Celery, Parcel and Celeriac
Celery stalk, leaf and root are all relished by rabbits and guinea pigs. All are diuretic and should therefore not be fed to excess. It is naturally rich in potassium which helps compensate for potassium lost due to its diuretic effect.
Celery has a good Ca:P ratio with 40mg calcium and only 24mg phosphorous per 100gm. It is not high in vitamin C though providing only 3.1mg per 100gm.
Celeriac or celery root provides more vitamin C at 11mg per 100gm but has a poor Ca:P ratio at 42mg calcium and 74mg phosphorous per 100gm.
Parcel is a culinary herb version of celery which closely resembles flat leaf parsley in appearance but has a celery aroma and taste.
The leaves are trimmed off of celery stalk heads bought in supermarkets and stores so growing your own provides a good source of these leaves both as a feed for rabbits and guinea pigs and as a culinary herb.
There is also a leaf variety of celery cultivated especially for that purpose. Although there is no available data on the nutritional value of leaf celery or celery leaves, you can expect that they would be high in calcium and with a good to high Ca:P ratio.
The leaves can be air dried in the summer to add variety to winter ‘hay’.
