Growing Microgreens and Sprouts for your Pets
Just as important as hay and pellets are to rabbits, hamsters, chipmunks, and guinea pigs, adding a moderate amount of vegetation to their diet is an excellent way to promote their health.
When you feed your pets a healthy amount of these vegetables, you will improve their overall health and provide the required nutrients.
And yes, microgreens are a good idea for these pets and can play a significant role in their growth. As a pet owner, add a small portion of microgreens to their diet.
Rabbits and guinea pigs are herbivores. Hamsters and chipmunks are omnivores. This means that a moderate intake of microgreens can suit them both. Research has shown that microgreens are 40 times more vital than mature vegetables. Your pets will get a high level of nutrients when you feed them microgreens.
Microgreens contain high amounts of minerals and vitamins, especially Vitamin C.
They are safe and nutritious, providing your pets with the right amount of nutrients to enhance their growth.
Some pet owners avoid feeding their rabbits, hamsters, chipmunks, and guinea pigs microgreens because they believe that they are too bitter or spicy. The recommended microgreens for pets should not spicy or bitter, rather mild and sweet.
Find our Pet Microgreen & Sprout Kits
Stocked at Pets World & Aquatics Victoria Road, Pietermaritzburg
Microgreens For Cats
Cats should also receive similar cancer-fighting and cognitive benefits from antioxidants and minerals found in leafy vegetables.
Mixing microgreens with your cat food is more beneficial than regular greens since they have a higher concentration of nutrients and antioxidants. Therefore, you can give more beneficial greens to your cat without upsetting its stomach. The recommended microgreens for cats are barley grass, “cat grass”, carrots, peas, and broccoli.
You can chop up or blend your microgreens and then mix it with regular pet food. Microgreens should only make up 5% of a cat’s diet. If you make your own home made cat food, feed them raw whole foods such as chicken or mackerel, and sprinkle chopped up microgreens on top. Grains such as rice should be avoided to add bulk because they are known to be correlated with type-2 feline diabetes. Additionally, meta live grasses are beneficial for cat enrichment.
Microgreens For Dogs
Microgreens give your pet dog added nutrition and health benefits.
(1) Scottish Terriers found that the consumption of leafy vegetables three times per week significantly reduces the risk of bladder cancer.
(2), diets rich in vegetable derived antioxidants have been shown to improve cognitive function in aging dogs.
(3) Varieties such as carrot, pumpkin, turnip, and mustard are the best microgreens for your dog. These vegetables have high levels of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate, plus a variety of minerals such as magnesium, calcium and iron. To add these microgreens to their diet, you can chop them up or blend them before mixing them in with their regular pet food.
The recommended guideline for mixing microgreens with their food is that microgreens should represent approximately 10% of their diet. If you are making homemade dog food from scratch. Use freely in your favourite homemade dog food recipes.
We do not recommend amaranth and quinoa. Kale and broccoli should be avoided with pets that have thyroid problems.
Microgreens For Rabbits
Rabbits love to eat greens and there’s nothing that they love more than fresh timothy hay. Hay contains almost all of the nutrients that rabbits need to grow and thrive. Hay should consist 80 to 90% of a rabbit’s diet. Like all plants grown outdoors, hay is seasonal. The most nutritious hay is harvested during peak growing season, we harvest just for your bunny. In addition to the hay that you feed your rabbits, it’s recommended that you feed leafy greens on a daily basis. You can share microgreens such as swiss chard, broccoli or turnip greens.
Microgreens For Guinea Pigs
Very similar to rabbits, a guinea pig’s diet consists of 80-90% timothy hay, followed by leafy greens and pellets. Required to keep their back teeth trimmed, they must chew for the majority of their day. By introducing microgreens and micro grass into their daily diet, you are supporting their health and making sure their teeth are well cared for. The best microgreens and grass to feed your piggies are wheat grass, red leaf, cilantro, and parsley.
Microgreens For Hamsters
Like many rodents, hamsters eat a lot of grains and seeds. There’s nothing like watching a hamster gnawing at a sunflower seed. The way they nibble and turn the seeds around their tiny hands are therapeutic. Your hammies can enjoy swiss chard and bok-choy microgreens.
Ten microgreens for raising healthy rabbits, hamsters, chipmunks, and guinea pigs
The Benefits of Feeding Sprouts to birds
The avian body requires hundreds of different nutrients daily. Malnutrition is the leading cause of illness, disease and premature death in captive parrots. This statistic is tragic, especially since malnutrition can be prevented and reversed.
Sprouts provide a wealth of nutrients that are easily assimilated and utilized by the body. As the body receives the type and quality of nutrition it craves, regeneration and healing can begin at the cellular level. This. results in improved health, increased longevity, a more congenial temperament, and beautiful plumage
Introduce your flock to the superior nutrition of sprouts and watch your birds transform as they receive the benefits only this outstanding super food can provide. What positive changes have people seen after feeding their birds nutrient rich sprouts? Many have reported observing: significant improvements in feather condition and colour, fewer illnesses, and birds with health issues have experiences strong recoveries, reversal of obesity problems, and reduction in feather destruction behaviours.
Sprouting seeds for your parrot can offer a valuable new source of nutrition as well as enrichment. Many types of seeds can be sprouted easily at home.
Feeding your Bearded Dragon
Bearded dragons require a great number of crickets and leafy greens to stay alive and happy. They especially love to eat mustard greens and bok-choy. You can also feed your dragon sprouts as they are nutrient dense. Commonly eaten are radish, broccoli, alfalfa, and black oil sunflower
Feeding your Tortoise
When it comes to Tortoises such as cute Rocky here, grasses, such as our Sweet Wheatgrass, Clover, Kale, Cabbage and salad mixes are good to consume occasionally. Microgreen varieties to avoid feeding your tortoise include Broccoli & Wasabi-Mustard microgreens. The total diet should consist of about 20 percent greens/veggies.
Extracted from various sources :
1. www.metamicrogreens.com
2. www.hamama.com
3. www.microgreensworld.com