Nutrition: will you point out the bad ingredients please?

[pupsandpigs]

Ingredients: Sun-cured Timothy Grass Hay, Wheat Middlings, Ground Wheat, Oat Hulls, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Dried Cane Molasses, Salt, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, DL-Methionine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin A Supplement, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Carbonate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Ethoxyquin (a preservative), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Copper Oxide, Cholecalciferol, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Dried A. oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite.



Ingredients: Sun-cured Timothy Grass Hay, Ground Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dextrose, Calcium Carbonate, Flaxseed Meal, Salt, Brewer's Dried Yeast, Ground Vegetables (carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress, and spinach), Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement.


Ingredients: Soybean Meal, Linseed Meal, Ground Barley, Ground Yellow Corn, Hominy, Ground Oats, Wheat Germ, Middlings, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Molasses, Brewers Dried Yeast, Flaked Corn, Split Green Peas, Carrots, Ground Wheat, Corn Gluten, Corn Syrup Solids, Modified Food Starch, Pineapple, Glycerine, Apricots, Sunflower Oil, Raisins, Dates, Rice Flour, Dl-Methionine Supplement, L-Lysine Supplement, Di-Calcium Phosphate, Dextrose, Dried Brewers Yeast Fermentation Product, Sucrose, Dried Whole Egg, Salt, Vitamin A Palmitate, Cholicalciferol (Source of Vitamin D-3), Alpha Tocopherol (Source of Vitamin E), Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C), Thiamine Mononitrate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate (Source of Vitamin K), Choline Chloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Chloride, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Iron Methionine, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Product, Dried Lactobacillus Bulgaricus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Lactis Fermentation Product, Citric Acid, Sulphur Dioxide (a preservative), FD&C Color, Artificial Flavors.

[JD In Van]

THere's a lot... anything oats, corn/maize related, beet, fruit... I wouldn't use any of those foods.

There is even EGG in the last one, cavy's are strict herbavores.

Ethoxyquin (a preservative) - is a suspected cancer causer (I suspect this is Timothy Complete at the top there)

Compare to: Timothy Grass Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Cane Molasses, Salt, L-ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C), Limestone, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement (Tocopherol), Ascorbic Acid, Colloidal Silica, Menadioninee Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Magnesium Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Manganese Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Mineral Oil, Calcium Iodate, Potassium Chloride

No fruit or fillers (oat/corn/maize). Though I still don't know why they need limestone.

[Ly&Pigs]

Originally Posted by pupsandpigs

Ingredients: Sun-cured Timothy Grass Hay, Wheat Middlings, Ground Wheat, Oat Hulls, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Dried Cane Molasses, Salt, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, DL-Methionine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin A Supplement, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Carbonate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Ethoxyquin (a preservative), Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Copper Oxide, Cholecalciferol, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Dried A. oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite.

This is Kaytee TImothy Complete. Not a true timothy based pellet in my opinion as it contains alfalfa also. Salt is high on the ingredients list. Contains a potentially cancer causing preservative (ethoxyquin) and dried bacterias (some call them prebiotics). The alfalfa meal is highlighted not because it's a bad ingredient, but moreso because I wanted to point out that this isn't a true timothy based pellet.

Originally Posted by pupsandpigs

Ingredients: Sun-cured Timothy Grass Hay, Ground Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dextrose, Calcium Carbonate, Flaxseed Meal, Salt, Brewer's Dried Yeast, Ground Vegetables (carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress, and spinach), Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement.

Next we have Nature's Promise Premium by Zupreem. Corn is not a great ingredient in cavy feeds. Neither is beet pulp. Many of the dried veggies are high in calcium and oxalic acid. Dextrose is a simple sugar, they don't need sugar added to their pellets.

Originally Posted by pupsandpigs

Ingredients: Soybean Meal, Linseed Meal, Ground Barley, Ground Yellow Corn, Hominy, Ground Oats, Wheat Germ, Middlings, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Molasses, Brewers Dried Yeast, Flaked Corn, Split Green Peas, Carrots, Ground Wheat, Corn Gluten, Corn Syrup Solids, Modified Food Starch, Pineapple, Glycerine, Apricots, Sunflower Oil, Raisins, Dates, Rice Flour, Dl-Methionine Supplement, L-Lysine Supplement, Di-Calcium Phosphate, Dextrose, Dried Brewers Yeast Fermentation Product, Sucrose, Dried Whole Egg, Salt, Vitamin A Palmitate, Cholicalciferol (Source of Vitamin D-3), Alpha Tocopherol (Source of Vitamin E), Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C), Thiamine Mononitrate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate (Source of Vitamin K), Choline Chloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Chloride, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Iron Methionine, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Product, Dried Lactobacillus Bulgaricus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Lactis Fermentation Product, Citric Acid, Sulphur Dioxide (a preservative), FD&C Color, Artificial Flavors.

This one I had to do some searching for because I don't have this ingredients list in my database. It's F.M. Brown's Fruit Bites Banquet. A pellet mix. There are tons of things wrong with this one, the first being it's a pellet mix. Cavies should receive plain pellets only. Secondly, the first ingredient in any pellet should be either timothy hay or alfalfa hay (depending on if it's a timothy based pellet or alfalfa based pellet). This one has alfalfa meal but not as a first ingredient. It contains high amounts of corn products, dried veggie flakes and dehydrated fruits and other things that should not be in included. Pellets should not contain artificial colors or flavorings. This is complete and utter garbage.

None of these pellets are suitable for feeding unless you want a pig who could potentially end up with cancer, diabetes or other health problems. They are all low quality brands and best avoided.