not so healthy piggie pellets

[Trixie]

Here I thought that Kaytee was a good brand of pellets to be feeding my piggies. Through further research and lots of reading. I have found out wrong. Not only is this brand not so good for my piggies but I have yet to really find one without corn listed or byproducts listed.. here are the list of ingerdients

dehydrated alfalfa meal, ground corn,dehulled soybean meal, ground oats,ground wheat, hulled sunflower,oats,corn,wheat,oat groats, dehydrated carrots,green split peas, barley, toasted corn flakes, dried bananas,raisins,safflower,shelled peanuts, pumpkin seeds, dried papaya, dehydrated sweet potatoes, dehydrated apples, dicalcium ohosphate, dried cane molasses, soy oil, salt.calcium carbonate, magnesium oxide, potassium chloride, L-ascorby1-2 polyphospate (source of vitamin c) DL-methionine L-Lysine, Yucca schidigera extract, vitamin A supplment, Choline chloride, ferrous carbonate, riboflavin supplement, Managanous oxide, ethoxyquin (a perservative) zinc oxide, vitiamin b12 supplement, vitamin e supplement, niacin, menadione sodium, bisulfite complex(source of vitamin k activity), cholecalciferol (source of vitamin d3), calcium pantathenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, folic acid, calcium iodate, colbalt carbonate, dodium selenite, artificial color.

Should I not feed them any more of these pellets and pick them up some on thrusday night when hubby gets paid? From what I have read this is like all the no no's all in bag. Any ideas would help please..

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

There are too many chemicals in Kaytee. They also support pet mills. They buy parrots from pet mills and re sell them to Petsmart as their 'Kaytee Select' Parrots or something like that.

Is there a way you can get Oxbow where you are? Or some people just feed unlimited hay and extra veggies, without pellets.

Which Kaytee is it? Forti diet? Fiesta Mix?

 

[Stereophobia]

I dont use pellets at all myself, I do however give them some of the tougher crunchier treats to help keep their teeth in shape.

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Hay usually accomplishes that.

 

[Stereophobia]

It worked fine for two of my pigs, but the eldest needed somthing extra to help her keep her teeth filled, plus Im a soft touch when it comes to them, so I dont mind giving in to them when it comes to just a few little treats.

 

[Trixie]

its the fiesta mix.. and no the closest place to get oxbow is a 4 hr drive.. which I will be getting that come feb. 17 when I go on a field trip(school bus driver) with the swim to state finals. I will have time also to check out the rescue center there also since we don't have one here. While I am there I will also be able to pick up some different types of hay for my piggies since it isnt availble here.. most feed stores here just carry hay for horses and rabbits. I live in a huge farming area. but no fresh timothy

 

[muffin_401]

What kind of good crunchy treats are there? I think I'm going to stop giving pellets since she really doesnt eat them anyway and i read the ingredients and its got corn meal in it... what other things would work for keeping their teeth in order?

 

[Stereophobia]

Not sure how many of the UK products you could get your hands on, but the favourite for mine are rollis party mix, which are hoops of crushed dried vagtables, they look a bit like cat biscuits only colourful (yellow seems to be a firm favourite) and the other is bonbino's which are the same in balls, and come in either carrot or beetroot flavour.
Plus the treats double up as a toy, I have an oversized cat ball with a bell inside, I stick a few of the treats in the ball and they play for ages getting the treats out.

Ater having a good look at the packets, they are sold in the USA but for some reason with a different recipe which uses wheat grits and corn bran. Im not sure why it would be a different recipe from the one they use in all of europe (speaking german sometimes comes in useful) but even the neutrients differ from the US mix. seems that us Brits get the better deal for once. Im sure though that the US will have somthing simillar or better to these though.

Another thing I use to keep them chewing is a toy called the "nutty knot nibbler" which is a strange ball made up odd coloured wooden sticks (cavia friendly) held together by thinner dowl thats threatded into the sticks, with a big nut in the middle. Sorry for the vague description but it really is a weird looking thing, kinda reminds me of the WWII tank traps only with more stems

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

The Fiesta Mix with the colored bits and seeds? Those aren't good. They're fattening and can choke. Can you get plain pellets only? You can order Oxbow online. If you order a certain amount, you get free shipping at the ferretstore or critterstore.

its the fiesta mix.. and no the closest place to get oxbow is a 4 hr drive.. which I will be getting that come feb. 17 when I go on a field trip(school bus driver) with the swim to state finals. I will have time also to check out the rescue center there also since we don't have one here. While I am there I will also be able to pick up some different types of hay for my piggies since it isnt availble here.. most feed stores here just carry hay for horses and rabbits. I live in a huge farming area. but no fresh timothy

 

[RubyPiggie2]

dehydrated alfalfa meal, ground corn,dehulled soybean meal, ground oats,ground wheat, hulled sunflower,oats,corn,wheat,oat groats, dehydrated carrots,green split peas, barley, toasted corn flakes, dried bananas,raisins,safflower,shelled peanuts, pumpkin seeds, dried papaya, dehydrated sweet potatoes, dehydrated apples, dicalcium ohosphate, dried cane molasses, soy oil, salt.calcium carbonate, magnesium oxide, potassium chloride, L-ascorby1-2 polyphospate (source of vitamin c) DL-methionine L-Lysine, Yucca schidigera extract, vitamin A supplment(Don't know if this is horribly bad, but do know that too much can hurt pigs, like carrots), Choline chloride, ferrous carbonate, riboflavin supplement, Managanous oxide, ethoxyquin (a perservative)(deadly), zinc oxide, vitiamin b12 supplement, vitamin e supplement, niacin, menadione sodium, bisulfite complex(source of vitamin k activity), cholecalciferol (source of vitamin d3), calcium pantathenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, folic acid, calcium iodate, colbalt carbonate, dodium selenite, artificial color.

I think I got most of it..That is some of the bad things in there, and all the dried things are because they aren't supposed to have dried treats, mixes, ect. All in all, Kaytee sucks.

 

[Trixie]

I agree with you Ruby