dried beans??

[sid'smommy]

I bought this bag of "15 bean" dried beans, peas, etc... Its like those great northern bean that are dry, and you use to make ham and bean soup. Anyway, there is 15 different things in there, all beans and veggies... My squid squid LOVES these to crunch on... Are they ok to feed on a regular basis ?

15 of these varieties: Northern, Pinto, Large Lima, Blackeye, Garbanzo, Baby Lima, Green Split, Kidney, Cranberry, Small White, Pink, Small Red, Yellow Split, Lentil, Navy, White Kidney, Black Bean.

[sid'smommy]

here it is...

[sid'smommy]

label :

[SammysMom]

For some reason, I think they are a no. I am sure the experts will be along soon.

[farrelli]

Yeah, I've always been curious about that too. I keep forgetting to ask. Beans are generally pretty nutritious and yet I never see people even giving them as treats. I don't remember them being singled out in the calcium/phosphorous docs, so I've always wondered.

[sid'smommy]

I gave her about 8 pc's tonight... mostly split peas. But when she got that giant lima bean, she was SO happy. She sat on my shoulder munching, then stretched over to lick my mouth (kisses) ... then munched some more, then kisses... it was kinda funny. They appreciate us so much :)

[farrelli]

She ate them dry? Those things are hard as stones!

[sid'smommy]

yeah... she likes crunchy stuff. Is that not good? She even tries to eat pea gravel. (that she digs out of my houseplants!:soapbox )

[Scooterzmom]

Beans should be given once they have soaked, that's what I've been told... :dono because if eaten dry they will swell in the stomach and may cause bloating/gas.

[Charley Chuckles]

Personally to be on the safe side I just would never give beans to my CC or LG ...so many safe foods, why take a chance :dono

[farrelli]

I think that might be a myth, along the lines of pigeons dying because they ate rice at a wedding, it expanded, and their stomachs blew up. Beans take a long time to absorb water and expand, even with heat. They'd probably have to eat a lot and let it sit for a long time for expansion to be an issue.

Gas, at least in humans, comes from the body not being able to break down a certain large molecule sugar, oligosaccharide. When it hits your intestine, the bacteria there do have the proper enzyme to break it down, and this process produces gas. I don't know if squirrels also lack this enzyme. However, if htey chew thoroughly (I don't know), the molecule tends to get broken down more before it hits the intestines, and therefore tends to produce less gas.

On another note, I would wonder if this is bad for their teeth. I know the fronts grow constantly, but what about the grinding molars? I would think this to cause excessive wear, which could be a problem in a long lived domestic squirrel.

[Charley Chuckles]

Point would be ////if you have to question it, just don't feed it to your squirrel....this has always been my stand on food ...so much out there, I don't see wilds eating dried beans :D
Ya know what I want to find out , think I have seen this somewhere///star fruit ...got a fridge full of it...I can't stand it ///but can my kids eat it :dono

[farrelli]

What is the deal with star fruit anyway? I tried it about a year ago expecting some great taste sensation due to the hype and the price, and I was like, "Meh, I wouldn't eat that if it was free." It didn't taste bad, but it didn't taste good either. Maybe it's just a matter of taste.

[sid'smommy]

hA hA Ha ...I live in Indiana, dont know what a star fruit is :dono .

I try new foods with her all the time because she is SOOOOO picky. She wont eat soft stuff at all. Besides being restaurant/bar owners, we also have a farm where we grow seed corn and soybeans. The squirrels are always raiding the bins...and that stuff is HARD and dry. (shhh..dont tell my hubby, but I climbed the bin this past fall, and tied a long rope to the top, along the sides...so that the wilds dont get trapped in there :) ) They also eat the cherry pits that fall off the cherry tree, apple cores,pears, pinecones, barn siding, Lacey's (the horse) sweet feed...

[farrelli]

I'm sure you've seen it in the market, or at least TV and magazines. It may taste like nothing, but it is visually interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carambola

[sid'smommy]

yeah, I might of seen it and thought it was a deformed apple or something...lol...

