Pellets Changing Pellet Brands: Sherwood Pellets (Yay or Nay?)

[WhyzPiggies2021]

I'm considering changing pellet brands.
I've always purchased Oxbow because it is the most convenient to purchase where I live but Sherwood looks like the healthier choice.
For the past few years, my piggies have enjoyed all 3 versions of Oxbow pellets because I couldn't decide which version to buy...


QUESTION: Sherwood Pellets - Yay or Nay?

Also, is there actually a difference between the green Sherwood bag and the blue Sherwood bag? Both are for adult guinea pigs and after a quick glance, ingredients looked the same to me...???

Should I make the switch?

https://store.sherwoodpethealth.com/adult-guinea-pig-food-free-choice-timothy-pellet/

Sorry for the blurry pic. It's the best I can do.
Are Sherwood Pellets still too high in calcium?

Thanks!

 

[bpatters]

Sherwood is NOT the healthier choice. One of the long-time users and rescuers at Guinea Lynx and I have been following Sherwood since they came on the market. The science behind them is really iffy. Most of the user information is anecdotal, and based only on a few months of a pig eating them. They are very high in calcium.

I'd stick with Oxbow, or KMS if you can get them.

 

[SSLee]

The KMS site is accepting pellet orders but you can only order 2 or 5 lbs. I ordered a week ago and still waiting for it to be shipped. If you want KMS pellets, make sure you order well before your current supply runs out.

 

[Gandalf]

Sherwood is NOT the healthier choice. One of the long-time users and rescuers at Guinea Lynx and I have been following Sherwood since they came on the market. The science behind them is really iffy. Most of the user information is anecdotal, and based only on a few months of a pig eating them. They are very high in calcium.

I'd stick with Oxbow, or KMS if you can get them.

Is there a reference somewhere that shows the nutritional recommendations for guinea pig pellets? The links I found at the Guinea Lynx site are mostly too outdated to actually link to anything. The ones that do work just speak in generalities ("not too much calcium") but not specifics (ie. max and min percentages).

 

[bpatters]

I'm not at home and the link is on my other computer.

Calcium is the main one to worry about, and the recommendation is to aim for about .4%. The calcium should not come from limestone or calcium carbonate.

 

[Gandalf]

Thanks. I was hoping to find something similar to what is available at therabbithouse.com regarding rabbits. Recommendations for guaranteed analysis and any ratios to consider... similar to the following.

[NOTE: this is for RABBITS]

• Fibre: The higher the fibre content (look for a minimum of 18%) generally the better the food will be for your rabbit's digestion.
• Protein: A healthy adult rabbit needs a protein level of 12-14%. Young rabbits (under five months) need a higher protein level of around 16% to support their rapid growth.
• Calcium & Phosphorus: Calcium should be 0.5 - 1.0% and phosphorus 0.4-0.8%. Equally important is the ratio between the two (which should be 1.5-2:1 calcium to phosphorus).
• Fat: 2.4-5%
• Vitamins: Vitamin D 1000 IU/kg, Vitamin E 50 IU/kg, Vitamin A 10,000 IU/kg
• Ingredients: The ingredients list will be in the order of the proportion included; with the ingredient the food contains most of listed first. Look for brands that list grass (e.g. timothy, alfalfa, fescue, hay or 'forage') ahead of cereals (e.g. wheat, oats, corn, or maize). As grass is higher in fibre and lower in protein than cereals, foods that are grass-based generally also have a more suitable nutritional balance.

 

[Gandalf]

Calcium is the main one to worry about, and the recommendation is to aim for about .4%. The calcium should not come from limestone or calcium carbonate.

I was curious about this since -- for my rabbits -- I've been a fan of Sherwood pellets. I've not looked closely at their piggie pellets.

Based on calcium alone, it seems that the KMS pellets are the best -- .41/.54 are their min/max for calcium.

Oxbow varies based on their line. They are quite similar to Sherwood (one is even higher in calcium than Sherwood).

Here are the min/max calcium for their adult guinea pig lines.

Oxbow Essentials .35/.75
Oxbow Select .35/.75
Oxbow Simple Harvest .4/.8
Oxbow Organic Bounty .6/.9

Sherwood (green or blue) .4/.9

None of the brands appear to have limestone or calcium carbonate listed in their ingredients.

 

[WhyzPiggies2021]

Thank-you to everyone who responded. I ordered from KMS years ago. I think I stopped because of "convenience" and shipping costs. Around that time I heard that Oxbow had improved its ingredients so...

It sounds like KMS would be the best choice today! ����

It is challenging to keep up when companies change the ingredients in their products every few years!
(And when certain Youtubers spreads misinformation but that's a subject for another time...)

Thanks again!

 

[Artista]

Love KMS. They've been having issues with stock due to covid and agricultural stuff so for now you can order 2 lb or 5 lb bag. My friend ordered 2 bags and got 1 then after 2 weeks the 2nd one. Best to go on subscription so you're always in line. I used oxbow timothy hay adult and they didn't eat much. Got kms hayloft timothy hay and my 3 are in heaven.