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Guinea pig pellets

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pebbles and poppy

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I currently have two Guinea pigs . Sadly my other Guinea pig died last week, as she was put down due to suspected bladder stones.
On further research after her passing, I discovered the pellets I am currently feeding ( burgess excel nuggets mint ) contain a high calcium levels, which could have added to the cause of bladder stones.
I am now trying to find a better alternative pellet option.
What does everybody else feed their piggies and which pellets do you think are the best all round for Guinea pigs? I've heard all sorts of types: Grain free, cold pressed etc..
Any help in this decision would be much appreciated
Thanks
 
Welcome to the forum, sorry it’s under such sad circumstances. I think the first thing I’d suggest is finding a better vet, I can’t believe they’d suggest putting a pig to sleep due to “suspected” bladder stones :(

There are variety of pellets out there, you can have a look at the pellet chart thread on the food section. I personally like versele laga as the pigs adore it, we use a mix of that and other grain free and some cold pressed. They don’t get a lot though, maybe 1 egg cup twice/thrice a week.

Have you got any rescues near you to get your bereaved pig a friend?
 
Welcome to the forum and so sorry for your loss.
I give mine Science Selective grain free nuggets which I mix with some forage. This seems to suit mine well.

I agree with @Cavy Kung-Fu - I would also find a more piggy savvy vet.
There is a list of recommended vets at the top of the forum and if you add your location to your details other members may know good vets nearby.

Feel free to post a tribute to the piggy you lost on the Rainbow Bridge thread.
Please can we see pictures
 
So sorry for your loss :( I hope you find a better vet and in time a new friend for your remaining piggy

Mine have Harringtons nuggets - but only a small amount each day with their breakfast.
 
Welcome to the forum.
I am so sorry for your loss.
I feed my girls a small amount of Science Selective grain free nuggets everyday.
 
About my guinea pig Honey. We had already tried two weeks of Baytril and medicam, and she was still obviously in a lot of pain. She was peeing blood and the vet thought she could feel bladder stones. If we did an x ray and found out she had bladder stones, the surgery would be quite risky, especially as she was coming up to five years so we chose the hard decision to put her down. I still feel guilty but I know she was in pain and it was the best option to end her suffering
 
pebbles and poppy said:
I currently have two Guinea pigs . Sadly my other Guinea pig died last week, as she was put down due to suspected bladder stones.
On further research after her passing, I discovered the pellets I am currently feeding ( burgess excel nuggets mint ) contain a high calcium levels, which could have added to the cause of bladder stones.
I am now trying to find a better alternative pellet option.
What does everybody else feed their piggies and which pellets do you think are the best all round for Guinea pigs? I've heard all sorts of types: Grain free, cold pressed etc..
Any help in this decision would be much appreciated
Thanks
Click to expand...
Hi there... sorry for your loss. My little rainie suffers badly with bladder problems and when she has too much calcuim shes in so much pain
Rain no longer has any form of dry mix. My vet is Anne at goddards in ewell, surrey ( shes amazing) and she has confirmed this is best for rainie. I have also stripped down both my girls veggies to a low calcuim mix. They have plentiful grass, timothy hay and normal good grade hay.
Touch wood rainie has been cystisis and wee wee sqeak free for around two weeks now. Shes a much happier piggie. Hope u find the answer youtlr looking for. Best wishes
 
Welcome.
I see many experienced owners have already spoke here.
I just wanted to say that I feed my boy Finn and Lara small amount of Oxbow pellets as that was recommended by vets. I am in the US.
 
If you dont filter your water, i would start doing that, aswell as feeding 1 tablespoon of pellets, per pig per day. As said above, selective grain free or harrington would be the best bet.

Hard water and high calcium pellets or veg seem to be the culprit.I also had a pig suffer with stones years ago.
 
I give my piggies Harringtons pellets (a tablespoon pet day per piggy) and filter their water. I give a variety of veg everyday. Betsy had to have an X-ray a while back for an unrelated matter and she had no bladder sludge or stones so I must be feeding the right stuff.
 
Thank you
I have now started filtering the pigs water and I have watched a video on low calcium vegetables for guinea pigs. I will try some of your suggestions for pellets. Another question what hay do you use? My guinea pigs just have the Timothy hay from pets at home but I was wondering what you feed them. They don’t particularly like their hay and I was wondering if their were better options in the uk.
Thanks for all the amazing help
 
pebbles and poppy said:
Thank you
I have now started filtering the pigs water and I have watched a video on low calcium vegetables for guinea pigs. I will try some of your suggestions for pellets. Another question what hay do you use? My guinea pigs just have the Timothy hay from pets at home but I was wondering what you feed them. They don’t particularly like their hay and I was wondering if their were better options in the uk.
Thanks for all the amazing help
Click to expand...
Are you getting the greenest hay you can? Burgess is often not very fresh. Try shopping around a bit or try a local farm shop if you have one. Meadow hay is fine too.

Dont worry about high calcium veg too much, you can still feed it, just not everyday
 
pebbles and poppy said:
I currently have two Guinea pigs . Sadly my other Guinea pig died last week, as she was put down due to suspected bladder stones.
On further research after her passing, I discovered the pellets I am currently feeding ( burgess excel nuggets mint ) contain a high calcium levels, which could have added to the cause of bladder stones.
I am now trying to find a better alternative pellet option.
What does everybody else feed their piggies and which pellets do you think are the best all round for Guinea pigs? I've heard all sorts of types: Grain free, cold pressed etc..
Any help in this decision would be much appreciated
Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

I am ever so sorry for your loss! You are welcome to post a tribute in our Rainbow Bridge section if you wish to.
Here are some helpful links for what you can do for any companion and for yourself:
Looking After A Bereaved Guinea Pig
Human Bereavement - Grieving, coping tips and support links for guinea pig owners and their children

Please have a look at the links below:
The diet guide contains a balanced general diet and looks at all aspects of diet, including water and pellets (with a chart of available products and their ingredients/calcium content).
The urinary tract special diet tips are based on our general diet, just a somewhat stricter version of it; they apply for any guinea pig with bladder stones or sterile interstitial cystitis.
We won't say that our diet recommendations are the ultimate best diet, but we have at least long term experiences with it and have been able to significantly reduce the occurrance of bladder stones and prolong life expectancy in our long term members, unlike other diets we have tried over the years.
So we can at least say that it works in practice - and that is not the worst place to start out from I would think!
Water and pellets are often the greatest contributors to getting the calcium ratio wrong, but most people just seem to be totally unaware that you always need to look at the whole food intake and not just about 10-15% of it - which can have serious consquences in a mainly hard water country like the UK!
Please also factor any treats in if you are in the habit of giving any regularly. The more hay your piggies eat, the better.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Nugget Comparison Chart
All About Drinking And Bottles
 
I order Timothy hay direct - it comes in 9kg bags and usually arrives within 2 days of ordering.
It’s lovely.
I also buy meadow hay from our local pet shop when they have it.
My girls like that too.
 
pebbles and poppy said:
I have just ordered a bag of science select grain free, hopefully they like it. Apparently grain free is better for their digestive system
Click to expand...

Mine love that one. I tried many grain free pellets before finding a pellet that everyone will eat regularly. Hope yours love it, too.
 
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