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Pellets Wheat Middlings, Soy and Molasses

Guinea Pig Papa

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And I just walked back into the living room to find Sly had dumped his little bowl of pellets. I put them back in the bowl and he's happily gobbling them!
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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My pigs seem to be really liking the Sherwood pellets. I am still mixing them with the KMS pellets. I only purchased the sample bag and haven't completely switched them over yet. I am still a little anxious about a total change. All we have heard for years is how adult pigs should not have alfalfa pellets.

Could the theory behind this new way of feeding become the new normal for guinea pigs? I just don't know? So many have switched their pigs over to Sherwood and seem to be well pleased with the outcome. I have a bit of KMS pellets left so I am still contemplating whether or not to change over to Sherwood.
@spy9doc and @Guinea Pig Papa I thank you for your updates on how your pigs are accepting the new pellets. I have a lot of respect for your opinions and @spy9doc I certainly appreciate your input from a physician's point of view.

Thank you, @Kelsie, for the kind words.

The switchover for Sly is still in its infancy. He seems to like them: indeed, when I put the bowl of Sherwood next to the bowl of Oxbow, he chose the Sherwood. So at least for a few days, we're in a wait and see pattern.

I put a small pile of them in the young fellas cage, as Punkin showed some interest as soon as I opened the bag. They've been sampling them, as well.

I'd also like to add:

A 10 pound bag of Oxbow in Canada, with tax, costs me $30
A 19 pound box of Sherwood, after exchange, costs me $53.
 

spy9doc

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spy9doc I certainly appreciate your input from a physician's point of view.

What a nice thing to say, @Kelsie!

I try to balance a professional opinion with personal experience. I tend to rarely accept anything at face value and have a habit of asking "show me your references". If there is one thing I've learned in dealing with both cavies and humans is that there are few absolutes. There is so much variability in both species that it is difficult to feel as though I know much. There are too many folks in the world who are far more knowledgeable than I and whose knowledge can always humble me.

Fortunately, I have been blessed with a curious, insatiable mind and am always open to learning new things. :cool:

On the pellet topic, I have been feeding Blue Seal for so long that I had forgotten the ingredients. Imagine my surprise when I reviewed the product sheet and noted that they are largely alfalfa based! :eek:hmy: I have to wonder if it is worth switching to the Sherwood? Seeing as how the goal was to give them a try and see how the boys fare, I'm pretty sure that I will continue at least until the bag is finished.

Once again, Sparky began whining this afternoon (way too early for dinner) and stopped only after I added a few of the old pellets to their bowl. The saga goes on................
 
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Guinea Pig Papa

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Well, I put the small bowl of Sherwood next to his regular bowl, and found him eating the Oxbow. So last night, after cleaning his cage, I completely switched to the Sherwood to see how it went.

His morning weigh in was today, and for the first time in several weeks he lost weight. Only 13 grams. He's still at 1262, up from where he's been the past several months. The bowl of pellets appeared untouched to me, so I was a little worried.

He had his morning slice of red pepper and his medication, and I left him alone. I went back to check on him about 30 minutes later to find he was standing at his bowl, munching on the Sherwood pellets.

In addition, when I went back to check and found him eating the Sherwood pellets, I saw that he had been out in his pen, and likely trolling his younger brothers. I found something rarely seen from Sly, and quite a few of them.

Almost normal poop!
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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In watching Sly this morning, I've noticed a few things...

The Sherwood pellets claim that they encourage your pig to eat fewer pellets, but drink more water, and also encourages them to eat more hay.

Now, Sly has rarely eaten hay for over a year now. He always has it available, and we've tried EVERY different type of hay we could find. He just has little interest any more.
This morning, I've observed almost normal poop, he's was drinking a fair bit of water, more than he normally does, AND he was standing at his hay pile grazing for awhile. Also eating pellets.

At this point, all I can say is so far, so good!
 

bpatters

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I'd be a bit concerned about the pellets making them drink more water. Generally, that happens when salt intake is increased, and that could lead to more concentrated urine even with more water intake.
 

spy9doc

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I'd be a bit concerned about the pellets making them drink more water. Generally, that happens when salt intake is increased, and that could lead to more concentrated urine even with more water intake.

That concerns me as well. When I have a bit more time I will do some investigating.......and may even contact/call the company this week.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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Upon inspection of both bags, both Oxbow Adult Guinea pig food AND the Sherwood Health pellets contain salt. To what degree, neither bag states.


And seeing normal poop from Sly for the first time in I don't really know how long, I'd have to say that whatever concern I had is now minimized. So far I see only good results for him.
 

