Vets have been steering owners away from mixed, muesli-style guinea pig feeds for years, for one specific reason: a guinea pig can see which pieces it likes and pick around the rest, leaving whatever it doesn't fancy — and the nutrients that piece was carrying — in the bottom of the bowl.

This is exactly that kind of mix: concentrate pellets alongside flaked peas, flaked barley, flaked maize, locust bean extrusions, flaked soya beans and wheat extrusions, plus dried carrot, grass and alfalfa, with a Verm-X herb blend added for intestinal health. The analysis is protein 17%, fibre 9%, fat 4%, ash 3%.

• A mixed feed: concentrate pellets plus flaked peas, barley, maize and soya
• Dried carrot, grass and alfalfa included
• Verm-X herb blend, for intestinal health
• Protein 17%, fibre 9%, fat 4%, ash 3%
• 900g or 2.25kg bag
• Sold as a complete food

On selective feeding. Because this is a visibly mixed feed rather than a uniform nugget, a guinea pig can pick out its favourite pieces and leave the rest — the exact problem a single-component nugget is designed to avoid. If your guinea pig already does this with a mixed bowl, a nugget-format food elsewhere on this shelf may suit better than switching to a different mix.

Who it's for: owners of a guinea pig that eats a mixed bowl properly, rather than picking through it, or anyone transitioning gradually towards a nugget-based food.