Treats Is this "treat" okay to feed

[CavyTV]

Hello

I've got another question to ask I've been browsing on drsfosterandsmith.com and I saw this:



Now, I know treats that are artificial and have colored-bits are a strict no-no. However, this product claims to have no artificial colors or preservatives...

Here's the description:

Ingredients: Oat Flakes, Pea Flakes, Carrot Flakes, Dried Beets, Alfalfa Hay, Chamomile, Parsley Flakes, Rose Hips, Alfalfa Petals.

Crude Protein	(min) 13.0%
Crude Fat	(min) 1.0%
Crude Fiber	(max) 8.5%
Moisture	(max) 12.0%

*	Gourmet natural small pet treats with beets, cilantro, parsley & more!

*	Healthy snack supplements your small pet's regular diet

*	No artificial color or preservatives

I'm kind of doubtful... I'm not exactly sure if this is okay or if it would just be better and easier to make my own, similar to this. The only con I see in this product is the alfalfa. My boys are older than 6 months, but then again, I wouldn't be feeding this too often.


I've looked up "Sunburst treats" and they look a bit crazy (by this I mean a lot of artificial looking stuff)... Is this one of their "good" products?

To be honest, I don't even think I'll buy this and I think I'll just stick to fresh fruit but I'm kind of curious if this qualifies as one of those "healthy treats".

What do you think?

 

[CavyTV]

For some weird reason, it does not state the calcium content even though there are parsley and alfalfa in the mix.

https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=29195

 

[spy9doc]

What do you think?

I think you have too much time on your hands! :crazy: IMHO it is just another marketing ploy to take your hard-earned money.

I've come to realize that we are all too often guilty of applying human traits to our cavies. When we think of treats, we envision an eclair, mouthwatering flan, cheesecake, cookies, ice cream, or some other guilty pleasure.

I feed my boys virtually the same thing for every meal and they are just as excited tonight as they were last week to see dinner arrive. A treat for them is a delicious food that they don't have very often like a small leaf of kale, celery leaves, dandelion greens, corn husks, melon rind, and of course, a carrot.

Dying to try dried herbs and veggies for your boys? Why not invest in a dehydrator for the entire family? I don't know about IL, but here in the Northeast we have particularly good quality fruits and veggies right now. Maybe I'm biased because I help my neighbor work his garden. You can utilize the plethora of fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, etc and dry them for the long, cold Midwest Winter that will be here before you know it.

 

[CavyTV]

Yeah, that's what I thought I felt kind of ridiculous making this thread but I guess I just really wanted some opinions! I think I'm just kind of obsessed with buying or trying out new things for my pigs... definitely not a good thing! I don't know... I just have this sort of pleasure whenever I buy some new fleece, for example, or a new box of fresh hay.... I clearly have a problem. I don't like to stick with the old, I guess.

The reason this product caught my attention was that I noticed it had pea flakes... something I'm struggling to find. But like you said, I should just stick with the fresh veggies and fruit as that is what's best for them. Thanks for the reply!

 

[spy9doc]

When I think of treats, I can't help but reflect back on my time with my dearly-departed Chester. He was a very curious boy and just loved to try new foods.....even people foods. He literally would take a bite of almost anything before deciding whether or not he liked it.

After going produce shopping, I would put Chester on the kitchen counter while I cleaned and portioned the veggies and fruits. He would then be permitted to taste everything and give it a paws-up or paws down. Below is a pic of Chester at his finest.......attacking his "piggy crack".