Cavy Performance for Active Guinea Pigs?

[ThePigAlchemist]

I just got my first bag of Cavy Cuisine in the mail yesterday, and I'm really excited. I had been planning on making the switch for a while, and when the pet store near me never had any Kaytee plain guinea pig pellets in stock, I took it as a sign and finally ordered my Oxbow online.

I was reading the bag, and I found something I had never heard on the forum, and I was wondering what you thought of it. It says to feed Cavy Performance for growing, pregnant, and nursing pigs, which I knew, and it also says to feed Cavy Performance for active pigs.

I'm certain that Cavy Cuisine is the right food for my guys, who are nearing a year old, but I was wondering whether there was any merit to feeding Cavy Performance to especially active pigs, and what exactly would constitute an active pig? My guys are lazy through most of the day except when they do their speed demon laps, so I'm pretty sure they don't count!

[Mastershroom]

The difference between Cavy Performance and Cavy Cuisine is that Performance is made primarily from alfalfa, and Cuisine is made mostly of timothy hay. Performance is recommended for young and pregnant piggies because alfalfa has lots of calcium, which is good for growing and nursing pigs, but can be too much and cause stones in healthy adult pigs. Despite the misleading name, it doesn't really have anything to do with how "active" your piggie is.

[Paula]

Actually, the difference between alfalfa and timothy, in terms of why one is thought to be better for younger versus older pigs is the protein content - not necessarily the calcium. Young, nursing and perhaps especially active pigs would need additional protein, and to a lesser degree, calcium.

Furthermore, what causes stones is unknown, however there is a growing ideology that it's actually the calcium carbonate found in so many pellet foods that might play a role, in addition to genetic predisposition. The calcium found in alfalfa and vegetables is a plant based calcium that is not calcium carbonate.

[ThePigAlchemist]

Thanks for the insight! I knew about the additional calcium content in Cavy Performance, but not about the protein content. It would make sense that more protein would be needed for pigs that were more active.

I'll definitely continue feeding Cavy Cuisine for my guys, but that might be something I think about for future pigs.