Pellets NEW Hay/Pellet Combo Packages From Small Pet Select

[Laurie]

Hello Everyone!

We (Billy and Laurie from Small Pet Select) are pleased to announce our new timothy hay based pellets for guinea pigs! We have been working on these for a long time and we are very excited to finally make them available. We've been selling them through our website over the past few weeks and so far the feedback has been really great, so please make sure to check them out at https://shop.smallpetselect.com/ .





Price and Size Info

We have an option to order pellets alone or in combo packages with our timothy hay. Below are the options we have currently available:


(broken link removed) (updated 7.27.2013)
5lbs Timothy Hay Based Guinea Pig Food Pellets - $19.99
*Use code Gpigcages for Free Shipping!

CLICK FOR COMBO PACKAGES (Hay + Pellets)
5lbs of Small Pet Select Timothy Hay + 2lbs Timothy Hay Based Guinea Pig Pellets - $27.99
10lbs of Small Pet Select Timothy Hay + 4lbs Timothy Hay Based Guinea Pig Pellets - $39.99 (Most Popular Option So Far)
*Use code Gpigcages for Free Shipping!

More Info About The Pellets
· These pellets are of course timothy based. The hay that is used in these pellets has been hand selected for quality.
· Nutritionally -- these pellets are fortified with all the essential vitamins and minerals that guinea pigs need, including the stabilized form of Vitamin C. The formula of ingredients and nutrition facts are very similar to what you will find in the leading store brands.
· These pellets are milled in very small batches and we ship them direct to our customers. This is the primary difference from the pellets sold in the stores. While some of the leading brands of pellets that are sold in stores are nutritionally sound, they still have to go through a long supply chain before eventually reaching the retail store (a process that can take several months or even years). So you will notice a much stronger aroma when you open a bag of our pellets...and the taste testers have really seemed to appreciate this.



Below is a picture of a 4lb bag of pellets inside of a 10lb box of timothy hay.





We hope your guinea pigs will love these....if you guys have any questions just let us know by emailing [email protected] and we'll be happy to help you!

 

[Beth Pearson]

I love your Timothy hay, as do my girls. I ordered an 8lb box a while back and it lasted almost two months between my then four pigs I will be ordering from you again once I run out of the KMS I have now. I am actually quite excited to try your pellets out as well!!

 

[Laurie]

I love your Timothy hay, as do my girls. I ordered an 8lb box a while back and it lasted almost two months between my then four pigs I will be ordering from you again once I run out of the KMS I have now. I am actually quite excited to try your pellets out as well!!

So great to hear, thank you so much Beth! I really think they'll like the pellets too. If you ever need anything just let us know and we'll be glad to help. Thanks again and hope you have an awesome WHEEK-end!

 

[UchihaMickey]

o: Great reviews, ill have to test these out for myself

 

[Lasinalia]

This may seem crass, but why are they so expensive? A bale of hay shouldn't be more than $7 so why is the food so dang expensive?

 

[Laurie]

This may seem crass, but why are they so expensive? A bale of hay shouldn't be more than $7 so why is the food so dang expensive?

Hi Lasinalia. That's a perfectly good question, and no offense taken here! There's no doubt that it is less expensive to buy a bale of hay directly from a farmer if you have access to good quality supply. And if you are lucky enough to find what you are looking for at $7 / bale, we would actually encourage you to do that. Currently we are paying over three times that amount to get the very best quality timothy hay possible, even though we are buying in bulk (we will purchase over 120 tons of hay this year for our customers).

It can actually be very difficult to find high quality hay, particularly high quality grass hay, and even more difficult to find high quality 2nd cutting premium/softer type timothy hay - the type that the majority of guinea pigs like to eat. We are from Washington State, and there is more timothy hay grown in the Pacific Northwest than anywhere else in the world. But the truth is, it is still very difficult to source a true premium 2nd cutting timothy hay...even if you are purchasing in bulk like us. Fortunately we have been involved in this industry for a long time so we are able to network with a number of people that have relationships with hundreds of farmers throughout the Pacific Northwest. This way we are able to select the very best hay from all of the hay out there.

Another issue is if you are only interested in purchasing one or two bales, unfortunately most farmers don't deal in those small of quantities as they sell hay by the ton, not by the bale or by the pound.

The other issue is of course shipping. The majority of timothy hay in the world is produced in the Western United States, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. So the shipping costs are a large component as well.

With that said, we certainly understand that it is very expensive! And we may not be the perfect solution for everyone. However, we also know there is another issue, and that is that many piggies are so darn picky....and so we've really tried to focus on quality first. Our mission is really to make sure that guinea pigs and other small pets at least have the option to get a hay that they enjoy eating. Afterall, this helps to avoid trips to the vet for health issues related to lack of hay consumption. Vet trips tend to cost a lot...so in many cases it can end up saving a lot of money to feed the higher quality products.

