Laura M.
Junior Guinea Pig
Grass as a treat? My piggies have access to grass sometimes all day, sometimes in little bunches - is that too much
Nugget Comparison Chart
- Thread starter Flutterby
- Start date
D
DM190921
Thank you for this, it’s great. My girls are on burgess excel xSo after looking at the different foods available and finding that the information is spread all over the place I have started to compile a spreadsheet of the nuggets available here in the UK (and most in other countries). I am still gathering information but I have put the basics into a spreadsheet so that they can all be compared together.
If there is anything else you think I could add to the spread sheet, please let me know, or if you have any info about the blank spaces I'd be grateful too! Here it is so far.
Stewybus
Adult Guinea Pig
I don't know if this info is useful but here's Wagg Twitch Guinea Pig Nuggets details
No artificial colours or flavours
At Wagg we use colours from a mineral source found in nature and we don't add artificial flavours to any of our foods.
Protected vitamin c
With protected vitamin C which is essential for your guinea pig's health.
Improved digestion
With quality sources of fibre and yeast extracts to help promote a healthy digestion.
Strong immune system
Our combination of vitamins A, C & E with carefully selected trace elements, help support a healthy immune system.
Apple & grape
With tasty apple and grape.
Composition
Wheat fibre, sunflower meal, oat fibre, grass meal, whole oats, whole wheat, lucerne meal, carob bean meal, calcium carbonate, linseed (1%), vegetable oil, mineral, yeast.
Additives (Per Kg)
Nutritional Additives: Vitamin A 15,000 iu, Vitamin D3 1,500 iu, Vitamin E 90 mg, Vitamin C 200 mg, Zinc Chelate of Amino Acid Hydrate 133 mg, Manganous Oxide 48 mg, Zinc Oxide 41 mg, Iron Sulphate Monohydrate 33 mg, Copper Sulphate Pentahydrate 25 mg, Calcium Iodate Anhydrous 2.3mg, Antioxidants.
Analytical Constituents
Protein 16.0%
Crude Ash 7.5%
Fat Content 4.5%
Crude Fibre 16.0%
No artificial colours or flavours
At Wagg we use colours from a mineral source found in nature and we don't add artificial flavours to any of our foods.
Protected vitamin c
With protected vitamin C which is essential for your guinea pig's health.
Improved digestion
With quality sources of fibre and yeast extracts to help promote a healthy digestion.
Strong immune system
Our combination of vitamins A, C & E with carefully selected trace elements, help support a healthy immune system.
Apple & grape
With tasty apple and grape.
Composition
Wheat fibre, sunflower meal, oat fibre, grass meal, whole oats, whole wheat, lucerne meal, carob bean meal, calcium carbonate, linseed (1%), vegetable oil, mineral, yeast.
Additives (Per Kg)
Nutritional Additives: Vitamin A 15,000 iu, Vitamin D3 1,500 iu, Vitamin E 90 mg, Vitamin C 200 mg, Zinc Chelate of Amino Acid Hydrate 133 mg, Manganous Oxide 48 mg, Zinc Oxide 41 mg, Iron Sulphate Monohydrate 33 mg, Copper Sulphate Pentahydrate 25 mg, Calcium Iodate Anhydrous 2.3mg, Antioxidants.
Analytical Constituents
Protein 16.0%
Crude Ash 7.5%
Fat Content 4.5%
Crude Fibre 16.0%
I've been checking how much I need to weigh out of the selective nuggets and noticed the calcium percentage is at 0.6% which is decreased from the chart. Thought I'd update you!
Also, it says minimum 40g per day for a adult. I have 5 piggies in total and that works at 200g a day? I do not give this much food, I feed them twice daily and they don't get through all that I offer? Anyone else have a similar situation
Also, it says minimum 40g per day for a adult. I have 5 piggies in total and that works at 200g a day? I do not give this much food, I feed them twice daily and they don't get through all that I offer? Anyone else have a similar situation
40g is too much. One tablespoon per pig per day is the recommended amount (so if you’re giving pellets twice a day, then give then half a tablespoon each twice per day) . That can be around 6-10g per pig per day depending on what brand you use.
Wow, I'm quite shocked, no wonder obesity is high in small furries! Fancy having that information on the packaging! Thank you for your help!
They just want to sell their product. If you measure out one tablespoon using a proper tablespoon measure and then pop the pellets on the scales, you will be surprised at quite how little they need!
Peppa+Delilah
New Born Pup
If these are the best, which ones are best avoided?
Merv987
Junior Guinea Pig
Can i ask this too, is grain free better?
Grains are used as low cost fillers with no nutritional value or necessity in the diet. Piggies don’t naturally eat grains.
Tell me if this is a silly idea but maybe colour codes for which things in foods hit the ideal parameters for piggies, or better ingredients? Traffic light system maybe so red, orange and green? I'm trying to figure out the overall best food for my piggie, but it seems there's no completely perfect food I'll be able to obtain (whether financially or not local to me) so I'm trying to filter through everything to see what might be the best I can get for my piggie.
