Best Guinea-pig Pellets In The Uk?

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Stephs Piggiee Paradise

Stephs Piggiee Paradise

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At the moment my 4 Guinea-pigs are on Oxbow Cavy Cuisine (Adult) but I'm finding it really hard to find a place with it in stock at the moment with cheap prices,so was looking for the next best Pellets for them to have incase i cant get Oxbow for a while, they have had Pets At home, and Harringtons before as they dont have Alfalfa in(as they are over 6months old), is there others that aren't Alfalfa based?, its a shame that the UK doesnt make any Timothy Based pellets!

Thankyouu!:D:)
 
There aren't any timothy based based pellets. I have mine on Burgess, which is alfalfa based, but better quality than P@h or Harringtons. You want to lok out for the percentage of calcium and protein in piggy pellets.
 
Bloody hell! Those pellets are expensive! I used to use Tesco then Wagg but now I get my local saddlery/Farm own mix because it has more pellets in it, costs the same as the other two and smells and looks way fresher than them so much so that you consider nibbling on it yourself lol

However. they selectively eat them all, with the farm one eaten the most. Tesco/Wagg have lots of seeds and husks to bulk them up and that is what is always left in the bowl. I was considering getting a pellets only one but at those prices I could not afford it since I go through a 2kg bag every 2wks.
 
They dont need many pellets, you can feed much less of a high quality pellet some people feed no pellets at all :-) it can work out cost effective with a dearer food based on feeding them less.

I personally feed oxbow, my vets order it in for me and its cheaper than amazon too! It has made a difference to the calcium deposits on their fleeces.
 
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Bekki said:
They dont need many pellets, you can feed much less of a high quality pellet some people feed no pellets at all :-) it can work out cost effective with a dearer food based on feeding them less.

I personally feed oxbow, my vets order it in for me and its cheaper than amazon too! It has made a difference to the calcium deposits on their fleeces.
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I agree, mine have the Bunny and occasionally the Vitakraft and just have a small handful each a day if that. Each pellet breaks into 3 anyway. Dry food should always be limited.
 
The Burgess excel is 5.50 for 2 kilos .Asda are doing pellets now, 2 quid for 2 kilos and same protein as calcium as burgess and no molasses.Says no artificial addatives or colours.Gonna give them a go.
 
The Asda ones are slightly less calcium and protein than Burgess (16 and 0.8 as opposed to 17 and 0.9). The ingredients certainly look better than some, but am wondering if we need to ask exactly what minerals are in them as they just list "minerals".
 
PiggieOwner said:
Is that a teaspoon per pig?
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sometimes one between them, sometimes one each. after i have cleaned them out at night, i just scatter them around so they have to find them. if i put them in bowls, eddie scoffs the lot! :)) i don't think they need many pellets :)
 
biscandmatt said:
sometimes one between them, sometimes one each. after i have cleaned them out at night, i just scatter them around so they have to find them. if i put them in bowls, eddie scoffs the lot! :)) i don't think they need many pellets :)
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Oh dear - I think I must be overfeeding mine. I give them as much dry feed as they want. I'm a bit concerned about cutting back as , if I ration their dry food, I think Max will eat the lot!

They don't get any commercial treat foods - just fresh veggies, a bit of fruit, dry food and unlimited hay. Their treat is Timothy Hay - they love it.
 
I use burgess too. It's expensive but my piggies wouldn't touch anything else! They love the burgess nuggets and I trust that they are a higher quality. I buy the bigger bags when they're on offer and stock up!
 
PiggieOwner said:
Oh dear - I think I must be overfeeding mine. I give them as much dry feed as they want. I'm a bit concerned about cutting back as , if I ration their dry food, I think Max will eat the lot!

