Opinions on my guinea pigs' food?

[percypiglet]

We buy all our food from Pets at home.


This is the hay:

Is it good hay?

And treats that we are thinking of getting:

Are these good ideas?

These are the nuggets that we used to feed:

The nuggets that we now feed:

Would you recomment the pets at home nuggets or the Burgess excel?


Thank you

Also, now that summer is here I was wondering if I could let my guinea pigs run outside on the grass in my garden (in a run of course). My only worry is that the grass might not be good for them. I live in the city - does that mean the grass could be polluted or anything like that? We also have daisies in the grass. Are they edible?

Thanks!

 

[jamarcham]

You'll find lots of reviews of what people think of various nugget/muesli brands in the stickies in this section. Burgess excel is frequently recommended, I guess it might be down to what your piggies like I'm giving it a go at the moment.

If you swap over be careful to do it over a couple of weeks gradually mixing in any new stuff.

I asked recently for recommendations of other places to buy nuggest and someone suggested

www.pet-supermarket.co.uk
and

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/

There are also online suppliers for hay although I guess the P@H stuff is fine. Mine get a mixture of tesco small pet hay and alfala king timothy hay. A lot of people recommend the timothy hay. One online supplier I've seen recommended a lot on here and which I am just in the process of trying out is:

www.hayforpets.co.uk.

I assume you also feed veggies? This is an excellent thread regarding what to give

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42

Personally I don't give treats like this but other people can advise if they are ok or not. Mine like hay stuffed in a toilet roll as a treat

 

[twiams]

Burgess nuggets are the best available in my opinion so if i were you i'd stick to using them (:

Your hay is kind of a preference thing, personally i find that pets at home's hay is VERY expensive for how much you get and you could find it much cheaper by going to your local equine supplier or just by simply looking in other pet shops (:

The treats however are very high fat and not recommended for piggies, everyone of those chocolate drops is equal to about a mc Donald's meal for us humans so alot of people just avoid them all together !
The best treats are things like burgess herb mixes for piggies and also chewing wooden sticks always go down well.
http://www.burgesspetcare.co.uk/products/excel-feeding-plan-step-3.html
Pets at home sell something called vegetable core chews which my piggies love too ! And also dont forget things like grapes although feed in moderation make good treats not just tea time veggies haha !

When it comes to your grass, it's fine to let them out in the run ! most people do but please keep in mind that if they're new to being on the grass it will be very rich on there stomach and if there indoor piggies make sure it's very warm not to shock them with temperature changes. For there first time, just take them out for no more than half an hour, 10-15 minuets would be fine and then bring them out and then slowly increase the time they spend outside so they adjust to the rich grass ! I'm not sure about the dasies but i tend to remove the heads of them, however piggies normally love dandelions !

 

[jamarcham]

Re the hay from P@H, there's a current thread about what people think of this

http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=90324

 

[percypiglet]

Thanks so much everybody
I think I might try hay from somewhere else after reading the comments in that thread and those websites are very useful, thanks.

It was a little chilly today so didn't put them outside at all, and will look at other more natural treats

thanks again

 

[gpmomma]

Aren't daisies poisonous? I'll go check.

 

[gpmomma]

It depends on the type of daisy.

 

[percypiglet]

I'll probaly remove all daisies from the area just in case. What type are poisonous though?

 

[Piggie Life]

The treats you are giving them are bad unfortuantly as they are high in sugar try feeding them natural treats like the Roselands range. Also you should buy hay from Hay for Pets as it is really good quality and cheaper. The nuggets are fine.

 

[gpmomma]

What kind of daisies do you think they are? There are tons of types of daisies so it would be easier if you told me the kind of daisy you have. Also, I think farm hay is better from what I've heard. I am getting a 20 oz package of farm hay in the mail to try it out.

 

[piggie-power]

Personally i think the only treats guinea pigs need and love is variety in their veg.

I also buy different types of meadow hay every time we run out, they love having variety instead of the same things and mine love hay as a source of food, something to play in and something to sleep on, i'd get very bored if it was the same hay all the time.

 

[gpmomma]

I buy dried hay twists as treats. Hay twists are also good for grinding down teeth.

 

[GiGiandCoco]

The only treats I give my guineas, are their "fruit rations." We know piggys have a sweet tooth, so I give a small serving 2-3 times a week. A serving for my piggys is like a one inch slice of banana, 2-3 small blueberries, a slice of apple (about 1/8 of the entire apple) seedless. Or 1/4 of a round slice of orange, one small strawberries sliced in half. My husband bought them a bag of seed bricks. Right after getting the girls, I was continuing to research the foods they should/should not eat, and found that they shouldn't have the seeds, even though the package was marketed for them. (kind of how the exercise balls are marketed for them, "d'oh") Needless to say, I still have 3 bricks, in the package.

 

[ortonc]

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/guinea-pig-food+hutches/wilko-alfalfa-ring-for-small-animals/invt/0303677/?htxt=CqRsbJu%2FutV8PO2VUe7M5tbw0eF0%2BgiZGsyhRiL%2FA7J%2FD5ckTwx4gGk9NGxRQ2HoBcTxJmxJa8Ar%0AIS49VztZhg%3D%3D

I got one of these for my piggies, and they loved it. It comes with a carabiner hook to hang it up and they like pulling at the ring while they eat it. It says alfalfa, but it is mainly meadow hay with a little bit of alfalfa on the ingredients. Piggy treats aren't always what we expect them to be - mine have rejected grapes, strawberries etc, but give them a new type of hay and they popcorn like crazy!

 

[GiGiandCoco]

Personally i think the only treats guinea pigs need and love is variety in their veg.

I also buy different types of meadow hay every time we run out, they love having variety instead of the same things and mine love hay as a source of food, something to play in and something to sleep on, i'd get very bored if it was the same hay all the time.

HAH! I love your picture. It made me smile, and say eww. But It's great

 

[percypiglet]

I'm not sure about the type of daisy, they look like these:

")

I bought some hay from Pets Corner today... I think it is slightly greener, as in 50% of the hay strands are green and 50% are dark yellow. Is the hay from hay for pets completely green? x)
thanks