Poll: is changing from pellets to crunch a good cost saving idea?

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JoBo

JoBo

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Hi my guinea pigs are currently on Wagg optimum pellets, but due to the current financial climate i am trying to cut costs wherever i can. I am thinking of changing my pigs to Wagg crunch as the 15kg bag is substantially cheaper than the 10kg bag of pellets.

Obviously i would do a slow change over and mix the food but i just wanted your advice on whether this is an ok option.

My guinea pigs get fed their dry food in the morning and have a variety of vegetables in the evening. I have added a poll if you think this is a good cost saving option or not.

Any comments would also be appreciated

Thanks xx :{
 
Whoops sorry i am having major problems posting on the forum at the moment so the poll has not come up, just give me your general opinions and what you think of the idea, thank you
 
I think the dietry benefits of feeding pellets and the potential for selective feeding outweighs the money saving, but thats just my opinion.

When I got my 3 boys, they were fed on museli. They were eating a LOT of it. I changed them over to pellets and they were eating substantially less, but gained weight and improved in condition.

You could do a bit of an experiment - see how long 5kg of pellets lasts you, then compare it to how long 5kg of the museli lasts - I think the pellets will last longer!
 
I used to feed crunch but they did selective feed so changed to wagg optimum, i pay £15.74 for 10kg delivered from amazon which lasts me about 6 weeks but i have 8 piggies, I think overall the crunch will cost more
 
I used to get wagg and was told off the vets to start getting the pellets due to selective feeding, its a lot more expensive, price difference per bag is nearly 5 pounds dearer but id prefer to keep on the pellets cause been told its better for them.
 
I currently give my piggies Wagg Crunch and am planning on trying to switch over to the optimum.

We throw a lot of the muesli away everyday as they do pick their favourite bits out and leave a lot so you may find that more goes in the bin (which may not help financially!)
 
My girls have a bowlful of Wagg guinea pig crunch and a bowlful of nuggets between the four of them per day. They love the Wagg. I used to give them pets at home nuggets which they seem to have gone off. I have thrown so much of it away these last few weeks. I switched them on to Science selective with dandelion and nettle yesterday which they have been eating today along with their usual guinea pig crunch.
 
I am agreeing with Amanda on this - my 6 boys are all doing v well on Burgess Excel nuggets and I would not change to a museli now. 2 boys arrived on a museli and the vet advised that one had v slightly overgrown teeth and so focus on hay and a nugget dry food. They were definitely selective feeding and I was throwing away the regect bits - now I just feed a handful of pellets per day ( plus loads of hay/some veggies )and they are all gone, no waste, better teeth.
 
i have my piggies on the burgess meusli at the moment and a lot of it goes in the bin I'm trying to get them on the pellets as i dont think they are getting enough from the meusli they only seem to be eating the split peas at the moment :)
 
I have tried various pellets before with no luck. I haven't tried the wagg optimum and will be doing shortly but if you already have your pigs eating a pellet food, I'd count yourself pretty lucky. Sorry, if that doesn't help with money-situation though xx
 
Thanks for the replies. I think Wagg pellets are the cheapest pellets and i do buy it in bulk for around £14.00 a 10kg bag and usually get through 1 bag in about 2-3 weeks. Its a really good point about the crunch that the guinea pigs tend to only eat bits and a lot gets thrown away.
I have always recommended pellets in the past because of selective eating but i am just trying to find ways throughout the whole household and not just the pets of cutting costs.

Thank you for your opinions and please keep them coming xx
 
Thanks for the replies. I think Wagg pellets are the cheapest pellets and i do buy it in bulk for around £14.00 a 10kg bag and usually get through 1 bag in about 2-3 weeks. Its a really good point about the crunch that the guinea pigs tend to only eat bits and a lot gets thrown away.
I have always recommended pellets in the past because of selective eating but i am just trying to find ways throughout the whole household and not just the pets of cutting costs.

Thank you for your opinions and please keep them coming xx
 
The two girls I have just taken on from Rugby Rescue were fed on gerty guinea pig museli mix, so I have had a bowl of that in the cage as they came with a bag of it and with a bag of science selectives nuggets - my piggies are normally fed on a nugget - either burgess or wagg - when noodles was small she had trouble eating the bigger pellets and wagg were great for her small mouth - so luckily all mine will eat pellets - but they do really like the gerty guinea mix - I would just feed it as an occasional treat though because they do pick out the bits they like.
 
Can I suggest that you actually weight the amount of pellets that you are supposed to feed, then cut down a plastic cup or something similar to the size required for the pellets to just fit into, I did this to make it quicker in the morning to feed and I was astounded at how much I was over feeding them (also weighed 'a handful').
I was trying to get my 2 boys changed over too pellets but then I found out that 1 of my boys was pregnant so kept to a bit of both Wagg crunch and p@h nuggets and think I will contiue to do this because they obviously enjoy the wagg as its gone first(makes me feel good) but they also eat their nuggets(healthier for them).
 
I just started mine on Wagg Optimum pellets, they love them rolleyes Before then I fed them Wagg Guinea Crunch, if you do have to resort to feeding muesli type food as it goes, theirs is the best I think as it doesn't have any colourants in, whereas I believe Gery still do add them :(

I didn't think the pellets were much dearer, but they seem to eat them much quicker! They do always eat all the Crunch though, they never waste any so here it isn't an issue, plus the different pieces do make them eat slower.

What about if you mix it half & half? That's what I sometimes do, & I also add a little of the Wilkinsons Dandelion & Oat forage in with it & it lasts them much longer during the day.
 
I always thought you were wasting money since with selective feeding you throw away a lot of the food anyway. Guessing you want to make every penny go as far as it can I think it would be better to stay on nuggets or try searching for a cheaper type. Ration their food into a daily allowance. I mean I only have one guinea pig but having it in an air tight container and measuring it out in a cup or scoop made it last twice/three times as long to just pouring it in or whatever
 
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