What is the best kind of guinea pig food?

Question

I know your all gonna say Oxbow or Kleenmama's but i can't use those. Other foods please!!!!!!

Answer 1

why can't you use those?

Answer 2

well i use sweet meadow

Answer 3

Judging by the price of Oxbow products you forgot to mention that they contain caviar.

50 GBP for a bale of hay ....now that's taking the p***.

Answer 4

The reason people recommend Oxbow and Kleenmama's are because these are the ONLY good quality guinea pig foods available!

All other piggie foods have at least a few things wrong with them. For example:

All "mixed foods" are out - they enable the animal to selectively feed, preventing it from getting a balanced diet. They are also a choking hazard, and usually full of artificial colours etc to make them appealing to the people buying them!

Food for an adult guinea pig should be timothy based - this should be the first ingrediant on the list. Most foods are not.

Many brands are made up primarily from "fillers". These are not appropriate foodstuffs for guinea pigs, provide little or no nutritional value, and some are just downright unhealthy.

Some of the cheaper foods do not contain appropriate vitamin C. A good quality food will be supplemented with a STABILSED form of vit C, so that it is not degraded before the use by date.

Finally, many foods contain the preservative ethoxyquin. This is banned from human consumption because it is known to be carcinogenic (meaning it causes cancer!).

Really, Oxbow and KM's aer the only foods you should consider. All others have the potential to cause malnutrition or other serious health problems.

I believe the third best option is one of the Mazuri diets (can't remember which one exactly). It is still a far cry from the top 2, but better than all other brands.

Check out http://www.guineapigcages.com or http://www.guinealynx.info/ for more info on feeding guinea pigs, selecting pellets etc.

Answer 5

If you cant feed a good pellet, buy another brand, but compare the ingredients of the oxbow and/or kleenmamas.

Timothy hay and other forages should be 90% of the diet anyways, then veggies. Pellets are the last thing on the list because they are processed and may contain added sugars and preservatives. If you feed a good variety of forages and veggies, a good pellet is best, but not necessary.

These sites can help you with forages and veggies that are best to feed and what to avoid: www.guinealynx.com and www.guineapigcages.com

Answer 6

I agree with Mom of 3 Boars.

Oxbow is the way to go..

You can get it shipped if you can't find a store near you..

You're asking for the best food.. and that's it. Avoid the grain & seed mixes.

Answer 7

Oxbow Cavy Cuisine.

https://www.oxbowhay.com/link.sp?page=pr...

You should only be feeding plain pellets that do not contain grain products like wheat or corn.

Why can't you use Oxbow, though?  You can use their store locater if purchasing online is the problem.  I get mine ordered by the vet, it lowers my cost after shipping, etc.

Otherwise, it's tough to say aside from sweet meadow...  There really isn't much out there in regular "stores" that's any good for them.

EDIT

Regarding Flute's Answer

Mazuri 5664 is the ONLY suitable Mazuri feed.  It's just kinda hard to find sometimes.

Regarding Your Additional Info:

Please refer to http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/diet... for everything you need to know about a piggy diet.  You should not need vitamin C supplement unless your cavy is ill.  They should get 1 cup of fresh veggies per day, the chart in that link will tell you which is best for vitamin C.  Fresh veggies and occasional fruits are the best way for them to get what they need.

Please try their store locater for Oxbow to see if there's a place near you that sells it.  Like I said, I buy mine from the vet 10 miles down the road.  I do buy KM's hay, though, as it's a great product for a great deal.  I wish your parents would let you at least order the hay that way!  Oh well!

If you still can't get Oxbow, then go for Mazuri 5664, then use the information about comparing ingredients with Oxbow and KM's to find the best you can get.

Nutriphase Gold is mixed with seeds and dried bits and fake veggie shapes, all of which are bad for pigs.  Not only are they a choking hazard, but they are high in fat.

The ingredients in it are atrocious:

Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Ground Corn, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Whole Oats, Ground Oats, Flaked Peas, Flaked Corn, Sun-cured Timothy Hay, Wheat Middling, Ground Wheat, Dehydrated Carrot, Dried Cane Molasses, Dicalcium Phosphate, Corn Oil, Salt, Corn Gluten Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Magnesium Oxide, DL-Methionine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Lysine, Vitamin A Supplement, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Carbonate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Ethoxyquin (a preservative), Zinc Oxide, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K activity), Copper Oxide, Cholecalciferol (Source of Vitamin D3), Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite, Artificial Color, Natural Flavor.

It contains a lot of preservatives, not to mention all the grains (corn, wheat, etc) and dried veggies which are not good for your pet.

This is the ingredients list for Oxbow:

Cavy Performance (generally for cavies under 6 months or a year)

Alfalfa Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Limestone, Salt, L-ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C), Cane Molasses, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement (tocopherol), Ascorbic Acid, Colloidal Silica, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Magnesium Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Manganese Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Mineral Oil, Calcium Iodate, Potassium Chloride

Cavy Cuisine (generally for cavies over 6 months)

Timothy Grass Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Cane Molasses, Salt, L-ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C), Limestone, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement (tocopherol), Ascorbic Acid, Colloidal Silica, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Magnesium Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Manganese Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate,  Mineral Oil, Calcium Idodate, Potassium Chloride