They don't get any commercial treat foods - just fresh veggies, a bit of fruit, dry food and unlimited hay. Their treat is Timothy Hay - they love it.
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I feed unlimited pellets too. If I cut back they lose weight and that worries me especially as Amelia Jane is only 829g.
 
piggyfan said:
I feed unlimited pellets too. If I cut back they lose weight and that worries me especially as Amelia Jane is only 829g.
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Mine are a healthy weight. I keep an eye on their weights. Max is a chubby boar but he isn't gaining so I'm happy to stay as I am.
 
I also give unlimited pellets. Always have done and it's never done them any harm.
 
I give mine top ups on their muesli mix whenever I see they have eaten it substantially..well, they do pick and depending on who it is, they tend to just leave the seeds but eat the rest.
Hay is unlimited and Readygrass about twice a day with fresh kale (and perhaps broccoli a few times a week) about 2-3x per day. Carrot and Apple about 2-3x per week. I often think perhaps I am not feeding them enough(!) as they wheek more than I feed them..but all they do is eat mostly so I think they are just trying to be greedy piggies lol They eat healthier than me!
 
@Bekki which oxbow pellets do you feed? I've been looking for another pellet which is lower in calcium.
 
PiggyOinkOink said:
I give mine top ups on their muesli mix whenever I see they have eaten it substantially..well, they do pick and depending on who it is, they tend to just leave the seeds but eat the rest.
Hay is unlimited and Readygrass about twice a day with fresh kale (and perhaps broccoli a few times a week) about 2-3x per day. Carrot and Apple about 2-3x per week. I often think perhaps I am not feeding them enough(!) as they wheek more than I feed them..but all they do is eat mostly so I think they are just trying to be greedy piggies lol They eat healthier than me!
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Hi. You are feeding an awful lot of calcium there. Readigrass should be fed in moderation and the same goes for kale as both are very high in calcium.
 
I feed mine..

Unlimited meadow and Timothy hay, they're hay rack is always full.

Burgess excel with mint, I get them in p@h 2 kilo bags 2 for £7. I give them a small handful in the morning and another one in the evening however this is basically unlimited as they don't eat it all.

Daily veggies.
 
I may be over feeding as well, my boys share a bowl and I always have dry food available for them, throughout the day as well as hay, then they have their fresh veggies and fruit in the morning
 
helen105281 said:
Hi. You are feeding an awful lot of calcium there. Readigrass should be fed in moderation and the same goes for kale as both are very high in calcium.
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Ah..Kale seems to be their favourite, more than broccoli and coriander (which they eat a little or not at all and then leave it) plus it's cheap.

They don't touch bell peppers, spinach or rocket.

Parsley they love but it's a bit pricey to buy all the time from the supermarket for the pathetic quantity they give..Maybe I will try the local greengrocers instead as they give big bunches cheaper. They also love Cavolo Negro but as it's cabbage I don't give it often as it's supposed to give bloating (plus I have to travel especially to Sainsbury's to get it). Savoy cabbage they eat in small quantities then they get bored but again it's cabbage.

How much Readygrass should I feed a week/day?

What do you suggest I try to replace the Kale with?
 
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I don't feed it at all but I think it should be no more than once or twice a week. Parsley is also very high in calcium. I feed spring greens daily but only a small amount, they also have coriander, cucumber, pepper, green beans and celery. I am very wary of high levels of calcium as I have had pigs with stones. The coriander they have in the morning and the greens at night.
 
When you mean spring greens what do you mean? I can't think of anything that I can replace Kale with except perhaps a non iceberg lettuce. Cucumber I have been told never to give because it has close to 0 nutrition and they can get diahorrea - my friend told me they knew of someone that fed cucumber to their piggies and they all had diahorrea and died. I don't even eat it myself!

Celery I had not thought of but again, I had imagined that contains lots of water but is quite fibrous so it may be good for their teeth.

When you say green beans, do u mean haricot vert? They are a bit pricey too but I guess they don't need to eat much since they are dense.

I know you can get 1kg of green beans from LIDL but I have read never to feed frozen food to piggies..but not sure whether you can if you defrost the veg first?
 
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