GYO pet food: guinea pigs, rabbits, tortoises etc

[Two_Sheds]

I'm starting to compile myself a list of safe foods for pets, because I'm always being asked "is this good, is that poisonous". This list is mainly for my own reference, but feel free to add to it I'll kick off with GPs

Guinea Pigs

alfalfa (best for young or pregnant GPs, high in calcium)
apple (in moderation, as a treat)
apricots
bananas
blueberries
broccoli stalks*
carrots
carrot tops
cauliflower stalks*
celeriac/celery
chard
chickweed
cleavers (sticky willy)
clover
cucumber
dandelion (they love! but it makes them wee)
grapes
kale
lawn grass (don't use weedkillers etc)
melon
oranges
parsley (high in calcium, could potentially lead to bladder stones if eaten in excess)
pear
radish tops (I sow these in autumn in the gh for the tops)
romaine lettuce
sow thistle (smooth)
spinach
strawberries
sweet/bell peppers
sweetcorn cobs (mine love the cobs but not the kernels)
timothy grass/hay (better than alfalfa for adult GPs)
tomatoes (mine love toms & make a funny face eating them)
turnip greens

*Avoid or limit cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables as they lead to gas (mine love cauli leaves, but only get them once a month)
Avoid iceberg lettuce, it's nutritionally useless & can lead to diarrhoea

If your pigs are used to eating only dry food, only gradually introduce fresh foods into their diet so they get used to it. Mine have been on fresh since they weaned, and I only use dry food & hay as a supplement (it's always available, but they have a mostly natural diet)

GPs must, like us, have adequate fresh vitamin C every day


They're fab little pets, much nicer than rabbits, who keep the lawn short & produce lots of lovely manure pellets. I bed them on shredded newspaper, which goes in the compost heap. http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/fruitandveg.html

[Two_Sheds]

GYO dog food

Dogs

Dogs are omnivores, and it's natural & healthy for them to eat vegetables.*

apples
asparagus
beans (kidney/shelly beans, cooked)
broccoli (can cause wind)
cabbage (cooked)
carrots - like a crunchy bone, most dogs love them
celery
lettuce (Romaine not iceberg)
parsnip
potato - a small one, cooked & mashed with other food
pumpkin
sprouts
squash
sweetcorn
sweet potato
turnip

That list isn't exhaustive: more good info here: Vegetables and Dogs

No grapes or raisins of course, they can be deadly to dogs, and no mushrooms, onions or garlic


Recipes:
Vegan Dogs (and homemade dog food!) | Happy Herbivore
Dog Biscuit Recipes Can be Rolled and Cut Out with Dog Cookie Cutters
Homemade Dog Treat Recipes!
Vegetarian Dog Food Recipes


* having said that, my own dog is carb-free. A Natural Prey diet is suiting her best: while she loves vegetables and kibble, they make her fart, a sign of indigestion

[Helgalush]

Ahem, I must dispute this claim that guineas are nicer than rabbits!!! How about a compromise and we just say they are both very cool animals in different ways

Rabbits

Safe foods:

Agrimony
Alfalfa (in small amounts as high in calcium)
Apple
Avens
Balm
Banana
Barley
Basil
Beetroot
Blackberry
Borage
Broccoli
Buckwheat
Burnet
Camomile
Caraway
Carrot
Celery
Celeriac
Chervil
Chicory
Chickweed
Chinese leaf
Cleavers
Clover, WHITE
Coltsfoot
Comfrey WILTED SLIGHTLY
Coriander
Corn marigold
Corn spurrey
Cow parsnip
Crosswort
Cucumber
Dandelion
Dead-Nettles
Dill
Dock BEFORE FLOWERING
Endive
Fat hen
Fennel
Goosefoot
Goosegrass
Goutweed BEFORE FLOWERING
Ground elder BEFORE FLOWERING
Hawkbit
Hawkweed
Heather
Hedge parsley
Horseradish
Jerusalem artichoke
Knapweed
Knotgrass
Kohlrabi
Lavender
Lovage
Mallow
Marjoram
Mayweed
Maywort
Meadowsweet
Melon
Milk thistle
Mugwort
Nipplewort
Oats
Orache
Oxeye daisy
Parsley
Parsnip
Pear
Peppermint
Pigweed
Plantain
Pumpkin
Radish GREENS
Raspberry
Sage
Savory
Sanfoin
Shepherd's purse
Silverweed
Sow thistle
Soya
Strawberry
Swiss Chard
Tare
Tomatoes
Trefoil
Vetch
Vine leaves
Watercress
Watermelon
Wheat
Yarrow

Safe in moderation:

Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Corn
Groundsel
Kale
Lettuce
Molasses
Mustard greens
Spinach
Tallow
Turnip

NOT SAFE:


Arum
Bigwort
Bindweed
Bluebell
Bryony
Buttercup
Celandine
Clover RED
Colchicum
Corncockle
Cowslip
Cuckoo pint
Dog's Mercury
Elder after flowering
Euphorbia
Evergreens
Fool's parsley
Foxglove
Ground ivy
Hemlock
Henbane
Kingcup
Meadow Saffron
Milkweed
Nightshade
Ragwort
Scarlet Pimpernel
Spurge
Toadflax
Tomato LEAVES
Traveller's joy
Beans
Peach leaves
Plum leaves
Potato SPROUTS (AFAIK all parts of the potato are NOT safe for rabbits, but in particular foliage and shoots)
Rhubarb
Wood sorrel

Safe tree and shrub leaves:

Should always be fresh young leaves:


