Oxbow Too High in Calcium - Low Calcium Pellets?

[Gigabyte]

Well, my GP Rodney has white spots ALL the time in his urine with the Oxbow pellets. Plus, they are $14.99 for a 5lb bag - OUCH! I don't know if they make another low calcium kind, but it is the adult guinea pig food (Cavy Cuisine).

I'm considering using Kaytee » Timothy Complete - Guinea Pig, since I've used it with success in the past.

Does anyone have any affordable suggestions that don't involve KM? I can't afford that right now...I just want the best for Rodney. Rodney is 4-5 months old and putting on weight really well, so I don't worry about alfalfa, the vet said that besides being blind, he's perfect in every way!

So, any suggestions for Rodney?

[bpatters]

KM pellets and Oxbow are about the same price -- they're within a nickel a pound here in Houston. You're closer to KM, so those should be cheaper.

Kaytee pellets are pretty much crap, and I'd avoid them if at all possible.

Are you sure Rodney's white deposits are from his pellets and not his veggies?

And BTW, the problem isn't that Oxbow pellets contain too much calcium -- it's about the same as KM, in fact. We don't know what the problem is -- it's either the genetics of the pig, or the kind of calcium compound added to the pellets to supply the calcium (different for KM and Oxbow), or there's something in or not in the Oxbow that causes the calcium excretion, or vice versa for KM.

Some pigs do just fine on Oxbow all their lives, and others can't tolerate it. So there's obviously some pig differences involved.

[Gigabyte]

KM quoted my shipping (ground rate) at $13 for shipping. YIKES! Too much. Rodney only got white spots when I gave him Oxbow. I took it away for a few days and he cleared up.
I *have* used Kaytee Timothy Complete in the past and had success with it.

The vet said that because of the calcium issue, Rodney should be eating 90% and 10% pellets. He has cilantro as a snack every day, and half a cup of baby romaine with green leaf and red leaf romaine.

[HannibalLecter]

KM quoted my shipping (ground rate) at $13 for shipping. YIKES! Too much. Rodney only got white spots when I gave him Oxbow. I took it away for a few days and he cleared up.
I *have* used Kaytee Timothy Complete in the past and had success with it.

The vet said that because of the calcium issue, Rodney should be eating 90% and 10% pellets. He has cilantro as a snack every day, and half a cup of baby romaine with green leaf and red leaf romaine.

Romaine is a big issue when it comes to sludge, I'd competely avoid it with a sludge prone pig. Go for read & green leaf instead. This might actually solve the issue completely.

And avoid Kaytee if possible, it's a horrible brand. I'd go as far as to say that there are no health benefits of feeding it, quite the opposite.

[Gigabyte]

Well, if the only options I'm given are KM and Oxbow, I might as well ditch pellets altogether. I'm NOT paying $13 to have too many pellets (5lb bag lasts a long time here, only have one pig) shipped to me that might not really do anything for the pig or just be the same damn thing.

[pinky]

Guinealynx has a lot of info on pellet ingredients. Kaytee is not recommended at all. Just because they eat it, doesn't mean it's good for them. The four pellets that are considered acceptable are KM Hayloft pellets, Oxbow, Sweet Meadow and Mazuri 5664. The Mazuri are alfalfa based so should be fed no more than 1/8 cup a day. The three other timothy pellets should be fed no more than 1/4 cup a day. Pellets make up the smallest part of their diet so they're really not that expensive if you feed them accordingly. I switched from Oxbow to KM. I haven't noticed any difference in urine in my pigs but they all like the KM pellets. Even with the shipping, they came out less expensive than the Oxbow pellets. My last batch were crumbly which I hadn't seen in my previous order so I'm not sure if that was due to shipping or something else. My pigs still eat them, though....As far as $13, that's less than a dinner at Outback Steakhouse and the pellets last a lot longer than a steak dinner will.

[HannibalLecter]

Remove the romaine from their diet completely & see if it makes a difference, it might just be the reason behind it. Oxbow + Romaine is a no-no for my pigs as I notice sludge stains pretty much immediately. Feed a smaller amount of Oxbow, about half the recommended daily amount & see how it goes before ditching it completely.

