Asian and other 'Exotic' veggies

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JaneDoe

Post   » Sun Oct 11, 2009 1:31 am


Brandilynn sez she feeds her pigs Thai basil and lemongrass for a nice piggy whiffing experience. Mmmmm.

Suisan

Post   » Sun Oct 11, 2009 1:33 am


High sugar content in the gut interferes with the growth of beneficial bacteria. The balance of good and "bad" bacteria can go out of whack as one type can "bloom" or grow faster than another kind. This then leads to gas, bloat, and diarrhea.

The environment of the hind gut needs to be maintained in order for the beneficial bacteria to flourish so that they can ferment the cellulose properly.

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Lynx
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Post   » Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:23 am


What Suisan said (exceptionally well and clearly).

I'm sorry the links I gave you didn't help much (you are not an idiot - I had read them, thought they might not, and added another link to the diarrhea page, hoping you'd notice how carbs encourage the overgrowth of bad bacteria - this is the issue).

jedifreac

Post   » Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:01 pm


I've also heard that high sugar content could lead to diabetes?

Pimpinpuji

Post   » Sun Oct 11, 2009 11:45 pm


Thank you Suisan and Lynx! I understand now. Lynx, I did have another look at the page regarding the horses, and things fell into place a bit. Thank you. :)

Well, here is another question along the same lines:

If I were to give sugarcane that already had the juice squeezed out, how would that be? There is a shop nearby that is willing to sell me to me. I'd have to bring home a piece and test it's lifespan, though. Don't know how quickly it goes bad.

Were you able to find out about the banana leaves?

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Lynx
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Post   » Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:22 am


I would avoid the squeezed sugar cane. After the sugar has been extracted, it is called bagasse. Much of it is used for fuel in cane factories so you can imagine it must not be very valuable as a feed. It is not very digestible, high in fiber, having a dry matter digestibility of only abut 25%. Its TDN number (Total Digestible Nutrients) is extrememly low, ranging from 20 to 25%. It doesn't break down well in the gut, and what protein there is, is poorly digested in cattle. I think it may also have a short life. I couldn't find out much about it but this is what I gather regarding its use in livestock. It's recommended in livestock to mix it with molasses (sweeten it up), used as a carrier for the molasses. I just don't think it would be a choice food for guinea pigs.

There is also something called sugarcane strippings (sugarcane trash or strip cane) that has some leaves and leaf sheaths that are stripped from the stalk. This is a medium grade roughage. There is not much carbohydrate in it and I don't think I would recommend this either.

If you look up the Wikipedia article, you won't even find it discussed as a food for livestock (I used another source).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagasse
Last edited by Lynx on Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Pimpinpuji

Post   » Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:06 pm


Lynx, you are a walking encyclopedia. I love it.

Thanks for the info! Onto the next hunt for fun veggies.

I really want my boys to fatten up a bit like all the other piggies on here, and wish I didn't have to give them the same stuff over and over! I keep experimenting with squashes, since those are available in abundance. Neither the pigs nor I are big fans of the squashes, however.

What are the thoughts on Sapota? (I believe that is the name used internationally) I think it may be a bit too starchy, but perhaps it could be worth a try?

(P.S. Sorrry about the typo in my previous post)

Suisan

Post   » Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:38 pm


I thought sapota was a sweet firm fruit? Sometimes it's called custard apple over here, or sapodilla. Do you mean chikku?

This still seems like a sugary offering, but I haven't found much on its nutritional content.

The best way I know to put on weight is to offer the leafy greens a few times a day as a treat. Pellets also pack on weight. Pumpkin and other squashes should work, unless your cavy doesn't like ithem. Heh heh.

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Lynx
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Post   » Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:41 pm


I had to look up the info (I didn't have any facts, just a suspicion it would not be a good food for guinea pigs).

Leafy greens. Grass. Grass-like foods. High quality hay. That is what you should be focusing on.

Pimpinpuji

Post   » Tue Oct 13, 2009 1:39 am


Yes, Suisan, "chikku"! How did you know? Fruits are amazingly diverse here. I seem to find less variety in the vegetable area, unfortunately.

They don't enjoy pumpkins at all!. With squashes, they seem to be alright with bottle gourd, but only eat the inner pulp, and ignore the outer peel completely. Most other squashes were a complete bust. They are obsessed with cucumber, however!

The leafy greens available here are basically cilantro, mint, fenugreek leaves, and spinach. The fenugreek gives them a funky smell, and the spinach gives diarrhea, so both are avoided.

There are a few other greens I have seen, but have absolutely no idea what they are called in Hindi or in English. The local language here is "Kannada", so the names of things are different.

I could perhaps take pictures of them and put them on here, in case anyone else knows what they are?

I'm starting some potted grass, soon! I found a place that sells a good variety of seeds, and will have a look over the weekend.

The piggy in my avatar is the one with the lower weight, and it worries me sometimes. He used to be the bigger of the two initially, but ended up growing at a much slower rate, and is about 120 grams less than the other.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Oct 13, 2009 9:40 am


Pictures might help.

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Regiane
Cavy Slave Since '08

Post   » Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:41 pm


Does anyone know if the leaf from sugar cane can be given? I didn't find information about it and someone I know is giving it to her pig! *sigh*

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