Vegetables Confused about some Veggies.

[NM_MOM]

I have been trying to mix up the greens in my Piggy's diet. So I went out and bought cilantro, parsley and kale. I mix the 3 along with some red peppers. I bought kale because I have a phone app that said it was really really good for them. I come on here and some say it's not so great for them, it should only be given every other day. What about parsley? Cilantro? Carrots?

What do you give your piggies on a daily basis? Do you switch things up so they don't get tired of it?

 

[pawner69]

My girls get a spring mix of lettuce every day. In the evenings they get a few sprigs of parsley (they LOVE it) and maybe some cucumber. My girls don't really care for cilantro and they only eat carrots when they are in the mood (spoiled brats). Other than that, on occasion they get a slice of apple or orange. However, they really love their lettuce mix and don't really care for much else.

I also tried kale and then learned its actually a cabbage which is bad for them cause it can cause gas.

 

[Varcoda]

parsley is high in calcium if i remember right, and shouldnt be fed too often especially if you are feeding them other calcium high veggies like spinach that day. but try not to feed too much red peppers as it is high in sugar.
you could feed the piggies a small baby carrot daily or every other day, the info on this is irregular on the internet

cucumber, carrot slices, lettuce and bell peppers are part of my piggyies' staple diet.. i rotate the colors of the bell peppers so it wouldnt seem too boring, and switch between green leaf lettuce and romaine lettuce now and then. every other day i give them a little treat of something new, like a seedless grape or cherry tomato.

i'm going to try growing my own cilantro so i have a fresh supply, and i'm already growing them grass XD

 

[Mowgs]

Kale is actually higher in Ca than parsley The veggie chart someone posted on here, has parsley as a veggie you can give like 2-4 times a week while kale can only be given like twice. Although, that could also be because it's high in Vit A which is a fat soluble vitamin and can be stored in the body. This can potentially cause a problem but usually you need a LOT of fat soluble vitamins in your system before you see any detrimental health impacts.

My male piggy currently gets parsley most days (he won't touch peppers) and 1-2 baby carrots a day (although my roomie is spoiling my piggies with larger carrots). I also give them occasional fruits and some spring greens. I actually have to go veggie shopping because I just ran out of everything.
My girl get peppers for her Ca since she'll eat them and not as many dark leafy greens because she possibly has stones so I need to monitor her Ca intake.

 

[NM_MOM]

See, and I read that cucumber has very little vitamin source but good water source, that carrots are high in sugar and should be limited even though they are a good source of vitamin C.
A lot of the greens are high in calcium. Maybe I should just stick with romaine lettuce? mixed with some cilantro and a few pieces of carrots? My piggy doesn't like spinach or really care for red pepper, maybe i should try the yellow. He does love the red cabbage but I only gave it to him in very very small quantities. (it was mixed in with my salad) I also read that tomato's are very acidic and should be given sparingly. ????

 

[Varcoda]

romaine lettuce is high in calcium, i'd switch it up with other kinds of lettuces at least. green pepper is a good option you should try

yes, tomatoes should be given sparingly.

 

[NM_MOM]

Oh what is a good green lettuce that is low in in calcium? and yes on the green peppers He prefers those a bit more over the red.

 

[CanadianComforts]

My questions would be how old are your pig(s)?

Younger pigs under a year can have kale and romaine. Carrots every day in small amounts too. Parsley and/or cilantro daily as well. If they are older, no kale (IMO) or very limited amounts, same with romaine, green leaf or red leaf is a better option anyway. Parsley and cilantro every other day unless they have sludge or stone issues.

 

[NM_MOM]

My questions would be how old are your pig(s)?

Younger pigs under a year can have kale and romaine. Carrots every day in small amounts too. Parsley and/or cilantro daily as well. If they are older, no kale (IMO) or very limited amounts, same with romaine, green leaf or red leaf is a better option anyway. Parsley and cilantro every other day unless they have sludge or stone issues.

He is only 10 weeks old

 

[Mowgs]

Isn't Romaine low in Ca though?? It's definitely lower than kale. It only has like 33 mg which is the same as other green leaf lettuces and the red lettuce.

 

[CanadianComforts]

He is only 10 weeks old

At 10 weeks I would not worry too much about Calcium.

Isn't Romaine low in Ca though?? It's definitely lower than kale. It only has like 33 mg which is the same as other green leaf lettuces and the red lettuce.

Its not so much the Ca as its the Ca ratios.
https://www.guinealynx.info/chart_CaP.html

 

[Aleks]

romaine lettuce is high in calcium, i'd switch it up with other kinds of lettuces at least. green pepper is a good option you should try

yes, tomatoes should be given sparingly.

Romaine lettuce has about the same Ca content as Red and Green leaf lettuce. For some reason it can cause calcium deposits/sludge in some pigs but it doesn't have to do with the Ca content.

 

[Mowgs]

I've heard it's more about the Ca ratios, but then I've also heard that those don't really matter, so I wasn't really sure which I should put more emphasis on.

 

[NM_MOM]

so what is the best leafy green? in conjunction with parsley, cilantro,kale, green and red peppers and carrots?

 

[pigsurprise]

Have you tried curly or Belgian Endive? My Hazel & Clover are wild for it. I am going to the store today to get some escarole for them to try. Once I gave the ladies some left over spring mix we used for a fancy salad that had frisee in it and they practically inhaled it. It cracks me up what little gourmets they are...very expensive tastes!

They have been getting a morning and evening salad but I have noticed more and more that they are not cleaning the plate even though I try to mix it up each time and make sure they have a good variety/don't get bored. I'm not too concerned about it because they eat TONS of hay and always finish their pellet serving each day.

 

[Aleks]

so what is the best leafy green? in conjunction with parsley, cilantro,kale, green and red peppers and carrots?

Personally I would feed Red or Green Leaf lettuce. Romaine is fine as well, but if your piggies start to have calcium deposits in their urine or sludgy urine you should switch to red or green leaf.

Edit: This isn't a leafy green, but you could try giving them some Radicchio. My piggy loves it and you can feed it every day.

 

[NM_MOM]

Okay, some of these veggies I have never heard of LOL and What is sludgy urine?

 

[Aleks]

Okay, some of these veggies I have never heard of LOL and What is sludgy urine?

Unless I'm misinterpreting the info on guinea lynx, it's basically calcium deposits. It's "gritty calcium-based particles that collect in the bladder".
https://www.guinealynx.info/stones.html