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Low calcium dry food.

Pinki

Pinki

Junior Guinea Pig
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Can anyone recommend a low calcium dry food? (Our vet has put one of our guineas on a low calcium diet to help with her bladder issue)
We use Supreme Grain Free but I noticed all the Supreme feeds are the same 0.6% calcium content- which does not seem a lot to me but maybe it is?
Are there any with zero calcium?
Thanks.
 
Have you looked at the nugget comparison chart?
Nugget Comparison Chart
Maybe look into the haybox or marriages ones? They are both grain free Timothy based but are cold pressed so might be better! I’m thinking of switching my boys into one of them!
You could also go nugget free!
 
No, there are no 0 calcium pellets. Piggies do still need calcium but it’s about balance. A diet too low in calcium can cause as many problems as one too high. SS grain free is one of the best given it is grain free.
I personally use HayBox own as they are just made of grasses, grain free and cold pressed

Ensure you keep pellets strictly limited to no more than one tablespoon per pig per day and also filter drinking water. Pellets and water contain most calcium so not over feeding pellets and filtering water is the best thing to do.
 
Thanks.
Yes we do filter water. Never heard the 'one tablespoon per day per pig" idea before. Will research!
Do you mean Science Selective Grain Free when you say SS Grain free?
 
rp1993 said:
Have you looked at the nugget comparison chart?
Nugget Comparison Chart
Maybe look into the haybox or marriages ones? They are both grain free Timothy based but are cold pressed so might be better! I’m thinking of switching my boys into one of them!
You could also go nugget free!
Click to expand...
I did not know of the Nugget comparison Chart, thanks
 
Pinki said:
Can anyone recommend a low calcium dry food? (Our vet has put one of our guineas on a low calcium diet to help with her bladder issue)
We use Supreme Grain Free but I noticed all the Supreme feeds are the same 0.6% calcium content- which does not seem a lot to me but maybe it is?
Are there any with zero calcium?
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Hi!

Even any no added calcium pellets still contain more calcium weight per weight than the veg highest in calcium. We strongly recommend to limit any pellets to 1 tablespoon per piggy per day and to either filter the water (the greatest source of calcium in the guinea pig diet) or to use low calcium bottled water.
Please keep in mind that vegetables and pellets replace the supplementary role of wild forage but that unlimited hay and fresh grass are what guinea pig have evolved on as their main source of food. Please also be aware that a diet too low in calcium can cause long term problems. More than anything, it is about balance.

Also keep in mind that any dietary changes will take several weeks to work their way through the body.

Could you please tell us what problem your piggy is exactly dealing with?

Please take the time to read the relevant chapter about special diets in our diet guide for more detailed practical advice: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
Pinki said:
Thanks.
Yes we do filter water. Never heard the 'one tablespoon per day per pig" idea before. Will research!
Do you mean Science Selective Grain Free when you say SS Grain free?
Click to expand...

Do read the diet guide linked in above as it explains the proportions for feeding

Pellets are the least important part of the diet and should always be kept limited and should never be overfed. One tablespoon per pig per day is the recommended amount to give them as they, along with tap water, contribute most calcium into the diet

Yes Supreme is the company that makes science selective grain free.
The normal version is 0.8% calcium and is based from alfalfa which isn’t ideal and contains wheat and other grain based fillers.
The grain free version is 0.6% but is obviously grain free so doesn’t contain the grains fillers and is instead based from timothy hay which is much better and recommended .
 
Thanks both.
This guinea has just had a full ultrasound examination having gone in with problems initially cystitis and then what appeared to be constipation but a general uncomfortableness in going to the toilet.
After a (very) thorough examination the vet has found some evidence of the beginning of bladder stones - sludge at this point and very small crystals and an inflammation of the fat around the kidneys and bladder. She is now on Metacam and much relieved and back to normal but the vet wants to change her diet. We have been feeding broccoli everyday which is now off the menu, and the vet has provided guidance for a low calcium diet. However no mention of the dry food was mentioned, which was why I asked.
I have never (20 years!) heard of this limiting of dry food to this small amount per day. Very interesting. The Haybox pellets are made of nothing but grass?

(results of blood test not in yet so kidneys still to be assessed)
 
I hope she is ok.

The haybox pellets calcium is still 0.6% but they are made of grasses and other plants. There are other ingredients but they are right at the very bottom of the list and they don’t seem to have the cheaper fillers which more commercials brands tend to have. They are cold pressed which if I remember rightly, helps it maintain more nutrients. For me, they are my preferred choice.
The ingredients are listed on their website

Their recommended feeding amounts still differ from our recommended amounts - haybox say 25g per 1kg Of body weight. This is what most of the commercial brands say to feed but it is not recommended, and this is something I have checked with my own vet who also agrees to not go by the packaging recommendations.

The recommended one tablespoon per pig per day in haybox pellets actually weighs 7g and amounts to around 10 individual pellets. So if I was to feed the haybox recommended amount to my biggest boy who weighs typically 1500-1550g, then he would be eating a huge amount of pellets which I know would dramatically reduce his hay intake. I tend to only give pellets a few times a week (particularly in summer) and instead opt for forages instead of pellets.

All we can do as owners is choose the pellet we feel most comfortable with and keep it limited in their diet. As Wiebke has said, it’s about balance.
 
