Nutrition Hay and Pellets For Young Pigs

[TheBlackSwann]

Should I feed young Guinea pigs alfalfa hay and pellets or timothy hay and pellets if they are under 6 months? I have heard of people doing both so I don't know which kind to buy. Also, is KMS Hayloft cheaper than oxbow even with the shipping?

 

[peachyteen]

if they are under 6 months they can have alfalfa hay and pellets or you can do Timothy hay and pellets but supplement the missing calcium with a sprig of parsley every 2 or so days. KMS is slightly cheaper per pound than oxbow by ~$.50 and KMS is slightly better because it doesn't use limestone for the calcium in the pellets

 

[TheBlackSwann]

[MENTION=36294]peachyteen[/MENTION], do u think the 50 pound bag of pellets well not get old if I am only feeding two pigs?

 

[PeanutnCookie]

How old are your guinea pigs now? Since they only need about an 1/8 of a cup per day, 50 lbs will take a really long time to get used up. I would get a smaller bag so they don't go bad.

 

[bpatters]

Alfalfa hay OR alfalfa pellets, not both. It's better if they have timothy hay -- they need a long strand grass hay, and alfalfa isn't a grass hay, it's a legume, like peas.

Or they can have timothy pellets and timothy hay, and another calcium source, like parsley.

 

[FoxOfShadows]

i wouldnt get more then a 25lb bag for just 2 pigs....with 50lb bag the vit c would degrade and not be useful and youd have to supplement with high vit c veggies. i have a pair of girls and just buy a 10lb bag of TC pellets from KMS and it lasts a reasonable amount of time

 

[peachyteen]

[MENTION=36294]peachyteen[/MENTION], do u think the 50 pound bag of pellets well not get old if I am only feeding two pigs?

I got the 10lb bag in October (for 2 piggies 1/8 cup a day each) and we still have 1/3-1/4 of a gallon zip lock bag left

 

[TheBlackSwann]

i wouldnt get more then a 25lb bag for just 2 pigs....with 50lb bag the vit c would degrade and not be useful and youd have to supplement with high vit c veggies. i have a pair of girls and just buy a 10lb bag of TC pellets from KMS and it lasts a reasonable amount of time

Could I freeze the pellets or would that take the vitamin c out too?

 

[peachyteen]

Could I freeze the pellets or would that take the vitamin c out too?

freezing them can extend how long it takes for the vit c to degrade, but I'm not sure how much more time it buys you. I wouldnt buy any bigger than a 25lb bag. I think the vit c degrades after about 6 months and it's taken about 5 monhs to go through 8lbs or so between 2 pigs.