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Nettle stings (guinea pigs)

Sam_Spice

Sam_Spice

Mama Doe
Hey, I'm wondering if guinea pigs can get nettle stings on their feet? I've just put our girls onto a patch where theres nettles (not yet gardened our new garden :lol:) and within seconds they starting jumping and running around stomping and licking their feet. I then got a sting myself and wondered if that was the cause?

Once I moved the girls onto a better patch with no nettles they were back to normal within about 30 seconds. On the same note are rabbits safe from them as they've got furry tootsies?

Thanks, Sam x
 
Sam_Spice said:
Hey, I'm wondering if guinea pigs can get nettle stings on their feet? I've just put our girls onto a patch where theres nettles (not yet gardened our new garden :lol:) and within seconds they starting jumping and running around stomping and licking their feet. I then got a sting myself and wondered if that was the cause?

Once I moved the girls onto a better patch with no nettles they were back to normal within about 30 seconds. On the same note are rabbits safe from them as they've got furry tootsies?

Thanks, Sam x
Click to expand...

Ouch! ;) Well the buns in the wild seem to live in fields full of nettles with no probs, so I guess buns with thickly padded feet (not Rexes for example) would probably not feel the sting, but it may be a good idea to pull up the nettles first. Don't piggies have bare soles? ....I think yes, they were getting stung feet!
Buns can get stung from nettles if they try to eat them though!! I know this because our little girl was being naughty and leaning on her tiptoes over the bunny fence that goes around our borders nibbling at my shrubs/plants to get my attention....she does this when she wants my attention as she knows she normally gets 'shooed' away - when she spied a nettle (her first one) growing as a weed in the bed. I decided to let her learn her own lesson....she nibbled it and then tried to spit it out and was brushing her mouth with her paws! :( But it was quite funny too and she never did it again :lol:

If you cut the nettles (young tips) and dry them in the sun or bake them in a low oven (50-100 degrees) you can add dried nettle to their hay - mine love it! I dry my own nettles and jerusalem artichoke leaves and bag them in brown paper bags for feeding :D (Roll the fresh nettles first with a rolling pin to break the stings before drying! But drying long enough should remove them anyway)
 
prettylupin said:
Ouch! ;) Well the buns in the wild seem to live in fields full of nettles with no probs, so I guess buns with thickly padded feet (not Rexes for example) would probably not feel the sting, but it may be a good idea to pull up the nettles first. Don't piggies have bare soles? ....I think yes, they were getting stung feet!
Buns can get stung from nettles if they try to eat them though!! I know this because our little girl was being naughty and leaning on her tiptoes over the bunny fence that goes around our borders nibbling at my shrubs/plants to get my attention....she does this when she wants my attention as she knows she normally gets 'shooed' away - when she spied a nettle (her first one) growing as a weed in the bed. I decided to let her learn her own lesson....she nibbled it and then tried to spit it out and was brushing her mouth with her paws! :( But it was quite funny too and she never did it again :lol:

If you cut the nettles (young tips) and dry them in the sun or bake them in a low oven (50-100 degrees) you can add dried nettle to their hay - mine love it! I dry my own nettles and jerusalem artichoke leaves and bag them in brown paper bags for feeding :D (Roll the fresh nettles first with a rolling pin to break the stings before drying! But drying long enough should remove them anyway)
Click to expand...

Oooh thats a fab idea for our nettles, how long do you normally need to bake them for?
 
Sam_Spice said:
Oooh thats a fab idea for our nettles, how long do you normally need to bake them for?
Click to expand...

Until cripsy dry all over - shake them and turn them during baking. At 50 degrees it can take a couple of hours atleast depending on how many in your baking tray!
If any moisture in them they will grow mould when bagged up, although brown paper bags breathe so those are ideal.
You can actually dry anything - rose petals, marigold flowers, plantain, dandelions! :D
 
My bun has very furry feet. He stung his front paws as a baby. Mind we've got ginormous stingers round here! :shock:
 
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