Diet Fed my girls tomato leaves and stalks

[birdfish3]

I've been feeding my 3 girls tomato leaves and stalks for the past 2 weeks. I just read online that the leaves and stalks are poisonous?!?!?! Is this true?

 

[bpatters]

Nobody eats tomato leaves and stalks, and they're definitely a no-no for guinea pigs. I hope you haven't done serious damage to your pigs.

Here's a list of what they can and can't eat, and how often: https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List

 

[mizzpiggie]

I did some (simple) research on this recently and was unable to find an absolute yes or no for the question "are tomato leaves poisonous?" I don't think your piggies will suffer any long-term (or even short-term) effects, but if there are so many other safe veggies available that it's probably not worth the risk to continue offering them, IMHO.

 

[ClemmyOddieIndy]

Aren't they part of the Nightshade family? I have always been told they are toxic, and even touching the stalks and leaves causes me to get a rash. Honestly, you may consider contacting your vet and talking about potential organ damage that could occur.

 

[bpatters]

Looks like the latest research says that they're not toxic to people, but I can't find where any studies have been done in guinea pigs. Given that pigs are so much smaller than humans and would require much less of a toxic substance to make them sick, and have such picky digestive systems anyway, it would probably be better to skip them.

 

[CavyMama]

[MENTION=33395]zachbinger[/MENTION], tomatoes are okay to feed to guinea pigs. It's the leaves and stems that were in question.