piggy pellet food

Question
I saw a question you had answered for another person and was wondering if you could send me the same list you had sent them about which food is best for the little guys.  We have one loosing hair.  We have recently changed the humidity a little, but need to keep the humidifier  on if possible.  I thought we were doing it gradually because of the Guinea pigs, but know I don't know.  We will pick up some organic parsley tomorrow and see if that helps.  I thought I had heard that the vit C crystals in the water were not any good because it only lasted an hour or something like that.  I also thought I had heard that after they are older than 6 months you shouldn't feed them pellets with dehydrated Alfalfa meal as  one of the main ingredients.  I just couldn't find anything else.  The list would be of great help.  Thank you for your help.

Answer
I would be happy to send you the Vit C chart. It shows which foods have the greatest amounts of Vit C. Just send me a private message with your email address and I'll send it.

Alfalfa pellets are perfect for cavies. And Vit C crystals will degrade, or disappear, within about 24 hours. That's why the addition is necessary everyday. Clean out the bottle, add fresh water and new crystals.

It's doubtful your pig is losing hair because of the need for Vit C. He may have mites. That's the most common cause and the easy one to treat. Anyone who thinks their animal will never get them probably thinks their dog could never get fleas.

I like Ivermectin Horse paste 1.87% for treating mites. It breaks the breeding cycle of the mites and prevents them from reproducing. A tiny little dab is all it takes. If badly infested you give the Ivermectin, repeat in one week, then two weeks later. After that once every six weeks or so is usually enough.

There are also dips available. They work to kill what's on there but don't keep them away as well as the Ivermectin.

As far as the alfalfa pellets I have to tell you that virtually everyone I know uses nothing but alfalfa pellets from birth to death.  I read all kinds of information about, "Oh gracious, don't give alfalfa to an older pig, or a younger one, or a blue one or a gray one, etc."  Most of that is just plain wrong.

The makers of the feed don't just throw in things without knowing what and why they're doing it. If your budget allows you to feed more expensive pellets that's fine too. But don't feel guilty or wrong if you're feeding the basic alfalfa pellet.

It's more important that it's fresh than anything. If you have only one pig you can keep it in a plastic container (the food of course, not the pig). If you have room the refrigerator is excellent for storage. It's a personal choice.

I'd put my bet on the idea that he has mites rather than just a humidity change. Of course some breeds, like Teddies, tend to go through a short 'molting period' where their coats just don't look all that great for awhile.

Keep your pig clean, well groomed and treat periodically for the mites that they all get sooner or later and his coat should come back.

If you can send me a picture of him it might also help define the problem.