Oxbow Guinea Pig Food: A Perfect Choice for Your Small Fluffball

Guinea pigs are one of the best small pets for Aussie families that do not have the necessary free space for the ownership of a more active animal like a cat or a dog. Do you want to empower your children and enjoy the company of an intelligent and gentile pet who can adapt perfectly to the particularities of your loved ones? In such a case, guinea pigs are one of the best options available in our country. Small, cute, communicative and highly social, guinea pigs are the perfect companions for families in which space comes at a premium.

You don’t really need much in order to keep them happy. A decent-sized cage, some toys and Oxbow guinea pig food should be enough to encourage the proper mental and physical health development of your new fluffball. Plus, you don’t even need to look for premium products. Guinea pigs are not fussy animals and can very well adapt to budget pet supplies that provide a decent price-to-quality ratio. Does this mean you should only look for cheap items? No, of course not. Guinea pigs are robust little animals, and they are quite healthy compared to other rodents. That said, their well-being will be influenced by the products you buy.

Budget-oriented doesn’t necessarily have to mean cheap and of inferior quality. The costs associated with the pet ownership of dogs and cats are significantly larger than those for guinea pigs. However, you will still have to invest in products like Oxbow guinea pig food and other budget pet supplies. Do you want to focus your attention on only one thing? Then, you should pick food, as the proper nutrition of your pet will be the main factor influencing its long-term health.

What Should Not Be Missing from Guinea Pig Food?

In the rodent world, guinea pigs are actually considered one of the longest living animals that can also adapt well to apartment living and make great pets for families with small children. Sure, they will not win any longevity contests, but guinea pigs can live for more than six years in captivity, and their ownership process will, for the most part, be determined by the quality of the food they have access to. What should not be missing from the pellets you feed to your small but adorable pet? Let’s find out: 

First and foremost, the pellets you go for, like the one in the renowned Oxbow guinea pig food should primarily make use of Timothy Hay in the composition and also be supplemented with vitamin C. Unlike other animals, guinea pigs cannot produce vitamin C, and they are predisposed to deficiency, which in some extreme cases can lead to joint issues and hair loss. You should look for pellets with a minimum cure protein percentage of 14%, that come bundled with Vitamin E, D and A, and that also have a moisture level that’s appropriate for the digestion of your fluffball.

Why Choose Oxbow Guinea Pig Food?

Short answer? Quality. Oxbow guinea pig food is made from Timothy grass, soybean hulls, wheat middlings and added zinc and Vitamin E supplement, amongst other ingredients designed to give your fluffball the energy required for day-to-day activities. The formula of the pellets manufactured by Oxbow is specially designed to meet the nutritional requirements of adult guinea pigs without further investments in external supplements. Yes, for gestating and young guinea pigs, the situation is a bit different.

However, for adult guinea pigs, the Oxbow pellets, should provide the optimum nutritional balance for predictable growth. Fibber is an essential element in a guinea pig’s diet, and for this reason, the pellets produced by Oxbow utilise Timothy hay as their prime component, which is perhaps the most widely-recommended type of grass for the nutritional requirements of small rodents.

The pellets are fortified with supplementary nutrients like copper sulphate and selenium yeast, and Oxbow, as a brand, is one of the most recognisable names in the small rodent subsection of the Australian pet food industry. Sure, Oxbow is not an Australian brand, as the brand was started in 1992 by John Miller, a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. That said, Oxbow enjoys name recognition in our country, and its products benefit from one of the highest R&D budgets in the industry. Speaking of budgets:

What Other Budget Pet Supplies Should You Invest In?

Food will represent perhaps the most pressing ongoing expense associated with your guinea pig’s ownership. But it will not be the only expense you’ll have to worry about. Do you want your guinea pig to have an active lifestyle and be comfortable in the company of your family? In that case, you will have to invest in a well-ventilated cage and in high-quality bedding, which will be necessary for absorbing the odours associated with their dejections. On top of that, you will also have to purchase food and water bowls, chew toys and maybe a couple of tunnels and small hideouts in which your pet can retreat when it feels threatened.

All in all, the cost associated with the ownership of a guinea pig should be much more advantageous than it will be for cats and dogs. A small wire hutch suitable for both guinea pigs and rabbits should be available for under $100, while bedding should not account for more than $150 per year. Toys and supplementary budget pet supplies would be cheap, and the food costs per year, for a guinea pig, should at most total $300. Guinea pigs are not fussy animals, and realistically, after the initial setup, their total ownership costs per year should not go over $800.

With some budget pet supplies and an ample supply of high-quality pellets that incorporate Timothy hay in the formula, you should be set for at least a couple of months. That said, it’s important to only look for guinea food that’s manufactured by reputable brands approved by the PFIAA. Guinea pigs are robust little animals, but a lack of proper nutrients in their food can, in some cases, lead to hard-to-treat issues like urinary stones or even scurvy.