Sorry for rambling on...I hope this helps to explain a little more about hay. If you have any other questions just let me know and will be glad to talk more!

 

[Melissa123]

I just got my first order from you guys! My piggies and I just love it! Loved the free shipping and the fact that there was no black bag I had to rip out from around the hay. As we all know- that is a pain when dealing with such huge box of hay!

I usually buy KMS Bluegrass hay but one of my boys is having a bloat issue and for whatever reason he prefers his hay to be firmer instead of the super soft type that the Bluegrass is. @Beth Pearson recommended your hay so I thought I would try it out.
He is loving the timothy hay from you guys! He is a huge fan of seed heads.

I did have a question about your pellets if you wouldn't mind answering. What type of calcium do you use? Limestone or something else? Thanks!


@Lasinalia, You get what you pay for when it comes to hay and pellets. Trust me. You could go to a local feed store and buy a bale but even if it looks nice and green out the outer part it may be nasty on the inside.
After having my pigs on several different brands of hay/ pellets over the years I know 100% there are 2 brands my pigs and I love. Cheaper isn't always better.

 

[Lasinalia]

So here's another question. Is grass hay same as timothy? Or opposite? Friend of mine gets it for her bunnies so i didn't know if it was okay for my piggerts. Don't wanna deal with calcium badness this early in their lives.

 

[Laurie]

So here's another question. Is grass hay same as timothy? Or opposite? Friend of mine gets it for her bunnies so i didn't know if it was okay for my piggerts. Don't wanna deal with calcium badness this early in their lives.

Well, timothy hay is actually just one of the types of grass hay. In other words, there are several different grass hays out there, and timothy hay is one of them. Some the others are orchard grass, oat hay, brome, etc. etc. Timothy hay is just the most popular type of grass hay. You do not have to worry about calcium with timothy hay. Alfalfa and other legume hays are the ones that are going to be higher in calcium and protein content etc. So we would advise you feed grass hay (whether it's our timothy hay or some other type of grass hay) and avoid feeding a lot of rich alfalfa or legume hays, and you should be in good shape!

 

[lissie]

Don't wanna deal with calcium badness this early in their lives.

How old are you pigs? If they are younger than 6 month, part of their diets should have more calcium than adults. That can either be in the form of alfalfa pellets, alfalfa hay as a supplement (not to replace grass hay), or calcium rich veggies.

 

[Melissa123]

@Laurie, what is the calcium used in your pellets? Thanks!

 

[pinky]

@Laurie, what is the calcium used in your pellets? Thanks!

Their packaging says calcium carbonate. I attached the link.

(broken link removed)

 

[Melissa123]

Their packaging says calcium carbonate. I attached the link.

(broken link removed)

Thank you!
I looked and looked- apparently not in the correct spots!

 

[Lasinalia]

Thanks!!! I'm looking right now to see how old they are. I have mama n her two daughters but not sure when they were born.

 

[Lasinalia]

Ooookay my babies were born June 11th! Don't know when their mama was born tho. They were all in with daddy for awhile right after birth and brother may have gotten my two babies prego cuz "stripers" was thought to be a girl. I might have three prego guinea pigs or none at all...

 

[Artista]

Their packaging says calcium carbonate. I attached the link.

(broken link removed)

Same as Oxbow..

 

[pinky]

Same as Oxbow..

...calcium carbonate is limestone and is also contained in Sweet Meadow pellets but not KM, which uses calcium iodate which may be formed by the anodic oxidation of calcium iodide or by passing chlorine into a hot solution of lime in which iodine has been dissolved. I use KM pellets and my guinea pigs prefer them to the others.

 

[lunarminx]

So their food is not good for stone prone piggies?

 

[pinky]

So their food is not good for stone prone piggies?

It's hard to say what leads to stones. There are different types of stones so the cause can be diet related or simply due to genetics. I'd limit pellets to 1/8 cup a day or less for a guinea pig you know is prone to stones and follow the diet and nutrition chart to maintain a low calcium diet. That might not even work for a guinea pig that is genetically predisposed for stones. A few years ago, my vet told me that a Chicago university was trying to find a diet that would eliminate stone formation in guinea pigs but had no success.

 

[Artista]

I'm not risking stones for my gp. Besides, KMS pellets are fatter,fresh and smell wonderful and the price is great. The hay and pellets from small pet select is expensive! Maybe it's partly because it comes in nice packaging? Pulling plastic out of a box of hay is fine with me to save money and my pig is in love with KMS so why switch it?