New Babies - Alfalfa Question

Status
Not open for further replies.
PAMELAKT

PAMELAKT

Adult Guinea Pig
Joined
Nov 23, 2010
Messages
2,470
Reaction score
1,033
Points
790
Location
Portsmouth UK
I'm getting myself confused reading old threads on here about alfalfa/grass hay for baby pigs.

My little guys are 8 weeks old - can someone post a picture of what I should buy them & advise how much to give them? I'm quite nervous or giving too much extra calcium having had a boy with bladder stones previous... but don't want them to miss out on anything they should be having.

Thanks!
 
PAMELAKT said:
I'm getting myself confused reading old threads on here about alfalfa/grass hay for baby pigs.

My little guys are 8 weeks old - can someone post a picture of what I should buy them & advise how much to give them? I'm quite nervous or giving too much extra calcium having had a boy with bladder stones previous... but don't want them to miss out on anything they should be having.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hi! I would stay off old threads; diet recommendations have changed a lot as new insights and information come on.
Alfalfa is only needed in very SMALL quantities for pregnant and nursing sows, and is there mainly to protect their own bodily reserves against the extra demands of the young pups.

To be honest, just give them a normal good diet without any extras, including alfalfa; most of the minute extra needs are actually covered by feeding a wider range of nutrients! That is what I have done with my own adopted or home-born babies that have grown up in a bonded group of mine, and they have not suffered one bit and have all grown into good sized healthy sows. The oldest of them is still going strong at 5 1/2 years old.

The biggest contributor of calcium to a diet (and the one most people are unaware of) is actually unfiltered water, especially here in the UK where most of the water is on the hard side. Bottled water is generally also high in calcium and - if not - very much on the expensive side.

Any diet is a trade-off. Going too low on calcium with healthy piggies can cause its own problems long term. Magnesium (which is not added to pellets) is for instance only found in veg higher in calcium, which are also generally a good source of vitamin C. A certain smaller amount of veg and herbs that are higher in calcium and other minerals are needed for a long term balanced diet.

You may find our sample diet a good start for a balanced long term diet; it is based on long term experience. You will find that most of our long term members feed a similar diet with their individual variations, but that we all have much less of a problem with bladder stones since we do it.

Opt for good quality pellets that are low in grain and and do not contain any added calcium. We are currently working a new UK pellet guide as there is a new generation and much wider range out these days.
@Flutterby can give you the relevant information.

You will find our detailed diet helpful to get started: Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet
 
JR Farm Grainless is a good pellet that is low in calcium and grainless, but pigs tend to be very picky over these nuggets. The same applies to Bunny GuineaPig Basic. Both are fab quality foods but can be refused by pigs and have a hefty price tag too!

Beaphor Nature and Rosewood Meadow Menu are also good foods to start with as they are low in grain and not too high in calcium, are more palatable and affordable.
 
Thank you for the advice! I won't bother buying any alfalfa then - thought of it made me nervous anyway.

So burgess pelletts are no good these days?
 
PAMELAKT said:
Thank you for the advice! I won't bother buying any alfalfa then - thought of it made me nervous anyway.

So burgess pelletts are no good these days?
Click to expand...

You have to do a weigh-up between price, availability and quality, but things have moved on.
If you want fairly cheap pellets that are widely available try Harrison's/Asda (used to be sold as Wagg). They have lowered the calcium content considerably in their reformulated pellets, which are bigger now than they used to be, but still smaller than Burgess.
 
Wiebke said:
You have to do a weigh-up between price, availability and quality, but things have moved on.
If you want fairly cheap pellets that are widely available try Harrison's/Asda (used to be sold as Wagg). They have lowered the calcium content considerably in their reformulated pellets, which are bigger now than they used to be, but still smaller than Burgess.
Click to expand...
Are they considered better than burgess excel?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top