Acacia
Apple
Beech
Birch
Blackberry
Cherry
Hazel
Horse Chestnut
Lime
Mountain Ash
Mulberry
Pear
Poplar (not black)
Raspberry
Strawberry

Safe twigs:


Apple
Birch
Blackberry
Fir
Hazel
Hawthorn
Maple
Pear
Raspberry
Spruce
Willow

Unsafe twigs:
Acacia
Apricot
Azalea
Beech
Box
Cherry
Clematis
Elder
Holly
Ivy
Laburnum
Mistletoe
Nux vomica
Oak
Oleander
Peach
Periwinkle
Plum
Privet
Rhododendron
Rosewood
Snowberry
Spindleberry
Thorn apple
Waxplant
Wisteria
Yew
All evergreens not mentioned in safe twig list

Safe flowers:

Aster
Carnation
Daisy
Geranium (not pelargonium type)
Geum
Helenium
Hollyhock
Honesty
Marguerite
English Marigold (Calendula)
Michaelmas daisy
Nasturtium
Rose
Stock
Sunflower
Wallflower

Unsafe flowers:


Acacia
Aconite
Antirrhinum
Anemone
Brugmansia
Columbine
Crocus
Daffodil
Dahlia
Delphinium
Feverfew
Gypsophila
Hellebore
Hyacinth
Iris
Larkspur
Lily of the Valley
Lobelia
Love-in-a-mist
Lupin
Narcissus
Poppy
Primrose
Snowdrop
Tulip
Any bulbs

REFERENCE: Safe Food for Rabbits

Please see also:

3 Bunnies Rabbit Rescue
RWAF: Safe Fruits and Vegetables
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resou...een_oct_06.pdf
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_dise...feeding_en.pdf

The last one is very useful and comprehensive.

The most important aspect of a rabbit's diet is hay which should make up 80-90% of a rabbit's diet and is essential for healthy gut function and tooth wear. Grass like hay should also feature in their diet if it is accessible.

Never feed flowers, weeds, twigs, or leaves unless you are sure they have not been sprayed with any chemical fertilisers or weedkillers. Also never feed anything unless you are 100% sure on its identification.

Edited to say: Rabbits can be litter trained which makes for easier cleaning. They should NOT be kept on sawdust or wood shavings as this can cause them respiratory and eye problems. A paper-based litter such as Megazorb or Carefresh is ideal for absorption. Rabbit poo of course makes an excellent addition to the compost bin, and Megazorb or Carefresh can also go in the compost bin.

Please don't buy rabbits as there are so many in rescues, tens of thousands and the rescues are overflowing and struggling with the numbers of rabbits being bred and neglected or abandoned. Rabbits in rescue have often already been neutered and vaccinated, and their personality and health status is known by the rescue, which you wouldnt have if you bought a baby rabbit.

[Jeanied]

Cats

Catmint - Nepeta Cataria - also known as catnip. Some cats are non-reactors.

That is all.
No other veg or fruit are deemed to be safe for your kitty - in fact many of them are toxic.
There is some discussion of cat grass on the internet - but there is no strong indicator it is needed/ desirable.

One of the cat forums did cite cats that ate cooked sweetcorn - and one of my own cats used to eat peas (petit pois, defrosted in hot water). Another forum cites cats that like olives as much as catnip - I may just do a bit of an experiment with Miss Maisie with this one

[Two_Sheds]

Iguana food

good previous here: http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ood_18303.html

[Two_Sheds]

Tortoise veggies

Beetroot Leaves
Broccoli (calabrese)
Cabbage
Carrot Tops
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Clover
Cucumber (occasionally)
Dandelion
English Marigold (calendula)
Grass
Heartsease (Wild Pansy)
Honeysuckle
Lettuce (occasionally)
Plantains
Sow Thistle
Spinach
Tomatoes (occasionally)
Turnip Leaves
Vetches
Watercress

source: The British Tortoise Society Diet page

[Two_Sheds]

Parrot veggies

I'm writing from experience of keeping African Grey, cockatiels, conure & budgies. Individual's diets may vary, do consult someone else if you're unsure

apples
broccoli
carrots (mine prefer them cooked)
celery (mine will only have them thinly sliced)
chard
chickweed
chilli peppers (my Grey loves them, my conure won't touch 'em)
cucumber
French beans (steamed)
kidney beans (cooked)
peas (in the pod are a favourite)
pears
pumpkin & squash (cooked)
spinach
sprouted seeds (properly washed)
sunflower heads (they like picking the seeds out)
sweetcorn (mine prefer the cobs to the kernels)
tomatoes (mine don't like them, but some do)


** avocado is totally toxic **

[Creemteez]

...And the prize for longest post EVER goes to.....

Ahh, how I miss my "Nibblers". RIP, Albert, Arthur, Bernard, Eric and Wayne. Not forgetting Parsley, Bud and the uber-cuddlesome Arbuthnot.
BTW - They didn't all turn up their toes at the same time and their demise was not due to incorrect feeding

[Kaiya]

Dogs - unsafe foods

Onion (or any members of the alium family)
Raisins and grapes
Dark and milk chocolate (especially dark) (not GYO )

[BarleySugar]

I would like to add that according tp Piggie Potions apples should be fed in moderation to guinea pigs as the acid can cause mouth or lip ulcers. My guineas love celeriac, nibbling out the rind, and eating the green shoots. They don't seem to have come to any harm so far. I'm sure I checked about it, but can't remember the reference.

[spanish_gardener]

Hope it helps:

Complete guide of poisonous plants:
ASPCA | Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants

Poisonous substances and food dangers:
Dogs Trust - Poisonous Substances and Food Dangers

Toxic Food Guide for Pets:
Toxic Food Guide for Pets