Hay & Pellet food advice

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Monkeynutz

Monkeynutz

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As some may be aware, I have recently lost my little Daisy and we were terribly worried about Maisy being on her own. We have now found a little chum for Maisy, (still thinking of names), and I really want to make sure I give her the best start in life.

So, I have checked a few threads for feeding certain types of hay, pellets etc, but I have a few questions and really hope that you could point me in the right direction, bearing in mind that she is 16 weeks old, and Maisy (I guess) is about 4/5 years old.

I had a lot of info on my Maisy and Daisy Introduction thread and someone mentioned Alfalfa Hay as it is sweet and green.

Is it high in calcium and what age is safe to feed from please?

I looked at another one, the Oxbow Orchard Grass. Would this be suitable for both?

Also, Oxbow Alfalfa Hay (but in the 'nibbles')? Says suitable for young guineas, but I'm not sure though.

Cavy Cuisine OR Cavy Performance? I think the Performance is for young and nursing guinea pigs.

Also, I have nearly switched Maisy from the Wagg crunch to that of the PAH forage and PAH nuggets. She didn't like the Burgess kidney shaped pellets. Can 2 or more pellets be mixed?

Maisy is a bigger piggy and I weighed her Sunday and she is roughly 1400g! I couldn't weigh little one as she's like a whippet and didn't keep still. (Are 4 month old's like this...?).

I really want to give little one the best start she can have. I put a few piles of the Burgess Excel Timothy hay (with Dandylion and Marigold) out this afternoon, with the meadow hay from Country wide stores, and she was munching and munching on it, picking it out from the other hay.

Please advise me the best you can. I know pellets are trial and error, but if they can have a good quality hay, I will be happy.

Thank you again. :)
 
Alfalfa hay is best left for pregnant and nursing sows (to help with the formation of the babies bones), as it is too high in calcium for regular feeding and can lead to bladder stones.

Guinea pig urine is naturally very alcaline, which is the reason for urinary tract infections and bladder stones being such a common problem.
 
Thank you Wiebke. :)

So do you think that orchard grass/timothy hay or similar would be suitable for the young one and Maisy? Same with pellets too, which kind is recommended to try?

I thought I could have a rough guideline and then go from there, at least then by having suggestions and recommendations, I know it will be safe to feed both young and adult. :)

Sorry to be vague, but this is all very new to me and I never knew there was so many different types of grass!
 
Orchard grass hay and timothy hay can be fed all the time. It is lovely and green.

Me and my piggies all love it xx>>>.
 
If you got some oxbox cavy performance maybe you could feed it to the baby during cuddle time? But then even the smallest bag is quite big and you may not be able to finish it within the expiration date...

I think it would be more bad for Maisy to eat the baby food than for the baby not to have free access to it.
 
Orchard and timothy hay are both fine!

A piggie that has been weaned doesn't need any different food from an adult, apart from a regular supply of good quality pellets, of which there is quite a choice. Adult guinea pigs should only get about 1 handful of pellets per day. You start reducing between 6-9 months, once your youngster has got most of his size and growth is slowing down.

Any decent quality hay and pellet mix will do.
 
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