piggie food and snacks??

[Arianna81]

I have a new piggie! What is the BEST type of pellet food?? Also what is the best type of snacks to give her???? Thanks for all your responses ahead of time!

[OSUCavies]

Originally Posted by Arianna81

I have a new piggie! What is the BEST type of pellet food?? Also what is the best type of snacks to give her???? Thanks for all your responses ahead of time!

Oxbow Pet Products

Oxbow pellets are the best. I use Oxbow Cavy Cuisine which is timothy hay pellets. My piggy likes them and it's very healthy.

Any kind of mixed pellet food is not good. You can do a store locator on Oxbow and find out where in your area it is available.

Your piggy also needs unlimited timothy hay. You can purchase Oxbow hay or use another type like Kaytee Timothy hay is okay. The hay is important to help their teeth stay trimmed and of course they love the timothy hay.

You also should serve fresh veggies every day. Certain kinda of veggies/fruits can be given daily like lettuce, cilantro, endive, strawberries.

There is a chart that can help you see what can be given daily:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...tml#post254730

[OSUCavies]

The veggies are vital to give them enough vitamin C

Do not put any vitamin C drops in their water, they are useless.

If you are giving veggies, you might not need any extra vitamin C supplements, but you can use Vitamin C (not multivitamins) supplements to give the piggy orally.

[TheQueen]

Oxbow or Kleenmama's pellets are the best, no doubt. Brands such as Hartz, Kaytee, Sunseed, etc, have harmful ingredients. Mixed pellets are a big no-no.

As for snacks, don't give the pig any commercial snacks, like salt and mineral wheels or seed bars, etc. They have too much sugar and other ingredients that are unnecessary or unhealthy for pigs. The best snacks will always be plenty of fresh veggies!

Just a note on the hay comment; if the pig is under six months old, they need alfalfa hay for calcium and protein, and then at about six months you should switch them over to timothy hay. They can also eat other grass hays, like bermuda, orchard grass, or bluegrass. Alfalfa can still be give once in a while as a treat.

[Ly&Pigs]

If you look at the Nutrition chart thread which was linked earlier in this post, it has been updated recently with a list of Do's and Don'ts for Good Cavy Health and contains a list of poisonous plants. You may want to take the time to read that thread.

Unlimited grass hay is essential. Even if your pigs are under 6 months, they need grass hay and alfalfa can be used to supplement.