Alpacas love to feed on fresh grass and hay as well and as an alpaca owner you might wonder what is safe to give your pet animals as treats from time to time.
Cucumber is a great option and alpacas love to eat them.
Alpacas love to have vegetables such as carrots, celery or broccoli as treats and cucumbers are also one of their favorites.
Cucumbers are a healthy and nutritious green vegetable which can help to keep alpacas hydrated when it is hot.
This article will discuss the health benefits of cucumber to alpacas, how often you should feed it to them, if baby alpacas can eat cucumber and a few other questions.
What Are The Health Benefits Of Cucumber To Alpacas?
- Water
Water is an essential nutrient needed by all living beings. Cucumbers consist mostly of water content.
Feeding cucumbers to alpacas especially on a hot day can help improve their water level and prevent dehydration.
You provide your alpacas with water yes but it is also good to feed them foods that have water in them.
- Vitamins
Vitamins are important nutrients that perform various important functions in our body system.
Cucumber is rich in vitamin content including vitamins A, B, C and K. These vitamins all play important roles.
Vitamin A for instance is responsible for improving your alpaca vision, immunity and reproductive systems as well as bone health and development.
- Manganese
Manganese is a macronutrient whose primary function is in enzyme systems and is involved in fatty acid and carbohydrate metabolism.
It is important for the digestion and absorption of these nutrients.
It is also essential for alpacas growth, bone development, and optimal performance and immune health of your alpacas.
- Magnesium
Although magnesium is not much talked about, it is one of the important minerals needed for effective body health.
Magnesium is known to work in tandem with other minerals especially calcium and phosphorus.
It helps in the development of cells, muscle and bone development and improved cellular metabolism in alpacas.
- Fiber
Cucumbers are an important source of fiber. Fiber is important in the body especially in the digestion of food and promotion of gut health.
Fiber ensures food is kept moving along and also ensures softer stools.
Both soluble and insoluble fibers are present in cucumbers and important for gut health.
Here is an article I wrote on foods and treats you can use to feed alpacas
How Often Should I Feed Them Cucumbers?
It is good to feed your alpacas with healthy treats to supplement their basic diet from time to time.
Cucumbers as healthy as they are, remain treats and should not replace your alpacas main source of food.
The alpacas will mainly feed on quality pasture and hay. Alpacas have very sensitive stomachs and most often it takes a while to adjust to new foods.
Cucumbers should be fed in moderation to alpacas and you can restrict feeding cucumbers ti about once or twice a week.
Cucumbers can be given with more frequency during summer months which will help the alpacas to fight dehydration.
Can Baby Alpacas Eat Cucumbers?
Baby alpacas can eat cucumbers once they are some weeks old and their digestive system is able to hold in other foods apart from breast milk.
Baby alpacas are called crias and when they are born they have to rely on their mothers’ milk to survive.
They have to breastfeed as soon as possible or they might die in a couple of days as they lose a lot of weight.
Within a few weeks the crias can progress to eating pasture and will take some time to get used to it.
Introduce cucumbers to the crias slowly and watch how they react to it.
Once they seem fine and there are no adverse reactions you can go on to feed them cucumbers from time to time.
Can Alpacas Eat Cucumber Leaves?
Cucumber leaves are safe for your alpacas to eat as they do not contain any poisonous compounds or toxins.
If you have cucumber plants around your farm then it is most likely that your alpacas will browse on it as they love to eat any plant variety.
You can also gather cucumber leaves if you do not have them on your farm for your alpacas to munch on from time to time.
Check the leaves to ensure they are not pest ridden and if possible wash them thoroughly and cut them into smaller pieces as cucumber leaves usually tend to be tough.
Alpacas love to browse on grasses and plants and will mostly eat anything green they see, however this does not mean that you should let them as some plants are toxic.
Always check your pasture to remove poisonous plants from around your alpacas.
Also check out this article I wrote on can alpacas eat eggs
Can Alpacas Eat Cucumber Vines?
Cucumbers have two different growth ways which are the bush and vines.
The cucumber vine varieties usually require a larger amount of space to grow and flourish but they produce more fruit when compared to the bush species.
Cucumber vine has varieties including liberty hybrid, saladin, sweet slice to mention a few.
Alpacas can eat the plants of cucumber vines if they are found around them. Always watch out though as not all cucumber vines are safe to eat.
The wild cucumber vine for example is very toxic and no part of the plant is safe to eat.
Can Alpacas Eat Cucumber Peels?
Cucumber peels or skin are very safe and healthy to eat for alpacas.
They contain antioxidants including beta-carotene and this helps the alpacas with immunity and eye care.
If you have cucumber peels on the ground, do not throw them away.
Feed them with the skin and even seeds as it has a lot of nutritional value for them.
Things To Watch Out For Before Feeding Them Cucumbers?
Cucumbers are quite the safe and nice treat for your alpacas and it is healthy for them.
Before you introduce them to cucumbers, give them a small portion to see how they react to it.
Chances are they would love it anyway but check to see that they do not have a negative reaction to it.
Cucumbers can be given with more frequency during hot summer months as it helps to keep them cool and reduces dehydration.
Too much cucumber can cause them to have watery stools, so the frequency of feeding them should be properly gauged.
How Can I Feed Cucumber To Alpacas?
Before feeding cucumbers to alpacas, ensure you wash them thoroughly especially if you are feeding them the skin.
The cucumbers might have been chemically grown and residue from pesticides or insecticides can adhere to it.
After washing, cut up the cucumber into bite size pieces so the alpacas can easily pick them up to eat.
You can also mix the cucumber with other favorite vegetables of the alpacas such as broccoli, celery and carrots.
This will give them a more healthy and delicious mix.
Conclusion
Cucumbers are a green nutritious plant which is healthy and is usually used by humans for various medicinal purposes.
Alpacas can eat cucumbers and due to its water content it can help to keep them cool during hot periods.
Apart from water, other nutritional benefits gotten from cucumbers include manganese, magnesium and vitamins.
Cucumbers however are treats and they should be fed to the alpacas in moderation.