lisa325

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Hi everyone!! I've been away for a while, been very busy with life stuff, but thought I would chime in on this. I switched to Sherwood pellets about a week and a half ago, and I also greatly reduced the amount of veggies I was giving. I have "spoken" with Dr. Sherwood and his assistant, Bob, through emails, throughout the transition. At first the pigs were resistant to the Sherwood pellets, as expected, they missed that sugary mollases, it's akin to taking candy from a child and putting brussels sprouts in front of him.
Anyway, over the course of a few days I managed to transition them, in the end, I just took the Oxbow pellets out completely, and when they realized the Sherwood was all they had, they happily ate them. I too was dubious about the Alfalfa, but Dr. Sherwood assures me, it's carbonate and not calcium that causes stones, and the alfalfa is a much better alternative to soy, wheat, and other crappy fillers. Everything they need nutritionally is in the pellet, and along with plenty of hay, it's apparently all the nutrition they need. I have done a lot of research on these pellets myself, and I am more than willing to give them a try.
Now for my personal findings.....All pigs look great, they do drink more water, but that's because they are eating more hay, and it's helping to flush out any nasties from their urinary tracts, their poops are consistently perfectly formed ( I had been having a problem with Snickers poops being wet and malformed before), they are much more active, and calcium spots in their kitchen area have diminished drastically, all I see now are very faint spots.
I realize everyone will have their own experiences and takes on this diet, but so far, I am delighted with the results. As with everything, time will tell. I wish those of you who are trying the transition all the luck in the world :D, and I fervently hope this could be the answer so many of us have been looking for to keep our pigs healthy and happy. :D
PS I have cut out the green leaf lettuce too, and give reduced radicchio, peppers, and cherry tomatoes, just to be sure they're getting enough vitamin C
 

lisa325

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@spy9doc lol lol Playing the old switcheroo game huh
 

lisa325

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@Guinea Pig Papa Ditto here, Papa :) Seeing great poop from Snickers makes me very happy indeed :D
 

spy9doc

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@spy9doc lol lol Playing the old switcheroo game huh

Missed you, Lisa!

Yes, it is a difficult game in that I feel so bad when Sparky says, "Mom, I'm SO hungry.......please, may I have some of our old pellets". I guess one of the positives is that they no longer seem to want carrots as a treat. If they are satisfied with a handful of the old pellets, then that's somewhat of a victory.

Thanks for your perspective and the report. What is the explanation for the increased consumption of water? I am inherently suspicious of too much salt in the pellets. It's difficult for me to quantify any changes in that my boys already love their hay, drink lots of water, and rarely have malformed poops.

Interesting journey that we are on together! Let's keep up the dialogue. :cool:
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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@Guinea Pig Papa Ditto here, Papa :) Seeing great poop from Snickers makes me very happy indeed :D

Nice to see you again, Lisa!

I'm really hoping against hope that these work for Sly. The young fellas eat more hay than anything else (although they are little pellet pigs, too) but the old man has ALWAYS had issues. He's not had it easy, between the osseous metaplasia, his teeth and this. He doesn't care, though. He's a sweet fella.
 

lisa325

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Hiya [MENTION=19714]spy9doc[/MENTION] and [MENTION=35161]Guinea Pig Papa[/MENTION].....Great to hear from you both 😊, I've missed you guys too.
I know its really hard to not give in, and just give them their old pellets, but when they're being so resistant, you really have to stick to your guns, and just go for it, they will eat the new ones eventually.
Like you, I was concerned about the alfalfa, it goes against everything we've ever been taught, but the doc is insistent it works, and will not harm them, as its part of a well thought out balanced diet. Actually, the doc prefers that we don't feed any veggies at all, as it's the veg that upsets their gut flora, but I'm not quite ready to give up on them altogether yet, although I am using them more as a treat now, and the lettuce is definitely history. In regard to the hay, our pigs were always good hay eaters too, but now they devour it, the doc says it's the hay that makes them drink more water, thereby flushing out the urinary tract, you may even see some sludge during the first few days of transition, all normal! You can go to the website at sherwoodpethealth.com and ask any questions you may have, or contact them on facebook at sherwood pet health, they get back to you quickly, and give you detailed answers, also you can sign up for his emails, where you will get lots more info about the product and any concerns you might have. Also, check out this link
https://sherwoodpethealth.com/pellet-ingredients-comparison/

By the same token, I'm not that naive, and realize this is his product, and of course he's
going to push it, I can only speak from my own experience so far.I can't say for certain that this is the answer we've all been looking for, but right now it seems to be working for us, so I intend to keep up with the regime unless I see anything to be concerned about. 🤗
 

lisa325

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Oops!! Sorry about the double post, my tablet was being a b***h. Unfortunately I don't know how to delete the extra one :crazy:.
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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lisa325

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@GuineaPigPapa I found an online store in Canada that sells the Sherwood pellets, I think there's another one somewhere there, I will make some inquiries, but for now, here's the one I know about

https://www.hoponline.ca/
 

Guinea Pig Papa

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@GuineaPigPapa I found an online store in Canada that sells the Sherwood pellets, I think there's another one somewhere there, I will make some inquiries, but for now, here's the one I know about

https://www.hoponline.ca/

That's the only one there is right now. I live VERY close to the border, and I have a new co-worker that has a U.S. address in Niagara Falls, NY. That's how I got my samples to try.

I'm likely going to order the 19lb box. It's actually MUCH cheaper for me to do it this way.
 

lisa325

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That's the only one there is right now. I live VERY close to the border, and I have a new co-worker that has a U.S. address in Niagara Falls, NY. That's how I got my samples to try.

I'm likely going to order the 19lb box. It's actually MUCH cheaper for me to do it this way.

Sounds good!! Thankfully you have that new co-worker. I ordered the 4.5 pound bag just to try, but I intend to order the 19 pound box online too :)
 
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