Do you know whats in your pellets?

So you may have notice the previous post. I posted about guinea pig nutrition. Recently I have been on a small kick about the girls diet. And for a good reason.

Stella has been  having some issues with the pellets i have been feeding them. I have been trying to get  ether Oxbow or Kleenmama's. But Oxbox is hard to find and Kleenmama is not sold in stores. So i ended up buying Kaytee Forti diet. Well i have been noticing some white powdery stuff on the fleece in the cage. After a thorough investigation i found that Stella was the one.I also looked it up on Guinea Lynx and found this:

NORMAL:
Urine may be clear to cloudy in color. Calcium compounds in the urine cause this cloudiness. Normal urine is not gritty in texture. Dried urine may leave powdery white calcium compounds. Very young guinea pigs often have an orange or brown tint to their urine. Urine sometimes changes to an orange color on standing (this may be the oxidation of porphyrins in the urine).

NOT NORMAL:
    Gritty compounds: may indicate sludge in the bladder. Strong smelling urine may be a sign of dehydration or infection. The gritty deposits are sometimes called sludge, which feels coarse and sandy. Powdery deposits are normal. Rub the deposits between your fingers to determine if they are powdery or gritty.
    Blood in urine is not normal and may be due to a urinary tract infection, bladder stones, or (in females) reproductive problems like pyometra (an infection of the lining of the uterus).
    Incontinence is not normal. Your guinea pig should be relatively dry. If its fur is constantly wet and/or there is an odor, be sure to have your pet checked out for a urinary tract infection or other problem.

TIP: To check for sludge, line the cage with dark colored towels. To check for blood, use light colored towels. 

After reading this i went over to Guinea pig Cages and to find out which foods that might be causing this. As of right now. They get Lettuce, Peppers, Cilantro and Zucchini daily. Which are safe foods to feed everyday. Then on Mon/Wed/Fri they get Dandelions and tomatoes. T/Th/Sat they get baby carrots and cucumbers. And on Sundays they get Broccoli and a piece of fruit.  On our next food shopping day i plan to change the girls diet. I'm going to be adding and rearranging foods. I will have that in a different post.

I thought that may be i was feeding to many food that were high in calcium so i stopped feeding all veggies so that her system could flushed out any extra out for a week. But she was leaving even more. Since she was just eating the hay and pellets. Well hay isn't high in calcium. But alfalfa is. So i took a look at the ingredients of the pellets and the first thing that was listed was calcium.  Alfalfa Hay is to be given only to pregnant, nursing and growing guinea pigs. Not Adults.  So i stopped giving her the Kaytee Forti Diet. Since i have stopped feeding her the Forti diet she no long is leaving white spots in the cage.
  
Kleenmama you can only order online, as i said before. So after adding up how much we pay for hay which is like $12 for a 2 and half bag of hay from Kaytee and $7 dollars for a 5 pound bag of Kaytee timothy complete.  I will be ordering Kleenmama's from now on. I can get a 15 pounds of bluegrass hay for $14 and  $10 for a 9 pound bag of pellets. Which will be timothy based.


Kleenmama and Oxbow are the very few guinea pig foods that are the best for them. The dont have all of the extra garbage thats in the Kaytee,
After looking farther into this Kaytee has ingredients that i know a guinea pig should not be eating. In bold should not be in guinea pig pellets. I'm sure there are more that i'm not aware of. 

Taken from Guinea lynx

Kaytee Forti Diet Ingredients
Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Ground Corn, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Ground Oats, Ground Wheat, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dried Cane Molasses, Corn Oil, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Potassium Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), DL-Methionine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin A Supplement, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Carbonate, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Ethoxyquin (a preservative), Zinc Oxide, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of vitamin K activity), Copper Oxide, Cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min.) 18.0% Crude Fat (min.) 3.5% Crude Fiber (max.) 14.0% Moisture (max.) 12.0% Ascorbic Acid (min.) 100 mg/lb
 
And I'm pretty sure that Ethoxyquin is toxic in high doses. 



This is Kleemama's Timothy Choice Pellets

Timothy grass hay, oats, wheat, barley, soybean hulls, soy meal, Choline Chloride, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A supplement,Vitamin E supplement, Manganese Oxide, Meniodine Bisulfate, dl-Methionine, Zinc Oxide, d-Calcium Pantothenate,Copper Sulfate, Niacin, d-Biotin supplement, Pyrideoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 supplement, Riboflavin supplement, Cobalt Sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, Calcium Iodate, Cane molasses

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min) 14.00 %
Crude Fat (min) 2.5 %
Crude Fiber (min) 20.00 %
Crude Fiber (max) 25.00 %
Vitamin A (IU/KG) 30,000
Vitamin D-3 (ICU/KG) 1,000
Vitamin C (mg/kg) 1,000
Calcium (min) 0.7
Phosphorus (min) 0.4

This is Oxbow Cavy Cuisine (Timothy based by Oxbow)

Crude Protein min 14.00 \\\%
Crude Fat min 1.50 \\\%
Crude Fiber min 25.00 \\\%
Crude Fiber max 28.00 \\\%
Calcium min 0.35 \\\%
Calcium max 0.85 \\\%
Phosphorus min 0.25 \\\%
Salt min 0.50 \\\%
Salt max 1.00 \\\%
Vitamin A, IU/lb min 13,000
Vitamin C, mg/lb min 200

Ingredients

Timothy Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Salt, Limestone, Molasses Products, Yeast Culture, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Monophosphate L-ascorbic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Biotin, Thiamine, Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Lysine Hydrochloride, Sodium Selenite, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex and Cobalt Glucoheptonate.

