Muesli Or Nuggets - Or Neither? Or Both?

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I'm new to guinea pigs - am looking after a friend's for the year after the landlord changed his mind.

I've been getting mixed messages about their food. I give them plenty of hay and fresh fruit and veg. But the dried stuff? One friend says the muesli's really bad because of colouring, and to only use pellets, but another says it's fine. What's the deal?
 
Museli is junk food as it contains additives. Pellets are best. I feed mine burgess excell.
 
Nuggets or neither is the usual answer. Some muesli can be handy for pigs who cant tolerate calcium as some brands are very low but as a general rule the former applies :-)
 
Piggies eat selectively meaning that if you give them muesli they will only pick out the bits they like which obviously aren't going to be the healthy bits!
 
I've given them both before and they mostly just eat the muesli (except the dark green bits) and ignore the pellets. Maybe if I gradually reduce the muesli they'll start eating it?
 
I use both for my piggies. I used to get Gerty Muesli but changed to Wagg because it's not got the additives. I use Vet UKs own brand pellets which look exactly the same as Harrington's. I was also given some P@H own brand pellets & muesli when I got my 2 new girls last week. They seem to eat most of both, though as usual with muesli they do leave some. I've been trying to get them onto the 2 types my other piggies have & they're eating the Wagg but appear to be ignoring the Vet UK pellets. I just like to give them a choice.
 
They will eat the mix as it is sweeter. You are doing the right thing by gradually switching to pellets.
 
I like to give them choice, my dogs and cats all get a mix of wet and dry food (Dry is better, but wet is tastier) so in the same vain the guinea pigs get pellets and in a tiny bowl they get a handful of mix each day, they still eat all the pellets.

On a slightly different thread can guinea pigs taste sweetness?
 
I give my pigs both - muesli and pellets and they eat both without complaints
 
My boys get none as its best for my lot. I used to feed Burgess before that in oregano and blackcurrent. I choose not to give mine any as two have bladder problems and the pellets are a main cause of their trouble.
 
Pellets are more balanced nutrition and prevent them from picking out the bits they like (usually the sweet and tasty bits) and leaving the rest which means they don't get the full range of nutrients. Muesli is also proven to be linked to poor dental health in rabbits and is likely to then be proven to cause the same problems in piggies. This has led to a number of large national pet retailers withdrawing all muesli products so I would suggest that the evidence is that pellets are the way to go. I would highly recommend a change from muesli.

Any food change should be done gradually and a piggies diet should be 80% hay to maintain good digestive and dental health and then pellets and veggies. It is possible not to feed dry food at all if enough hay is constantly available and veg provided. This can be helpful for piggies with dental and bladder issues in particular.

There are a huge number of all-in-one pellet based foods available so trying few different ones to see which your pigs prefer would be worth it. Many manufacturers do sample size bags. Commonly used ones include Burgess excel in two flavours, Harringtons, Wagg pellets, Science Selective (which I use and have never had a pig that won't eat it..) and others including stores own brand. Any good pellet based food should have adequate vitamin C added and a high fibre content. Sugar and other sweeteners and additives are not necessary and can lead to health problems.
 
I would definitely recommend pellets over muesli :/
 
I feed Burgess Excel pellets but I do buy the muesli to sprinkle lightly over the hay pile to encourage foraging :) A bag lasts 5 piggies a long time though and they enjoy hunting down the little bits in their hay boxes.
 
Goth Mummy said:
I feed Burgess Excel pellets but I do buy the muesli to sprinkle lightly over the hay pile to encourage foraging :) A bag lasts 5 piggies a long time though and they enjoy hunting down the little bits in their hay boxes.
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I was totally against muesli but I hadn't thought of that - it's a really good idea! Just a little bit for foraging!
 
Goth Mummy said:
I feed Burgess Excel pellets but I do buy the muesli to sprinkle lightly over the hay pile to encourage foraging :) A bag lasts 5 piggies a long time though and they enjoy hunting down the little bits in their hay boxes.
Click to expand...

That's a really good idea! I might try that :D
 
I have just been to shop and got muesli and burgess excel nuggets (blackcurrant & oregano) - initial impressions are that they dislike them both!
 
I feed mine nuggets. I heard that muesli they can sometimes pick out some and leave the rest. I searched high and low for pellets and i ended up going for mr johnsons nuggets from wilkinsons as its the only thing i could find but they seem to love them.
 
I give mine nuggets and a good supply of vegetables (savoy cabbage and broccoli stalks being the faves of the minute!). I use P@H nuggets, as that's where I got my darlings from and that's what they were used too.
 
Dashiman said:
I like to give them choice, my dogs and cats all get a mix of wet and dry food (Dry is better, but wet is tastier) so in the same vain the guinea pigs get pellets and in a tiny bowl they get a handful of mix each day, they still eat all the pellets.

On a slightly different thread can guinea pigs taste sweetness?
Click to expand...

I have been told by vets that piggies have a sweet tooth, which is why most love carrots for example. To a piggy a carrot is very sweet & they do actually contain a fair bit of sugar which is why one mustn't give too much. Same with fruits.
 
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