Kale belongs to the cabbage family and is eaten the world over.
There are two types of kale;
Of the two types of kale, curly kale is the most common.
Kale has a very strong and distinct flavour and has leaves that green with tints of blue or purple.
So can guinea pigs eat kale, and if they can how much can they eat?
Lets take a look at its nutritional data to get a better understanding of its content.
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 117 kJ (28 kcal)
Carbohydrates 5.63 g
– Sugars 1.25 g
– Dietary fiber 2 g
Fat 0.4 g
Protein 1.9 g
Water 91.2 g
Vitamin A equiv. 681 μg (85%)
– beta-carotene 8173 μg (76%)
– lutein and zeaxanthin 18246 μg
Thiamine (vit. B1) 0.053 mg (5%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2) 0.07 mg (6%)
Niacin (vit. B3) 0.5 mg (3%)
Vitamin B6 0.138 mg (11%)
Folate (vit. B9) 13 μg (3%)
Choline 0.4 mg (0%)
Vitamin C 41 mg (49%)
Vitamin E 0.85 mg (6%)
Vitamin K 817 μg (778%)
Calcium 72 mg (7%)
Iron 0.9 mg (7%)
Magnesium 18 mg (5%)
Manganese 0.416 mg (20%)
Phosphorus 28 mg (4%)
Potassium 228 mg (5%)
Sodium 23 mg (2%)
Zinc 0.24 mg (3%)
Oxelate 20mg
(source: Wikipedia)
What we are looking for with guinea pig food are those that are low in phosphorus, calcium, sugar, fat and oxelate. We are also looking for good amounts of vitamin and c, vitamin C in particular supplements the lack of vitamin c produced by a guinea pig’s body.
Kale has huge amount of vitamin c which is great news for piggies, but it does contain small amounts of oxelate, phosphorus, and calcium which makes it a food that should not be fed daily.
Once a week should suffice in small amounts.
Its worth feeding however, for the huge vitamin c supplement.
This is the same for both curly kale and smooth leaf kale.
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