Pregnant sow diet

[urockstar]

All the same veggies and pellets and timothy hay -- will she be okay without alfalfa hay? I bought some last week and they wanted nothing to do with it, so I threw it out. I can go get more, or will they get the alfalfa from the pellets? The brand I have is Timothy Complete (so maybe not so much alfalfa in that) -- It's weird because they also don't seem to be going for the pellets. I had been getting them pellets with mixed things in it, from the store you know, until I read on here that's no good for them, which I didn't know (so thanks!) but now they aren't into the pellets. It almost seems like they're eating less these days, but I know that can't really be, they are munching away with lettuce and hay (though not as much?) I just bought a better brand hay thanks to a link someone posted on here, so I will see in a few days, hopefully they like that more.

But yeah, I want to help her pregnancy go as well as it can by keeping her healthy, I give them futon time (their floortime) and they'll walk around but like now, they're just relaxing in the paper bag (haha, Bean fell asleep on a green pepper) so they're not really getting so much exercise?

What will I do if she needs alfalfa but doesn't want to eat it? And Marley is being picky about the veggies. Bean tried out the pepper, but Marley didn't even give it a nibble. She likes the romaine lettuce though.

OK, any tips would be appreciated.

[Ly&Pigs]

I answered some diet questions on the other thread you had about your pregnant pig. Please read that. It will answer most of the questions you have in this thread. In the future, please keep diet questions relating to your pigs together in one thread so it's easier to keep track of. Thanks.

Are you still feeding Kaytee Timothy Complete? If so, that's not a good brand of pellets. Contains low quality ingredients and potentially cancer causing preservatives.

[urockstar]

Ahhh, okay! Really annoying. The only reason I got the Kaytee pellet food is because I heard people on here talking about Kaytee and so I thought it was a respected, good brand. I mean I just bought this five pound bag.... sigh. It just seems weird how picky people are about almost every single brand food there is.

What pellet food should I be getting then?

[Ly&Pigs]

Good brands of pellets are Oxbow and Kleenmama's. Mazuri 5664 (alfalfa based only) comes in at third. Oxbow Pet Products | Welcome, Kleenmama's Hayloft :: Home and Mazuri Home.

For future reference, just because people discuss a certain brand, doesn't make it a repected or good brand unless it's been specifically labeled as such.

Kaytee hays are ok to feed but the pellets are not.

It just seems weird how picky people are about almost every single brand food there is.

We are not being "picky". You have a choice, you can feed a low quality brand (which 95% of the pellets on the market fall into the low quality brand) that could reduce the lifespan of your pig or make your pig obese or you can choose to give a healthier pellet that is good for them. We are making recommendations, not holding you at gunpoint. At the end of the day it's your choice. But if you choose to go with the low quality garbage brands, then you have to live with any consequences that arise from using them.

[urockstar]

Ly&Pigs, I'm just frustrated because I just bought this big bag of food thinking it was a good brand. And I only went with Kaytee because I thought I read people on here speaking good about it. I had never heard of Kaytee before then. I don't really mean you all are being picky, I mean really it's that way even with humans... everyday you hear something else that is cancer causing, even things that are supposed to be good for you. Frustrating! Oh well. I'm going to try KMs when I get my paycheck tomorrow. Is it okay to continue giving them the Timothy Complete Pellets until then? I don't really want to but it's either that or don't give them any pellets until tomorrow OR go to the supermarket near me and get them some mixed pellet food. (Or Petco, I know they sell plain pellet food but don't know what brands they have)

[Ly&Pigs]

I know it can be frustrating. I know you are trying to do what is in your pigs' best interests as well. You can continue to feed the Kaytee Timothy complete for now. One small bag of this won't kill them. When you order new pellets, just mix some of the old in with the new until the old is gone.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

If your guinea pigs are 10-11 weeks old, they should be on alfalfa based pellets.

[Ly&Pigs]

If I had known your pigs were that young, we could have saved half the hassle of this conversation and saved both of us from frustration. Alfalfa pellets and a mix of mostly grass/some alfalfa hay is what you need in addition to veggies and occasional fruit.