[Gpdd] re: [CARE] Alfalfa

[Lauren Cordeiro]

Hi Kelly and Checkers,
 
First off, how old is Checkers? Alfalfa is a legume hay, whereas timothy hay is a grass hay. Alfalfa has higher levels of protein and calcium, which are good for growing pigs (under a year old) and pregnant/nursing pigs, but are too high for normal adult pigs a year and older, who should get a constant supply of a grass hay instead (like timothy). High calcium levels in the diet can contribute to bladder stones, although as Tex has pointed out in previous posts, the cause of bladder stones are varied and largely unknown. (Especially if the stones were the kind with the oxalate shell, then you should try to avoid veggies like spinach and swiss chard which are high in oxalic acid). Tex has a website on bladderstones that I bookmarked: www.gpigs-database.org
 
For my adult piggies I give them Oxbow's Cavy Cuisine, which is made from timothy hay. Most pellets that you find at petstores are made from alfalfa, which could be something to consider for your adult pigs. Although just recently at PetsMart they added Kaytee's new pellets that are timothy-based for gpigs, so perhaps the pet food industry is finally paying more attention to this issue.
 
wheeeeeek wheeeeeks,
Pooh, Piglet, and Lauren


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