After my spinach error I figure I better ask first this time

[phipps]

Can Guinea Pigs have cauliflower leaves please?

Not entirely sure, but my rabbit loves them! I only let her have a small amount at a time though.

I expect my piggies would too but don't want to give them something again they are not allowed.

Ours used to eat kilos of the stuff. We did have 9 at one point though.

Just curious - what happened with the spinach?

I'm fairly sure cauliflower leaves are allowed. My rabbit's an indoor 'free-range' one so it becomes obvious fairly quickly if she's eaten something she shouldn't. She has cauli leaves, broccoli, carrots, dark green cabbage and sprouts. She is occasionally allowed a very small amount of celery leaves (in small doses she's okay with them). She only gets a small portion of green stuff at bedtime (one carrot and a bit of something green). The rest of the day she has her hay and normal food.

We tried her with carrot leaves but these do not agree with her even though she loves them.

Luckily nothing happened but I found out later Piggies are not meant to have it.

I appreciate you replying but you have a rabbit and I am talking about guinea pigs. I am not sure they can have all the same foods.

spinach contains high levels of oxalates/oxalic acid which can give piggies kidney stones, apparently. Mine get the occasional leaf as a treat (they love it!) but not regularly. You're not supposed to give them lettuce either, so one guru book told me - so again they only get an occasional treat of it.

I've never heard of cauliflower leaves being a problem and have always given them to my pigs with no obvious problem, but not every day as I don't have them available every day! ANd they do rather love them too...

HTH

Thank you, I will give them one each for tea.