Change in food from what the breeder used?

[ZooMom31]

When I brought Ayla home, her breeder sent a very generous amount of the food she used with her. She wrote down what was in it:

Tradition pellets (not sure who makes these)
Coarse rolled oats
Froot Loops (this cannot be good ...)
raisins

She never mentioned hay, but from previous experience, I knew rto offer Ayla timothy hay, which I keep available for her at all times.

She doesn't like raisins ... odd, eh?! And I just recently got some Oxbow from Sandi, and wanted to know whether I should gradually mix it into the breeder's food, or just switch her over ... and if I DO just switch her over, should I add things like oats to the pellets, or even Cheerios?

Thanks for your help!!

Kathy

 

[Stackie]

Yuck! I would switch her over to the Oxbow immediately! Whatever the breeder gave you sounds atrocious.

Don't add anything to the pellets. Absolutely nothing. Completely nix the raisins as they are very unhealthy and can be downright dangerous. You don't want to add treats to her pellets as she will ignore the pellets and dig through them to find the treats. It's like handing a child a plate with broccoli and candy- which do you think they're going to eat?

Feed her just the oxbow and timmy hay for awhile. Let her adjust to not having all those nasty treats. Once she gets used to her new healthy diet, you can offer safe treats in moderation (a couple times a week in small amounts.)

 

[ZooMom31]

Thank you!

I had my doubts ... oh, and I forgot to say that striped sunflower seeds were also in this mix! Just seemed like too much "stuff for fun", but I also didn't know if it was more harmful to switch her over so suddenly to another food.

I will give her the new stuff immediately - thanks so much for answering!

Kathy

 

[momenteller]

But you could gradually switch her from the Tradition, if you could remove the extras. Tradition is actually a great food, if you can find it nearby.

 

[Stackie]

Just keep an eye on her- switching feed can be upsetting to the stomach but in this case, it will be more beneficial. Offer plenty of extra hay for the fiber. If she starts to develop diarrhea, you can try adding some supplemental acidophilus to her diet. It wouldn't hurt to just go ahead and give her some if you wanted.

Like momenteller said, Tradition is a good food, but if it's more of a hassle to remove all those extras I wouldn't worry about doing a gradual switch.

 

[ticklechin]

Fruit loops? GEEZ that is even worse than some of the pet store feeds~!

 

[Sandi]

I still have a bit of Oxbow left, if you need more just let me know. But if you want to get it on your own I know for sure that Petsmart sell Oxbow pellets and hay.

 

[ZooMom31]

Thank you so much!!

I had serious reservations with the Froot Loops ... but one would hope a breeder "knows what they are doing", and I didn't question at first. But somehow, the disquiet wouldn't BE quiet, and I had to ask!!

I will see how the Oxbow sets with her - and be back here if there are issues!! Thanks to everyone - especially Sandi, for supplying me with good food

Kathy and Ayla

 

[Tillygizmo]

FRUIT LOOPS?! what on earth would make someone think this was a good idea?!

 

[ZooMom31]

LOL - I have no idea!! I was hard pressed to find a good reason, which finally made me ask my questions. I mean, I wouldn't even eat them!! So why on earth would I give them to my kids?!?! Sheesh!!!

 

[ZooMom31]

I did it ...

Yes, I actually picked out all the not-good-stuff from the food Ayla came home with, and mixed the remainder with the food I got from Sandi. VIOLA!! I feel better, not wasting the Tradition food, since it was said to be a good one - but the Froot Loops and sunflower seeds went bye-bye. Took me about half an hour, but worth it! What we do for our kids ...