Kleenmama and Oxbow are the very few Guinea pig foods that are the best for them.They dont have garbage that other brands have.  Here is more info on pellets.

Sorry but i will not link to Kaytee.

Nutrition

Information is from Guinea Lynx, The Guinea Pig Forum and Guinea Pig Cages

Make sure that pellets, grass hay and water are always available. Here is the safe food list. Also a a cup of veggies per pig is a MUST daily.

Pellets

Plain dye free high quality guinea pig pellets formulated with vitamin C. Each guinea pig will eat approximately 1/8 cup of pellets a day. Store in a dry cool dark place to preserve the vitamin C. Always check the expiration date.

Most guinea pig pellets are alfalfa based. Alfalfa pellets are recommended for young, growing and pregnant guinea pigs. After your guinea pig is about a six months old, a timothy based pellet, which provides less calcium, is good choice .

Ingredients to AVOID in guinea pig pellets:

• Corn products including corn bran, corn germ, corn gluten, ground corn, etc. Corn is not a food for guinea pigs. High in fat and certain sugars/starch depending on the product. Some corn can be contaminated with deadly aflatoxin which can cause liver failure and death.

• Animal products. Can contain animal fat, meat, tallow, animal digest, steroid, bone meal, and eggs

• Beet pulp

• Seeds, Nuts, or Oils. Too high in fat and protein.

• Rice Bran or Rice Flour

• Vegetable Fiber. Can include sawdust

Mixes or treats with nuts, seeds, dried fruit and dyed pieces.

• No mineral wheels.

• No dairy and meat products

• No multivitamins! Plain vitamin C is fine, but multivitamins are not. Excessive amounts of vitamins like A and D can cause serious problems for your pet.

• Never give rabbit pellets. They do not contain Vitamin C and can be toxic to guinea pigs.

• Seeds in husks can be a choking hazard.

• Never use Tang
  

Hay

When selecting look for these signs of good hay.

• Leafy
  

• Natural green color

• A fresh and clean smell. No moldy/musty or burnt smell

• Very soft
  

• Free of trash, weeds, dirt and other foreign materials

Grass Hay
Hay is a staple of the guinea pig diet.

Because the back teeth are continually growing, guinea pigs need to be constantly grazing and grinding to keep the teeth at a good length. Hay is only a small source of protein and nutrients. Eating the long hay strands keeps their digestive system moving and helps prevent their teeth from over growing.

If your a person that suffers from allergies Bluegrass and Orchard have been know to help with allergies. Bluegrass is also less duster then all of the other hays.

Types of grass :

• Meadow

• Timothy

• Orchard Grass

• Bluegrass

• Oat

• Brome

• Rye

Alfalfa

Alfalfa hay can be given to young guinea pigs, pregnant, nursing or malnourished adults. It is high calcium content. Alfalfa should be reserved as a treat for the average adult guinea pigs. Alfalfa is NOT a replacement for grass hay. Can be used to supplement the diet of some pigs. Excess calcium could contribute to the formation of bladder stones in older guinea pigs. Some guinea pigs prone to stones or suffering from specific medical illnesses should not be fed calcium rich hays.

Storing Hay

Using a plastic storage bin with the top open, you can drill holes on the sides. You can also use pillow case or cotton laundry hamper. Also cardboard boxes work well also.

Vitamin C

Guinea pigs cannot manufacture their own vitamin C and require 10 to 30 mg/kg daily to prevent scurvy. While many guinea pigs receive adequate vitamin C from fresh vegetables and pellets. Young, ill, nursing and pregnant animals require extra vitamin C.

Vegetables

A cup a day of fresh vegetables are an important additional source of vitamin C and other nutrients. Vegetables must be introduced slowly, to avoid digestive upsets. You can supply a variety of them to your pet when introduced. The key is to maintain your pigs' health. Vegetables can be provided two or more times a day, removing uneaten vegetables to prevent spoiling.

Water

Fresh, cold water, changed daily. Vitamin drops or medications should not be added in the water.

Reasons for not putting Vitamin drops in the water

• Water is vital to good health but because vitamin C changes the flavor, they may drink less.

• Ascorbic acid degrades rapidly once added to water.

• Foraged foods can add interest to the typical guinea pig diet and provide vitamin C, minerals and nutrients.

  Some guinea pigs drink a lot and some very little, so it is impossible to know how much vitamin C your pet is getting.
  
  

Forages

A diet that includes grass and other fresh forages can improve the health of your guinea pigs.

Foraged foods can add interest to the typical guinea pig diet and provide vitamin C, minerals and nutrients.

Owners should be careful when offering weeds and grasses from their yard, garden, or a nearby field.

Make sure you know what you are offering your pet. Consult the list here for some familiar plants often offered guinea pigs. The list of safe foods not complete and includes some foods that should be offered sparingly or only when young.

• Avoid areas that have been treated with herbicides and pesticides.

• Avoid areas heavily frequented by dogs or livestock whose feces may contaminate the plants.

• Avoid plants that have molds, fungus, or mildews.

• Avoid plants growing along side of heavily trafficked roads.

Quantity

Introduce items slowly, gradually increasing the amount offered their pet. During the winter it may be more difficult to forage for plants.

Nutrition