My thought is try a grain free one (though when I inherited him from my sister he's been on Twitch/Wagg) and I know I can get hold of the Science grain free one, but then I read that soya in that could be questionable, so I'm at an odds with what might be the best of a bad job, if that makes sense. Would it be better to consider just focusing on the extra bits like Vit C and Calcium etc or the main ingredient, (timothy hay over wheatfeed)?
My thought is try a grain free one (though when I inherited him from my sister he's been on Twitch/Wagg) and I know I can get hold of the Science grain free one, but then I read that soya in that could be questionable, so I'm at an odds with what might be the best of a bad job, if that makes sense. Would it be better to consider just focusing on the extra bits like Vit C and Calcium etc or the main ingredient, (timothy hay over wheatfeed)?
G&C
Junior Guinea Pig
I think just go for the nuggets that are non-musili type (prevents selective feeding) and also wagg and the like contain seeds etc that they could choke on and aren’t good for them. strictly limit them to 1 tablespoon per day. They are essentially junk food and the main part of their diet is hay and the veg (15% of the daily diet). Bear in mind that when you switch nuggets from what they are used to you should do it gradually so mix the last bits of an old bag with some of the new before transitioning them to the new stuff.
Siikibam
Forum Donator 2022/23
There is vitamin c in hay and grass. Coriander and bell pepper are also good sources of vitamin c.Oh yes Ive got it already to mix with his current stuff. I think I've just seen signs of his getting impaction so I'm definitely getting some Timothy hay based ones so he can get some more fibre in him. More Vit C too as the Twitch/Wagg pellets only have 250mg in
Yes we've started on those every day from the food thread. Took a while for him to take to the pepper though as I think before now he's only been fed carrots and cabbage. I think I need to encourage him to eat more hay too. Considering his previous lots of veg and a bowlful+ of pellets. My sister would consider hay as an 'emergency food'.
It doesn't look like it to me, but I haven't really thought to examine it that thoroughly. It just seems like coarse dry grass
hannahs26
Junior Guinea Pig
I've just purchased grain free nuggets and wondering if they're in the original spreadsheet or not, as can't see them? Wondering if they're a healthy type or not. I've one girl who's occasionally had signs of calcium inbalance, so have to consider that, and my oldest recently had bloat so need to consider her (hence the move to grain free from Harrington's). They are "Selective Naturals Grain Free Guinea Pig food made with Timothy hay" Says that they're made by Supreme Petfoods Ltd. Are they recommended?
Yes, they are on the chart.
they are used by many who need a lower calcium diet. Do be careful though, as even they contain more calcium than the highest calcium veg
hannahs26
Junior Guinea Pig
That doesn't sound so good :-/ I can't find them mentioned on the spreadsheet - only Science Selective. Or are these "selective naturals" a new name for science selective?
They are on the version of the chart at post number 126. The science selective on the first version of the chart are not the grain free ones. Ss make two different sorts - normal ones based on alfalfa and the selective naturals grain free version (two slightly different coloured packets).
No pellets are calcium free, this is why all pellets need to be kept very limited. The ss grain free are amongst the lowest calcium pellets available. It’s the ca:ph ratio which also needs to be looked at
hannahs26
Junior Guinea Pig
That's a big help, thank you. Our girls are strictly given no more than a tbls of pellets a day, as a treat, alongside unlimited Timothy hay and water, and a small amount of cucumber, lettuce, pepper and a few herbs/greens from the garden or some grass time when possible. I'm trying hard to avoid further bladder problems or bloat, so felt a switch to grain free was a wise step forwards.
Pig & Pymble
New Born Pup
This is really helpful to consider! I've just found this as have got a pig with sludge at the moment (which he is passing) and so looking at pellets carefully. We've recently just switched to Oxbow, but he's not too interested in them so I'm looking at the science selective grain-free. I'm not sure the most important thing in terms of calcium - not sure if it's an easy answer either! Is it the percentage of calcium being low, or the calcium to phosphorus ratio, or the ingredients? If science selective grain-free is 0.6% calcium, a Ca
ratio of 1.2:1, but has calcium carbonate, not sure if that makes it worse for sludge. It's a real minefield!
This is really helpful to consider! I've just found this as have got a pig with sludge at the moment (which he is passing) and so looking at pellets carefully. We've recently just switched to Oxbow, but he's not too interested in them so I'm looking at the science selective grain-free. I'm not sure the most important thing in terms of calcium - not sure if it's an easy answer either! Is it the percentage of calcium being low, or the calcium to phosphorus ratio, or the ingredients? If science selective grain-free is 0.6% calcium, a Ca
Yes it is a minefield and there isn’t an easy answer given each situation is different. Calcium absorption is complicated. It’s not just about pellets, but also drinking water and veg. You are looking at the ca;ph ratio as well.
As owners all we can do is keep pellets limited to one tablespoon per pig per day, ensure drinking water is filtered and that high calcium veg is fed sparingly and only once a week. A diet too low in calcium can also cause a imbalance which won’t help either.
Dont forget pellets are the least important part of the diet