Where to Order?: Oxbow Cavy Performance

[jordan]

So, I am feeling kinda discouraged and I was hoping I could get some advice on where you guys buy your oxbow pellets from. I was looking online and I saw a 50 lb bag of oxbow cavy performance and it's only $36. I thought, great.. it's a little more than what we pay for now but it will last MUCH longer and it's a lot more healthy. However, when I went to check out shipping was like $50.

Where do you guys buy yours from and how much do you spend?

[vicky2]

I hope you know that Cavy Performance is a Alfalfa based pellet and is only recommended for piggies below six months of age. Try to aim for Oxbow Cavy Cuisine which is a Timothy based pellet.
I get my Oxbow pellets at my local pet store. Try this: Oxbow Animal Health | Find Oxbow Products

[jordan]

I have three guinea pigs under 6 months of age which is why I was looking at that one.

I also tried the store locator with no luck. I went on Kleenmama's site and found timothy choice pellets. Are those comparable at all? I want to do what's best for them.

[vicky2]

Kleenmama's, Oxbow, Sweet Meadow, and one of the Mazuri pellets, are all acceptable. A lot of people prefer Kleenmama's and Oxbow. In your situation, I would buy a big bag of Timothy based pellets from Kleenmama's and just supplement the pigs with bell pepper every day. If you buy a BIG bag of pellets, you can also freeze them to seal in vitamins and thaw when needed.

[jordan]

Awesome, thank you. They already get bell peppers every day, that's their favorite.

[fieryone]

The cheapest for Oxbow that I found was from Drs Foster & Smith. I noticed that you live in Utah so I used that for shipping calculations

50lbs Cavy Performance $69.99 + $11.00 shipping = $81.98

Plus you can use coupon codes drsfostersmith Coupon Codes (23 available) - Tjoos

My other usual is Pet Food Direct but their shipping is calculated by weight and Drs. Foster Smith is by order total. So Pet Food Direct is $58.99 + $39.39 for shipping = $97.88

Petfooddirect.com Coupon Codes (9 available) - Tjoos

50lbs of alfalfa pellets from Kleenmama's is $26.99 + $22.72 for shipping = $49.71

50lbs worth of Oxbow pellets from Petsmart would cost you $129.90

ETA: here is the link to Kleenmama's alfalfa pellets Kleenmama's Hayloft You can also use timothy pellets and supplement with some alfalfa hay in addition to the timothy hay or higher calcium veggies like parsley and kale.

[akstrohm]

I would order Kleenmama's alfalfa pellets. They offer the best nutrition of all the brands. When they get to 6 months, feed the KM timothy-based pellets instead.

If for some reason you want to feed timothy pellets now, supplement with veggies rich in calcium. I'm not sure why bell pepper was suggested--it's a great daily veggie to feed, but it is not high in calcium. As fieryone said, parsley and kale are good.

[jordan]

I just order 25 lbs of timothy choice pellets and 9 lbs of bluegrass hay. I also bought some parsley today to start including in their diet. I would of bought the alfalfa based pellets but I do have one guinea pig that is around 10 months sharing a cage with one that is only 2/12 months.

[jordan]

Alright. So, I just did my weekly weighing of all my guinea pigs and every single one of them lost weigh with a range of 9 grams to 42 grams. Could it be because I finally got them on a quality pellet? Maybe they are just taking time to get used to it?

This worries me especially because my youngest pig (only about 3-4 months) lost the most.

Other than the weight change, I haven't noticed any changes in behavior or any other symptoms.

[warcarrot]

I know where you're coming from! shipping is just too expensive..

Does that Mazuri brand have alfalfa based pellets too?

[Ly&Pigs]

Mazuri is only alfalfa based. There is only one formula that is suitable to feed and that is the Mazuri 5664. It also has to be severely limited in pigs over 6 months to no more than 1/8 a cup per pig per day.