New Zealand Oxbow Club??

[KiwiCavyAdorer]

call me the eternal optimist but I really think this could happen...

What about getting together and bringing Oxbow over so we can feed it too?

Would you be keen to join in to form a group, who will pool resources, so that we can bring over Oxbow pellets from Australia??

I'm definitely in. If I bring over 'a' small shipment I would have a minimum of 12 kg's worth of pellets. It's too much for a single guinea pig!! plus I'm concerned it would go stale before he could munch his way through it all.

Well ! if you are like me and wanting the simple peace of mind that Oxbow offers nutritionally and you are willing to club together - send me a private message and lets start a list. The more people we are, doing this, the less the freight costs will be divided amongst us.

so it'll be up to us to get it sorted for the piggies.... because


I have contacted two vets who already stock critical care, and neither are at all interested to provide proper normal nutrition.... No-one seems to care or think it's important at all !! Why wait until they've gotten sick before you can give them something of quality! Seems a bit miserable to me!! (venting) phew! glad that's out and gone... let me know if you are in to get the pellets stocked in New Zealand and this dilemma sorted out... thanks!!

[Fluffball]

Hi Kiwi!!

I think its a great idea - however I have inquired back in 2006 (before oxbow was in Australia) about importing the products.

I am not sure about NZ importation laws but in Australia I cannot buy any pellets, critical care or oxbow hay from overseas. Even though the products are sold here in Australia and pose no environmental threat - I need to pay for an import licence.

The import licence was going to cost around $950 all up, and its non refundable. I needed to complete a form with a total list of how oxbow products were made, ingredients etc.

I think you should perhaps try to contact oxbow direct in the USA and see about getting an import licence to get the products in NZ and have a Oxbow NZ branch.

As the oxbow products are already here in Australia - we already have an official supplier and no one else is able to stock them or import them without obtaining the manufacturing info from oxbow direct in the US, applying for the licence and getting approved.

On a side note I had around 1kg of critical care seized at Australia customs... as it contained "soy" which posed a danger to Australia.... - Even though a batch was approved before and got in fine from the UK. They only let it through because they thought it was a human vitamin supplement and not for animal use. (if it was dangerous the usage would have no bearing on the argument).

Long story short they wanted me to complete an import licence and pay $$ to get the product through...

Let me know how you go and if Oxbow would be willing to set up a NZ branch.

[bpatters]

Just to let you two know, there are a bunch of "down unders" on Guinea Lynx, mostly from Australia, so you might get some support from those folks for importing Oxbow.

[Aertyn]

Most of us buy it from the Oxbow Australia distributor direct, if not from that various pet stores that she sells it too.

I'd contact customs in NZ (though I know us island countries tend to really 'thingy' about importing organic materials) and then contact the Oxbow Australia distributor (who is pretty nice tbh) and see where to go from there.

[KiwiCavyAdorer]

Thanks Fluffball, Duffinvt, and Aertyn!!!

that's great news all round!! We have an import licence already for a company we set up - so that is a start at least.

I will let you know how I get on. Moving house this week. I am glad to hear that the Australia distributor is pretty nice - I like dealing with nice people - makes life so much more pleasant!

thanks for the good feedback and direction

[faye_arv]

I contacted Oxbow yesterday because I have the same problem here in Greece. We don't have ANY Oxbow products here, I'm waiting for an answer. I had contacted them years ago when I had hamsters so I could order online but they were negative on the subject. Hope you and I have better luck now.

[KiwiCavyAdorer]

It's nice to be back on line again!!

Faye, Let's hope that times have changed since your last attempt and that we are indeed successful in what we are wanting to get organised for our piggies!! After-all we are helping to grow the business potentials if it works out; it works for everyone!

I will let you know how I get on now that I am "back"...

[KiwiCavyAdorer]

So folks,

here's the story, I've been in contact with Specialised Animal Nutrition, Oxbow Australia. There is a law changing that affects the movement of product between NZ and Aus. In 2 weeks time it's supposed to take effect, and will likely prevent even Critical Care from being accessible in New Zealand. For this reason it's suspected that the vets who currently stock it are reluctant to discuss Oxbow or other Oxbow products. The cost of freight is about 2 times the cost of the pellets.

I've been told that should I wish to risk the freighting of it I'm welcome to give it a bash.

While this is tempting it's not a suitable long term solution to providing adequate guinea pig nutrition in New Zealand. We might be a "small" country but that should not preclude safe food for our guinea pig population. After all we import guinea pig food from VitaKraft (Germany) and MasterPet (Amsterdam) so why should Oxbow be so impossible?? I'm feeling that it has to do more with the outlets allowed than the process of importation... it's just my feeling I'm not making a statement but it's something I do intend to follow up some more.

I'll post again when I have some more information gathered.

[wrongdecade]

I'm definitely interested. I'm a new piggy mama in NZ and trying to find a good brand of guinea pig food is impossible. One major pet store I went to did not even stock food for guinea pigs alone - it was for rabbits AND guineas.

Good luck with this Kiwi!

[KiwiCavyAdorer]

I'm definitely interested. I'm a new piggy mama in NZ and trying to find a good brand of guinea pig food is impossible. One major pet store I went to did not even stock food for guinea pigs alone - it was for rabbits AND guineas.

Good luck with this Kiwi!

Wrongdecade I am super pleased to say that we might be sighting a solution. It will take a while, and I'll also need a hands up for pellet trials when the time comes but I am in the process of talking to someone who is in a position to affect the changes, and they have expressed keenness to do so... If we can't import due to law changes then it's going to be about kiwi ingenuity and international quality examples - Oxbow and Kleenmama's - as base lines for what we get done. Let's aim as high as possible. There is no reason in the world we can't solve our own pellet problems if desire to purchase is there, and we can meet the highest quality. (otherwise there's no point - there are too many sub-quality feeds already on offer.) Here's hoping!

[wrongdecade]

Sounds fantastic Kiwi! Good luck with everything.