Thanks, that is really useful information and I will run with it. As Wiebke says, in their natural environment they would not be eating anything but forage.
I will talk to my Vet about this also.
 
If just like to add that guinea pigs don’t get constipated. If poo output is less then they’re eating less hay. Remember it is 1-2 days behind. All the best and I hope your girl starts feeling better soon.
 
And just to add that when I first learned about the pellets I reduced mine, but not overnight, as some of my pigs are feisty and I didn't want to trigger a squabble! Currently we are down to about 12g per pig per day but I still feed from a bowl because they gather round it - I even tried 3 different bowls but they just go for the one so I'm going with their behaviour. I also tried sprinkling them about but they kept looking for the bowl! Mine only seriously eat pellets in the evening before settling down for the night (there is definitely a 'tea-time') and about half the pellets go then but the rest vanish over the next 24 hours until there are just a couple left. That's how we do it - and we put the water bottles on each side of the pellet bowl so they can drink easily as eating the pellets does trigger drinking.
 
Free Ranger said:
And just to add that when I first learned about the pellets I reduced mine, but not overnight, as some of my pigs are feisty and I didn't want to trigger a squabble! Currently we are down to about 12g per pig per day but I still feed from a bowl because they gather round it - I even tried 3 different bowls but they just go for the one so I'm going with their behaviour. I also tried sprinkling them about but they kept looking for the bowl! Mine only seriously eat pellets in the evening before settling down for the night (there is definitely a 'tea-time') and about half the pellets go then but the rest vanish over the next 24 hours until there are just a couple left. That's how we do it - and we put the water bottles on each side of the pellet bowl so they can drink easily as eating the pellets does trigger drinking.
Click to expand...
Really useful, thanks for that.
It is going to be hard as our current guineas love their Science Selective Grain Free so I'm going to have to do this gradually.

Very helpful comments all round, thanks to all.
 
The 'one tablespoon of pellets per piggy per day' follows current RSPCA recommendations and practice after some thorough research of theirs.

Pellets are the one part of the diet that can actually be dropped and - if wished - replaced by dry forage. Processed pellet/mix food contains a lot of empty fillers/calories that distract the piggy disproportionally from eating as much crucial hay and fresh grass (the latter of which is actually high in vitamin C and the reason why guinea pigs don't need to make their own). Pellet food for animals was essentially used to cover the food shortages after the last World War and was used a cheap replacement for the real thing. Please be aware that the recommendations on the packages of pellet food are much too high - of course producers want you to buy it.
Hay is much less high in vitamin C so continuing to feed a small amount of pellets will add one more source in addition to veg and herbs high in it (which are unfortunately generally also high in calcium). With less pellets, you have a bit more freedom to feed small amounts of veg and herbs high in trace elements and calcium; veg and herbs contain a wider range of trace elements (including magnesium) than pellets. That is where our remark about the balance comes in. ;)
Please be aware that recovery formulas and most probiotics are also enriched with vitamin C so a piggy off their food will still get enough.

Please introduce any new foods (including grass) always gradually, starting with small amounts as part of a mix in order to allow the gut microbiome to adjust.

A mainly hay/grass based diet with only 1 tablespoon of pellets and only a small bowl/ca. 50g of preferably green and leafy veg can make a real difference in terms of a life span and take a healthy piggy from the lower end of it to the upper or beyond. I have seen an overall increase of longevity in my own piggies after I made the diet change, and so have other long term forum members.

I hope that this helps you?
 
It certainly does help!
It's a big change from where the perceived wisdom was when we started to have guineas, twenty years ago, that's for sure. Back then the zeitgeist seemed to be that the dry food was very important.
But that was then.

The dry food is quite good exercise for the teeth, it being dry and hard, any implications for teeth on a no or reduced dry food diet?
 
Pinki said:
It certainly does help!
It's a big change from where the perceived wisdom was when we started to have guineas, twenty years ago, that's for sure. Back then the zeitgeist seemed to be that the dry food was very important.
But that was then.

The dry food is quite good exercise for the teeth, it being dry and hard, any implications for teeth on a no or reduced dry food diet?
Click to expand...

No implications, in fact it is the opposite.
Dry food doesn’t wear the teeth (once wet pellets just go mushy). It’s the abrasive action and silica of hay and fresh grass which grinds the teeth.
Too much dry food can lead to reduced hay intake which can have detrimental dental implications
 
Just picking this up again (after a positive report from the vet on the blood test- all good), when you are saying a "mainly hay and grass diet", do you mean grass as in green grass? I know this sounds like a dumb question but that is not going to be easy as we don't have regular access to fresh green grass.
Thanks.
 
Yes fresh grass. It’s okay if you can’t get it though.
 
OK thanks.
I can get it down my allotment, but we don't have a garden and I imagine parks are a no-no because of spraying.
 
Pinki said:
Just picking this up again (after a positive report from the vet on the blood test- all good), when you are saying a "mainly hay and grass diet", do you mean grass as in green grass? I know this sounds like a dumb question but that is not going to be easy as we don't have regular access to fresh green grass.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

They can have fresh grass - it is their natural food so eating it isnt a problem or them.
However, because most people cannot provide enough fresh grass, this is why we give an abundance of hay to piggies as their main food source.

Adding fresh grass into the diet needs to be done carefully - giving piggies whose tummies are not used to it too much can cause digestive upsets.
 
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