Pelletless pellet??
I'd be interested for sure. This concept has been done before in other species many times over. It's just that guinea pigs are lower on the todem (sp?) pole than say cats and dogs or horses.
For example, many supplements are made for horses who can't eat grain or pellets or who are on a limited ration. This is done for many reasons, but usually it's because they aren't active enough to warrant the extra calories from bagged feeds. These horses would then have to get all their nutrients from hay and grass (assuming they are grazed). Since that's asking a lot from just hay many owners supplement with vitamin and mineral formulas. Many of these are either powdered or come in a pelleted form.
I can't see how you could feed a powdered vitamin and mineral supplement to guinea pigs unless you sprinkled it on their lettuce or something. It does seem reasonable to create a concentrated pellet though.
I guess I'm lucky because my pig barely touches his pellets (oxbow) and prefers his veggies and hay. But, for the greater good of all piggies, this idea sounds great!
Count me in as a supporter!
For example, many supplements are made for horses who can't eat grain or pellets or who are on a limited ration. This is done for many reasons, but usually it's because they aren't active enough to warrant the extra calories from bagged feeds. These horses would then have to get all their nutrients from hay and grass (assuming they are grazed). Since that's asking a lot from just hay many owners supplement with vitamin and mineral formulas. Many of these are either powdered or come in a pelleted form.
I can't see how you could feed a powdered vitamin and mineral supplement to guinea pigs unless you sprinkled it on their lettuce or something. It does seem reasonable to create a concentrated pellet though.
I guess I'm lucky because my pig barely touches his pellets (oxbow) and prefers his veggies and hay. But, for the greater good of all piggies, this idea sounds great!
Count me in as a supporter!
- Lynx
- Celebrate!!!
It is my personal belief that if we could come up with some guidelines for a pelletless diet (I can fine tune an excel chart, you guys can get accurate scales), the best bet is to have individuals here try it, track diet religiously, and have a necropsy done on any pig that dies so it can be determined if stones were present.
There might be other people willing to be the control group and necropsy their animals.
The key would be documenting diet (which is what you wonder about) and doing a necropsy to determine if stones were present, thickening of the bladder, signs of bladder scaring, -- whether or not that was the cause of death.
I think it starts with you guys, not with raising money for a study (it would never be enough). You can be the study.
There might be other people willing to be the control group and necropsy their animals.
The key would be documenting diet (which is what you wonder about) and doing a necropsy to determine if stones were present, thickening of the bladder, signs of bladder scaring, -- whether or not that was the cause of death.
I think it starts with you guys, not with raising money for a study (it would never be enough). You can be the study.
- WEAVER
- one pig at a time.
Lynx, if you could work out a diet, I would love to go pelletless. I am not sure what I would have to do for several of my elderly pigs who just can not tolerate certain veggies, but I am very open for suggestions. With having seven pigs over the age of five, and several others close to being seniors, I am very receptive to new ideas to help keep them healthy and happy.
I for one would REALLY appreciate you taking the time to work on a well balanced diet. I would be willing to have my babies "guinea pigs" in this experiment.
I for one would REALLY appreciate you taking the time to work on a well balanced diet. I would be willing to have my babies "guinea pigs" in this experiment.
- WEAVER
- one pig at a time.
Doug just brought up a good point, with our pigs already being fed pellets their entire life, would'nt they alreay have some sort of stone possibly forming? Would it have to be a baby pig that does this "test" who has never had pellets compared to those of ours that have eatten them their whole life? Or do our pigs have so many health issues becuase of their previous conditions before coming to live with us? I always feel that a lot of my pig's health issues are becuase of treatment they had before coming here.
- Sef
- I dissent.
No, not proposing we fund a study...proposing that those of us interested in her "pelletless-pellet" product, help with costs associated with developing it. Maybe an auction or something similar would help. It was just a thought.
Bug's Mom -- Kleenmama was proposing a nutritional supplement. A sort of "weekly" vitamin, I think.
Bug's Mom -- Kleenmama was proposing a nutritional supplement. A sort of "weekly" vitamin, I think.
Easier than that. Add the powder to water, then mix the water with some Hershey's strawberry syrup to make it taste great.I can't see how you could feed a powdered vitamin and mineral supplement to guinea pigs unless you sprinkled it on their lettuce or something. It does seem reasonable to create a concentrated pellet though.
I have 3 guinea pigs of my own right now. Tika and Crysania are both under 6 months old, but no idea how old Alpha is. When Alpha finally gives up those precious bundles of energy she's hiding in her womb, I intend to keep any sow pups, as well as give them equally bizarre names.Doug just brought up a good point, with our pigs already being fed pellets their entire life, would'nt they alreay have some sort of stone possibly forming? Would it have to be a baby pig that does this "test" who has never had pellets compared to those of ours that have eatten them their whole life? Or do our pigs have so many health issues becuase of their previous conditions before coming to live with us? I always feel that a lot of my pig's health issues are becuase of treatment they had before coming here.
I'm willing to give it a shot.