As far as i’m aware Harringtons and Burgess are only available in the Uk unless you import them. I think Oxbow are the best as far as i’m aware but if your looking at a range of brands then be careful of sugars and calcium content.
Alot of dry foods contain excess sugar either added in the form of molasses (A thick sugary syrup) or as sugary ingredients such as sugar beet. These added sugars are there to help improve the products palatability, making them more desirable to pigs but very unhealthy.
These sugars are also the reason why muesli (mixed colourful feeds) are often frowned upon, as each different piece will not only differ nutritionally but will also have varying amounts of sugar, leaving some pieces tasting much more desirable to your guinea pigs than others. These ‘tastier’ or more sugary pieces will not hold the same nutritional content as other pieces and in some cases may not have any of the nutritional ingredients mentioned on the pack within them. Therefor your pig will eat the bits that taste nice leave the rest and only get half of what it needs from it’s food.
The more favored feed would be a ‘Mono component food’, this basically means a pellet or biscuit style feed that contains specific nutrients an animal requires in correct proportions in each piece. With each piece not only having the same ingredients but also containing the same amounts of sugar there is no room for your guinea pig to selectively feed (eating just the more palatable pieces) ensuring your guinea pig will receive the correct dietary needs from your chosen feed.
Dry foods for guinea pigs should not contain high levels of calcium. High levels of calcium will put your guinea pig at risk of urinary problems. Therefor the food you select should preferably have less than 1%.
