it like a monkey avoids a snake! Any idea why?

Loved your description! That's exactly the reaction that my dearly departed Chester had to cilantro. Most cavies like cilantro, yes? Well Chester didn't. He would walk on the opposite side of the cage to avoid it. Ever heard the saying, "there's just no accounting for taste"? Well, in my experience that applies to cavies as well as humans.

I'm not surprised that your friend found it because Northern CA (and especially the Bay Area) is rich in Asian populations and culture and the markets often reflect that. After reading a bit about water spinach, I can see no reason not to feed it to cavies, but like any other new veggie, feed it in very small amounts until you see how their digestive system tolerates it. The only negative I saw was that it can be detrimental if harvested from polluted water. But then, that would apply to almost any greens or vegetable.
(broken link removed)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_aquatica

 

[Pywakyt]

Thank you so much for liking my description and responding in general! Sry about Chester but its funny he didnt like cilantro because yeah like you said most of them love it! I know i do!

 

[spy9doc]

Wanted to add that my boys have tried several new veggies in the past few days because I was cooking for the holiday. They tried broccoli, brussel sprouts, and the green leaves from a cauliflower head. Of those three, the winner seems to be brussel sprouts.

Of course, I would never feed any of these in quantity since they can cause gas. We'll see how they react as they had a taste of all three this morning.

 

[Pywakyt]

My friend im getting my girls from said one time many years ago she fed cabbage to some and they didnt move for hours after! So she stays clear of cabbage and family. But now im wondering if it was too much and gave them bad gas.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Sounds like your boys got quite spoiled this morning?

 

[spy9doc]

They aren't the only ones. I don't cook a lot and my spouse/partner has quite enjoyed having me cook for us. He takes good care of me so he certainly deserves a little spoiling. lol And, yes, we all know that Sparky & Chip are quite spoiled. They are presently deep in their midday nap after the unexpected morning treats.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

I have a few fellas that are also deep in their midday nap. A spoiled pig is the sign of a great piggy parent!