Top Pellet Choices for Picky Piggies
Does anyone have pellet recommendations, we are desperate. Since KMS seems to never restock, we've had to choose elsewhere. My girls barely eat the Oxbow essentials even after 2-3 weeks. We've tried Oxbow garden select and sherwood Timothy pellets and they wouldn't even touch them. They love KMS and has low calcium which is extra important for one piggy who has more calcium in her urine.
Any recommendations at this point would be helpful, my girls are too picky.
Any recommendations at this point would be helpful, my girls are too picky.
- ItsaZoo
- Supporter in 2023
I'm in the same situation with Gidget. I was mixing Oxbow young pig pellets with adult pellets, and have been adding more adult so the mixture is now about 90% adult. So I'm finding a pile of pellets on the floor, with a few left in the cup. Obviously she's selecting the young pellets.
Today I tried mixing in finely-shredded carrot. I swear she pushed the pellets on the floor and licked the carrot off. The pellets are clean as a whistle.
Today I tried mixing in finely-shredded carrot. I swear she pushed the pellets on the floor and licked the carrot off. The pellets are clean as a whistle.
You can look for a farm or ranch supply store and get compressed hay pellets. You have to check the ingredients carefully, but most of the ones I've been to both in Nevada and Missouri have compressed hay pellets, which have nothing but hay in them. They're for horses, so they're bigger, but you can break them up a little bit so they're easier to eat. The ones I've seen are about the size of pellet stove or bedding pellets. Again, look at the ingredients carefully because a lot of them are mixed with alfalfa and other grains and grasses that aren't great to give guinea pigs.
We've switched to Sherwood (not the free choice, the regular), and our senior has made a full transition from small poops with tips, to regular sized, frequency and smell. Also their fur is incredibly soft, and their overall well being just seems better. I can't say enough good things about the product. We've also been giving Reese (our senior) supplements from the line that have made him overall more active, and happy I guess. I mean he just seems more "spunky". He can even do a senior version of a popcorn, lol. Anyways, we absolutely will NOT support Oxbow. Their hay even states on the bag "we grade, de-dust, and hand-sort our hay", so why is every bag wildly different in quality? Some are halfways decent, and some are literally dust. And I don't mean dust caused by shipping and settling, that's impossible because its so compacted in the bag, its hand selected dust I guess. Regardless, a company blatantly stating they are hand sorting crap for you makes us question what's in the products that can't be seen such as pellets, and supplements, and treats. Also not a big fan of the Oxbow fillers and molasses. We've discussed this transition with many other piggy parents with similar results. Good luck, cheers!
- Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
You just joined today and tracked down an old topic to post a recommendation to use a product many of us do not recommend. I'm adding this comment here and a link to one of Sef's posts.
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... 8#p2301968
Bpatters is also skeptical of these alfalfa pellets.
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... 2#p2282412
We still do not recommend Sherwood pellets. There is a lack of clinical data on the product.
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... 8#p2301968
Bpatters is also skeptical of these alfalfa pellets.
https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewt ... 2#p2282412
We still do not recommend Sherwood pellets. There is a lack of clinical data on the product.
- ItsaZoo
- Supporter in 2023
My vet clinic sells Oxbow products, and they are very rodent-savvy, so I trust that Oxbow sells good products. However, last year was a terrible year for growing hay.
I’ve started feeding the Garden Select along with the regular adult pellets and about 5% of young pellets mixed in. I’m just trying to slowly use them up by feeding a very small amount. But Gidget has always been picky about pellets, vitamin C, and the veggie treats. She doesn’t really like Critical Care either, so I have to come up with creative ways to get her to eat her vitamin C.
I’ve started feeding the Garden Select along with the regular adult pellets and about 5% of young pellets mixed in. I’m just trying to slowly use them up by feeding a very small amount. But Gidget has always been picky about pellets, vitamin C, and the veggie treats. She doesn’t really like Critical Care either, so I have to come up with creative ways to get her to eat her vitamin C.