Vegetables Oops! I fed my piggies baby spinach daily for a week!

[jesterphi]

I just found the chart here online for foods for cavies: https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...-charts-poisonous-plants-list.html#post254730

I was checking for different outdoor plants when I found this. Looking through it I saw that spinach is high in calcium! I didn't know. I bought some baby spinach and had been feeding the girls a few leaves every day (pregnant mommy a couple more). Should I be worried? Is there anything I can do to help them process the higher calcium to get it out of their systems? I'm feeding them green leaf lettuce now and have been for last couple of days.

 

[Aleks]

How old are the non-pregnant piggies that ate it?
Extra calcium in the diet is good for young pigs and pregnant sows.

You could try syringing them some extra water. I think they should be fine, however I'm not a vet or a diet specialist, so if someone with more experience would like to chime in, please do!

 

[Varcoda]

if it's just a week i doubt there'll be any emergencies? But check around your bedding for white pee spots to see if its powdery or gritty.

 

[SqueakyPig]

I would just watch out for calcium deposits, and feel them. If they are powdery, I wouldn't be too concerned, but if they are gritty it could be bladder stones. Spinach is good for pregnant and nursing pigs, because they need extra nutrients for their pups. Calcium rich foods are also good for pups. How old were the piggies who weren't pregnant?

 

[pinky]

Are you feeding one vegetable only? Go back to the nutrition charts and feed a variety of different vegetables. I usually offer radicchio, green and red leaf lettuce, endive, escarole, cilantro as their main vegetables and offer lesser amounts of others. A variety to offer a good calcium to phosphorus ratio is the key.

 

[jesterphi]

I would just watch out for calcium deposits, and feel them. If they are powdery, I wouldn't be too concerned, but if they are gritty it could be bladder stones. Spinach is good for pregnant and nursing pigs, because they need extra nutrients for their pups. Calcium rich foods are also good for pups. How old were the piggies who weren't pregnant?

Cuddles, who is not pregnant, was guesstimated at 2 years old. She was a rescue piggie, so we don't have an exact age. When you say gritty, do you mean like sand?

 

[SqueakyPig]

Yes, the gritty deposits will feel grainy like sand, and the other deposits will feel powdery.