I need help changing my biscuit mix

My hogs are on a mix of 3 biccies but I would like to change one of them but I don't know what to change it to. This is the mix,

Half James Wellbeloved Adult Turkey and Rice
Quarter GoCat Complete Indoor cat chicken with veg
Quarter Tesco premium cat crunchies duck rabbit chicken and veg

I want to switch the Tesco one because I don't shop there and it's a pain in the bum going to Tesco just for that but what should I switch it to?.

Also, the james Wellbeloved doesn't say how much fat is in it but it does say 18% oil, is that the fat content? If so isn't it a bit too high?

Yes the James Wellbeloves is 18% fat which is much too high. If you still want to use this brand then just swop to the senior/light which *I think* off the top of my head is 12% (same as Burns if I can remember rightly) If you see no fat content listed, then it comes under Oil

You said you don't shop in Tesco, where do you shop? I'm willing to bet that the shop you do use will have a biscuit very similar to the Tesco one you are using be it Asda or Morrisons etc.

Or just take a look at the other food available where you buy the Jwb from?

Try to stick to 30% protein and 10% fat (you can go a bigh higher/lower either side as long as you choose biscuits that balance each other out)

I don't necessarily have to stick with James Wellbeloved, I just want the best food and mix possible. It seems lots of people use Gocat to keep down smells. What wold you say is the best brand to have as the main biscuit?

Had a look at the Morrisons home brand today while I was having a break from gagging on the raw meat (bloody work :( ). It 'seemed' okay, but the box just said 'vegetables', not which ones go into it...which rather put me right off!

gems312 wrote:I don't necessarily have to stick with James Wellbeloved, I just want the best food and mix possible. It seems lots of people use Gocat to keep down smells. What wold you say is the best brand to have as the main biscuit?

There isn't really a 'best' brand as such. Most of the better quality cat foods have way too much protein in unfortunately.

For your base mix try and go with a food that has either a 'Meat' or 'Meat Meal' as the 1st ingredient.

Foods with cereals or meat & animal derivatives are poorer quality and should only be used as a junk food part of the mix and not as a main part to your mix.

I complied a list for easy comparison
http://www.pygmyhogsuk.com/t8795-cat-food-brand-list?highlight=cat+food+brand+list

Some of the better foods are: Arden Grange Light, Burns senior/light, JWB senior/light, science plan light/indoor, joe & jills (slightly higher in fat so not as a base but great as part of a mix), Royal Canin, Iams.

Junk food biscuits are generally the cheaper ones like Whiskas, Go-Cat and supermarket own brands. They are great as part of a mix, but I wouldn't use them as a base unless heavily diluted as the quality isnt as good as some of the better brands

I made a spreadsheet (which has been passed around) of that list, in which I colour coded food as to the ones with fish, ones with good ingredients, ones with good fat/protein, etc etc. Happy to email it. Any folks wanting an updated version...it now comes with Advanced Nutrition Adult Chicken, and P@H prices attached, shiny huh?

Kiania wrote:I made a spreadsheet (which has been passed around) of that list, in which I colour coded food as to the ones with fish, ones with good ingredients, ones with good fat/protein, etc etc. Happy to email it. Any folks wanting an updated version...it now comes with Advanced Nutrition Adult Chicken, and P@H prices attached, shiny huh?

You stole my chart

Well how very dare you!

However...since you have done an updated version (which I haven't gotten round to doing yet... )
Would you be so kind as to send me a copy please? I shall PM you my email address

Not so much an updated version of your chart - I handed out my newbie's guide to hogs excel file to a few folks on here previously, I have since been adding things, hence the updatedness I just nicked your chart and made it colourful and shiny

I M a newbie and just starting to change my babies food she was bought up on spikes hedgehog food and i know how bad that is.
i have bought pro plan protein 36% fat 14% But chicken first on ingrediant list at 20% and then indoor go cat to balance out....is it best to add one biscuits at a time(I mean type not one biscuit) as obviously the quicker i ween her off the Spikes food the better for her .......

I would love a copy of the spreadsheet but dont think i have enought post to send a PM with my email address........

You need three more posts to get PMs (sure it is 20!), keep replying to me, and we'll nip you up

I believe that adding one biscuit type at a time might be best, simply because otherwise it is a big change. The book I have says what you do to add a new biscuit is...
Week 1 = 100% old
Week 2 = 75% old, 25% new
Week 3 = 50% old, 50% new
Week 4 = 25% old, 75% new

So that by week five, you've swapped over completely.

Perhaps doing it so that your complete 'new' mix is the new, so you add the mix in at 25% to the spikes...might want to watch out for the green poop, and take it nice and slow, keep everything else very similar to avoid worry.

thanks for that i have just added a couple of biscuits tonight to see if she even likes them, she had never had a live mealies unitil this week and theres no doubt she loves these. Not leaving any in the viv though mealies are treats when she comes out to see me ......

thanks for email i have sent you a reply...

Not a problem And check your emails!

everybody has a different opinion on 'best mix' and at the end of the day its what works for the hog.3 of mine are on a royal canin based mix and the other 3 are on james senior based mix due to different dietry needs.if you need to change your food due to a problem with the hog thats fine but you may have to try several others before finding a suitable alternative.in turn this may cause weight loss,soft poos etc etc until you can balance it correctly.in my opinion if its not broke dont try to fix it

tiggy wrote:everybody has a different opinion on 'best mix' and at the end of the day its what works for the hog.3 of mine are on a royal canin based mix and the other 3 are on james senior based mix due to different dietry needs.if you need to change your food due to a problem with the hog thats fine but you may have to try several others before finding a suitable alternative.in turn this may cause weight loss,soft poos etc etc until you can balance it correctly.in my opinion if its not broke dont try to fix it

Karma given

Kiania wrote:

I believe that adding one biscuit type at a time might be best, simply because otherwise it is a big change. The book I have says what you do to add a new biscuit is...
Week 1 = 100% old
Week 2 = 75% old, 25% new
Week 3 = 50% old, 50% new
Week 4 = 25% old, 75% new

So that by week five, you've swapped over completely.

OMG. I better get cracking and make Kiwi a good mix then :O Im going to use the light mix i give Munchie but with something non-light added as she is quite small, any suggestions??

Was thinking burns maybe.