Best Nuggets

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Flamestriker

Flamestriker

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Hi all

I have read the sticky threads regarding piggy nuggets, and I was wondering what ones are considered the best? I am aware that the perfect nugget has not emerged yet, but nutrition wise, what is the best? I know that grains and sugar are not good for piggies, and a reply in one of my previous threads was the P@H ones contain sugar.

And it got me concerned. I have a bag of Burgess black currant and oregano and someone said that they are high in sugar too.

Any ideas what brand I could change them over to? My two love the P@H nuggets at the moment.
 
In terms of absolute best nutrition, Bunny GuineapigDream BASIC is generally agreed to be the best, but it's expensive and some piggies aren't huge fans -- it might be best to see if you can get a sample off someone on the forum before you buy £20-worth. JR Farm Grainless Complete is not bad for the price at all but can set off bladder piggies. Rosewood Meadow Menu is new-ish, grainless, and small-sized (unlike all other grainless pellets I've seen; it's available on Amazon and P@H, which is a plus), but some people aren't too sure about the ingredients (yucca and daisy in particular). In terms of pellets which can be bought on the high street, Harrington's seem pretty good. On that same thread, quite a few folk said they fed Burgess with no issues.

For what it's worth, unless you have a bladder piggy, I'd just go with a pellet or two they like (mixing two brands is great, because it means there isn't an issue if they 'go off' one brand of pellet); just make sure they have very little or no alfalfa unless your pigs are younger than six months (also known as lucerne sometimes in the UK). It's much more important to feed them the right veggies in the proper amount (and unlimited hay, of course). There are plenty of people who feed no pellets at all!

EDIT: I've fed JR Grainless in the past, and am feeding Vitakraft Emotion right now (second-best after Bunny, but it's being discontinued hence why I didn't mention it). I'm slowly weaning them onto a mix of Harrington's and Meadow Menu as the Vitakraft runs out, and this seems to be well-received by my piggies.
 
Danielle I looked for the Vitakraft Emotion on Zooplus but could not find any. Your explanation explains it.

My girls are almost 2 months old and are on the P@H nuggets. I have the Burgess black currant and oregano waiting. Would it be OK to mix, or would another brand be better to mix with?

I have a box of Fibafirst Guinea Pig which I can add with the above two brands. Could I mix them together and start feeding right away, or is it more gradual than that?
 
It'd be absolutely fine to mix; start gradually though (90% P@H, 10% Burgess nuggets on the first day, 80% P@H/20% Burgess the day after that, until they are 50-50)! The P@H and/or Burgess pellets are fine to feed for just now; as they get older or you notice any problems (my pigs have very calcium-filled wees), you might want to change to lower calcium (which is hard in the UK) or grainless pellets. No need to do it pre-emptively, especially if your pigs are happy with the nuggets they are on (as they account for so little of their diet). Don't forget your ladies need 1/4 cup a day of pellets each since they are so young (and slightly higher-calcium pellets are fine at this age too)!

Same goes for the Fibafirst -- introduce it gradually so their little tummies don't get upset. This is true of any food change you'll do (so if you are thinking about switching to another pellet, make sure you get it and introduce it before the old food runs out, to ensure a smooth transition).
 
My three girls have always eaten the plain Guinea pig nuggets from pets at home and have always enjoyed them very much, usually finishing them within an hour of me giving it to them!
My advice may not be the best to follow though, as I've only ever used those ones!
Although it does seem to be true to its word and have given them beautiful shiny coats!
 
I don't like to stick to one brand in case the company discontinues it (I use 2 different hamster food brands mixed for my Syrians).

I think I will start to mix them, as I have a 5.5l lock and lock box ready for 2 2kg bags.

Thank you Eildh for your info. I am happy to feed them as long as they are not doing any bad things to my girls.

Danielle what does calcium filled piggy urine look like? Only so that I know what I'm looking for.

If grainless nuggets are better for piggies, why are companies not producing them?
 
So most piggy wees have some calcium, as it's the only way they can excrete excess; it looks white on fleece, and is chalky once dried. Too much calcium is indicated by "sludgy" wees, that feel sandy once dried. Guinea Lynx has useful information on this and other guinea-specific surprises.

Grainless pellets are larger, harder to make stick together into pellet form, more expensive to produce, and guinea pigs tend to not gobble them down as quickly as the more sugary and alfalfa-based pellets in pet shops and super markets. There has been a little more demand in recent years (hence the advent of Meadow Menu), but lots of people still feed their pigs a 'mix' (like Wagg Guinea Pig Crunch; actually quite a good food but which encourages selective eating and means pigs might not get all the nutrients they need) and simply don't know or care about pelleted complete foods.
 
Flamestriker said:
If grainless nuggets are better for piggies, why are companies not producing them?
Click to expand...

Good question !

I accept grainless pellets are best - BUT my Guinea Pigs won't eat them !

Mine have also turned down Science Selective. So , they're currently on Burgess with mint . I accept that these pellets are not ideal - but my Guinea pIgs don't eat an excessive amount of pellets so, I'm not too worried .
 
After my guinea savvy vet said that he would recommend feeding only hay and veg with no pellets I have stooped pellets altogether. His reasoning is that they are processed, often contain nasties like sugar, as mentioned, and importantly are not required for good nutrition. Apparently pellets are now considered unhealthy for rabbits (the vet said...I don't know anything about rabbits)
 
To be honest the 'best' pellets are usually a good quality one with no added things (like sugar and colours) which your guinea pigs will actually eat!
I started mine on Bunny (supposed to be excellent) but they just wouldn't eat them.
Switched to Vitakraft Professional, which they loved, but was then discontinued.
I now feed a mixture of Vitakraft Complete and Cavia Natura.

They eat both quite happily, and I like the idea of having at least one pellet they can eat if one is unavailable or discontinued.
 
Mine are all on Bunny and they love them
 
Eilidh my two are crunching away happily on the mix of pellets

Squeaks, I'm not sure about Bunny only because I have read that some don't like it and it is expensive if they won't eat it. What about the J R Farm stuffs on Zooplus? Anyone feed their piggies on that?

IV got a pack of Wilko's Nature's salad in front of me and I'm thinking of giving it to the hamsters as a treat rather than piggies as it contains oat and wheat flakes, plantain, wheat, burst wheat, maize flakes, Melissa amongst other things.

I was on Zooplus last night and some of their grainless treat sticks for piggies looked tempting but I'm still unsure.
 
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