[Gigabyte]

Guinealynx has a lot of info on pellet ingredients. Kaytee is not recommended at all. Just because they eat it, doesn't mean it's good for them. The four pellets that are considered acceptable are KM Hayloft pellets, Oxbow, Sweet Meadow and Mazuri 5664. The Mazuri are alfalfa based so should be fed no more than 1/8 cup a day. The three other timothy pellets should be fed no more than 1/4 cup a day. Pellets make up the smallest part of their diet so they're really not that expensive if you feed them accordingly. I switched from Oxbow to KM. I haven't noticed any difference in urine in my pigs but they all like the KM pellets. Even with the shipping, they came out less expensive than the Oxbow pellets. My last batch were crumbly which I hadn't seen in my previous order so I'm not sure if that was due to shipping or something else. My pigs still eat them, though.

Sweet Meadow Farm | Rabbit and Guinea Pig food | Horse Riding Programs This is the Sweet Meadow stuff? Sure looks nice and cheap. Is it bad for them? Judging by 'yogurt nibbles' treats and whatnot, it looks not so good. :/ I just need low calcium. I'll return the lettuce today for some straight up green leaf.

[Gigabyte]

Remove the romaine from their diet completely & see if it makes a difference, it might just be the reason behind it. Oxbow + Romaine is a no-no for my pigs as I notice sludge stains pretty much immediately. Feed a smaller amount of Oxbow, about half the recommended daily amount & see how it goes before ditching it completely.

I only feed two teaspoons of it and unlimited grass hay. I will take the romaine out, but I don't how much lower I can go on the amount of pellets.

[HannibalLecter]

With such a low amount I doubt Oxbow the only reason behind the constant sludge, do you know if you have hard water?

[Gigabyte]

I probably do...should I give him bottled water?

[pinky]

Sweet Meadow Farm | Rabbit and Guinea Pig food | Horse Riding Programs This is the Sweet Meadow stuff? Sure looks nice and cheap. Is it bad for them? Judging by 'yogurt nibbles' treats and whatnot, it looks not so good. :/ I just need low calcium. I'll return the lettuce today for some straight up green leaf.

I don't order Sweet Meadow so I'll wait for someone who does to jump in but I'm pretty sure that's the one. They also charge for shipping. My last KM order came to $38.24 for 25 lbs of pellets. That includes shipping. I have 7 guinea pigs and it lasts me a long time. You can refrigerate the pellets or keep them in a dark, cool place and they'll last for a long time. $38 is less than a vet office visit so having a large supply of pellets at that price is very good.

[pinky]

I probably do...should I give him bottled water?

I am convinced that the stone pig I had back in 2006 got them from my tap water. I give mine bottled water but you have to really check the labels to make sure there are no minerals added for flavor.

[Gigabyte]

I'll try, pinky. Sometimes it's *really* hard to find stuff without additives. Welcome to America, right?

[HannibalLecter]

I probably do...should I give him bottled water?

Bottled water might have even more minerals added & it's often difficult to check, or disguised local water that's just as hard. It's also expensive in the long run & overall bad for the nature.

You could get a water purifier, where you just need to change the filter as recommended. I don't have any experience in international brands & prices though.

[Gigabyte]

Bottled water might have even more minerals added & it's often difficult to check, or disguised local water that's just as hard. It's also expensive in the long run & overall bad for the nature.

You could get a water purifier, where you just need to change the filter as recommended. I don't have any experience in international brands & prices though.

They are SO expensive over here.

[bpatters]

Five pounds is too much??? I order 25 pounds at a time for my two pigs.

[Lord_aperture]

It may seem expensive but in the long run a Britta filter like this one Brita White Grand Water Filter Pitcher — Drinking Water by Brita is cheaper than constantly buying bottled water. Besides as HannibalLecter mentioned most of time bottled water is just tap water in a pretty bottle. I live in area where we get our tap water from a well system and its very hard and the filter was the best investment we made.

[Gigabyte]

@bpatters - KM is 10lbs minimum. I have one pig who the vet says to give only 2 teaspoonfulls a day.