[Charley Chuckles]

Tied a rope to the bin for the squirrels :rotfl :rotfl :rotfl :rotfl sure it isn't rats :poke but I love rats too ...they give the extra flavor to the malt in beer when they get in the bins :eek: :rofl4 :rofl4
hA hA Ha ...I live in Indiana, dont know what a star fruit is :dono .

I try new foods with her all the time because she is SOOOOO picky. She wont eat soft stuff at all. Besides being restaurant/bar owners, we also have a farm where we grow seed corn and soybeans. The squirrels are always raiding the bins...and that stuff is HARD and dry. (shhh..dont tell my hubby, but I climbed the bin this past fall, and tied a long rope to the top, along the sides...so that the wilds dont get trapped in there :) ) They also eat the cherry pits that fall off the cherry tree, apple cores,pears, pinecones, barn siding, Lacey's (the horse) sweet feed...

[Charley Chuckles]

OK then I thought the star fruit I got was old/moldy or whatever, kinda bitter but not a wonderful flavor I was expecting....still wonder if the kids can have it ...not sure they would want it, but acorns are bitter as all get out and they love them, then again that is a normal squirrel food mjs too much coffee this morning so I will stop here :tilt :Drink

[island rehabber]

I'm with the crowd that says star fruit is highly overrated -- and overpriced, too! Somebody figured out that cutting it a certain way would make a pretty sliced thing, and then marketed it....:meh

[Charley Chuckles]

I got it at my farmers market so I didn't pay a lot, but good thing because I was really thinking it would be yummy NOT in fact I wasn't even sure how to eat it, what part to eat :thinking it didn't come with instructions :dono
So can my kids have it :dono

[sid'smommy]

We dont grow the kind of corn we eat, so I dont see the harm in my rodent friends having a bite or two :) The barn cats dont seem to mind all the fat mice hangin around, either. :D
Soybeans sell as soon as they are harvested, the squirrels just gather up what the combine drops in the fields... so, you can rest easy knowing that your McDonalds hamburger is rodent poop-free. (well, at least it is on OUR end) LOL

[Charley Chuckles]

So McDonald's use soy in the meat :thinking I always wondered...well I grew up on those things :D

[Little Red]

I'm with the crowd that says star fruit is highly overrated -- and overpriced, too! Somebody figured out that cutting it a certain way would make a pretty sliced thing, and then marketed it....:meh

Hi, star fruit grows commonly on my island and is eaten fresh. When it is perfectly ripe, it is sweet and tangy. But if you don't get it just right , it can be pretty nasty and sour.

There is a word of warning... don't eat it if you have kidney problems. There have been reports that it contains a toxin that is easily eliminated by healthy kidneys. I read a report somewhere that a person on dialysis died after eating it. I have eaten it (i grew up eating it), but I wouldn't give it to my squirrel!

[SammysMom]

No star fruit for Sammy! Gotta care for those kidneys!
Hi, star fruit grows commonly on my island and is eaten fresh. When it is perfectly ripe, it is sweet and tangy. But if you don't get it just right , it can be pretty nasty and sour.

There is a word of warning... don't eat it if you have kidney problems. There have been reports that it contains a toxin that is easily eliminated by healthy kidneys. I read a report somewhere that a person on dialysis died after eating it. I have eaten it (i grew up eating it), but I wouldn't give it to my squirrel!

[Charley Chuckles]

Wow thank you I will not give it to Charley, he already gets urine issues/me too so it gets thrown out :thumbsup
Hi, star fruit grows commonly on my island and is eaten fresh. When it is perfectly ripe, it is sweet and tangy. But if you don't get it just right , it can be pretty nasty and sour.

There is a word of warning... don't eat it if you have kidney problems. There have been reports that it contains a toxin that is easily eliminated by healthy kidneys. I read a report somewhere that a person on dialysis died after eating it. I have eaten it (i grew up eating it), but I wouldn't give it to my squirrel!

[LauraClrk]

But my vet has told me to avoid packed food beans except for green beans. So can I give this my pet.