Oxbow Critical Care Herbivore, Fine Grind, Emergency Rabbit & Guinea Pig Food, Made with Timothy Hay, Natural Papaya Flavor, Assist Feeding Formula for Pets, 100 gram bag

Huge difference in ease of feeding compared to the original formula. The finer grind makes it much easier to mix and syringe feed. The original formula can be so thick that it clogs syringes, making feeding difficult and potentially stressful for both you and your pet. This version flows smoothly and consistently, which makes a huge difference when you're trying to provide supportive care. If you're skeptical, just search online and you'll find plenty of people discussing the challenges of syringe feeding the original formula. Do yourself a favor and buy this version instead. I used this for an older guinea pig who suddenly stopped eating and was acting unusually. As an experienced guinea pig owner, I started Critical Care immediately. I'm very glad I already had some on hand because it allowed me to begin feeding right away. He's now recovering well. My advice: don't wait until you need it. Keep a bag in stock at all times. When a guinea pig stops eating, every hour matters, and having this available can make a big difference.

This densely packed caloric and nutrient meal supplement is a "MUST" to keep on hand in case piggies (herbivores) become ill and stop or significantly reduce eating hay. It can be a Life Saver for guinea pigs. Simply mix with water into a "pancake-like" batter mix and handfeed (syringe feeding is easiest). Add a little apple sauce too to entice eating and see a vet to get appetite stimulant meds like ENTYCE. I would syringe feed Critical Care (8 to 10 ML) at least 3 to 4 times daily. Be prepared for a bit of a fight from some piggies who are not fans of being held and hand-fed, especially via a syringe Get a thicker tipped syringe because the prepared meal is a bit thicker than liquids. I use baby food syringes you can get at most pharmacies. ...and keep providing fresh hay to try and get them eating on their own. I've had sick piggies a few times where they stopped eating so I had to handfeed until they got better and ate on their own to avoid them going into stasis which is a critical condition that can result in death if not immediately treated. A piggy needs its digestive system to continually move and should NEVER go more than 12+ hours without eating. Something as simple as an ear infection or tooth pain will cause them to stop chewing and thus eating. Oxbow also has Critical Care for omnivores (e.g. hamsters) and carnivores so choose the proper Critical Care for the animal type due to their dietary needs. I've used Critical Care Omnivore for elderly hamsters to ensure they are getting sufficient calories and nutrients and they loved it, usually a small 5 ML syringe serving 2 to 3 times daily and add apple sauce too and they eagerly eat it. Hammies seem to enjoy syringe feeding and I get a kick out of their enthusiasm for it.

Great product, but I'm leaving this review specifically for the person who has their chinchilla in the plastic ball in one of the reviews. Your chin is getting sick because of that ball, from heat stroke no less. Chinchillas can easily get heat stroke and easily overheat when simply playing and running around, putting them in that ball just speeds up that process. Keep him in a room that is 69 degrees at all times for this reason, they can not be in any environment that is over 70 degrees for extended periods, but you can also buy cooling tiles for them, these do help to some extent. Throw that ball away and buy a metal play pen that he can run around in while supervised. They can't have any plastic in their cage, they eat it and it kills them, any plastic ledges can be covered with fleece liners. Oxbow pellets and timothy hay is all they need in their diet to survive, there are treats they can have like rose hips and apple twigs, but do not risk giving them anything if you aren't sure. Kiln dried pine or kiln dried aspen bedding is the only bedding they should have, any expandable bedding will be eaten and will expand in the stomach which will kill them. Sweets will cause bloat and kill them as well, even the ones that they can have like dried goji berries, so these must be given in moderation, once every 2 weeks if okay. There are also a variety of herbs, snacks and treats and toys they can have and I recommend checking out "whimsy's menagerie" for a great selection of them and other thing's. They also need dust baths twice a week and should not be washed with water. Hope this helps someone.

This is a must to have on hand for anyone with a rabbit. It's been a lifesaver on many occasions. Buy it before you need it!

Papaya Flavor. If you are carrying for an ill or recovering a guinee pig try this recipe, it is very good. It is a little finer grind than the normal Critical Care, mixes with water easily, so it syringes easily. Our pig liked the papaya flavor so much she didn’t want to let go of the feeding syringe. It is a little pricey, but if you are reading this then it will likely be worth it to you and your piggy.

I'm so glad I bought this stuff before I adopted my rabbit - everyone with a rabbit should keep this for emergencies. I have used Critical Care many times with guinea pigs and rabbits. Someone suggested the fine grind over regular Critical Care and honestly, this stuff is AWESOME. It blends up well, you can blend it with an electrolyte mixture like Pedialyte, and it keeps a good texture for syringing. In fact, I fill up a few 10ml syringes when I have an ill rabbit and I heat them up on a heating pad while I medicate, hydrate, and massage a GI stasis tummy. Once the Critical Care is nice and warm, I can easily syringe it, clean up the rabbit, and get them back to resting until the next feeding. PRO-TIP so when you get up every 4 hours with a stasis rabbit and you can't think: don't try to draw it into a syringe, just pop it open and spoon it in from the top and let it settle with as few air bubbles as possible, allowing space to get the plunger back in. PRO-TIP #2: buy yourself some syringes on Amazon so you have it. Exotic pets almost always get sick at 1am on Fridays, when nothing is open in town and no ER vet sees exotics.

I ordered the papaya fine grind, as the other variation doesn't fit well into a syringe for feeding my guinea pig. Great product, my Guinea pig loves it and it has kept him alive while going through dental issues/abcesses.

I got this and the Strawberry Banana Flavor Oxbow Critical Care in anticipation of any illness in my guinea pigs since their health usually declines rapidly once they show signs of illness. One of my females has been having trouble with an infection (likely a re-occuring UTI due partly to having an abnormal bladder) and we had to wait for a bacteria culture to be tested so she could be placed on an appropriate antibiotic for treating it. During this time, she began eating less and seemed miserable. She began pooping from eating less and I began to fear GI stasis. Her vet recommended starting her on Critical Care and hand-feeding her veggies to ensure she was eating something. I started feeding her some Strawberry Banana Critical Care and she did not care for it. I called the vet and asked if there was anything else I could do. She recommended mixing in baby food (consisting of veggies or fruit) with it to entice her. I tried this and she nibbled on some but didn't appear to be as interested as I would have liked. I knew she did have an appetite because I got her to eat a whole serving of bell peppers. I then opened this bag of Fine Grind Critical Care and she just nibbled at it until I mixed in vegetable based baby food. She began to eat it vigorously. I have since been mixing some in this manner and placing it in her cage in a guinea pig food bowl. She will eat most of it on her own. I believe it has helped to keep her eating and consuming a decent amount of essential nutrients, along with helping her to avoid developing GI stasis. I am still offering pellets, a daily serving of fresh vegetables, and unlimited hay along with this, but I do see a difference in how active she is since I added this product to her diet. If you have guinea pigs, I would definitely recommend getting some of this to have on hand in case of illness as guinea pigs are notorious for having their health decline rapidly when they are ill. As soon as you notice any sign of lethargy or less eating, it can be beneficial to begin feeding this until you can be seen by a vet as guinea pigs need to constantly keep their gut moving and this is loaded with nutrients that can help them improve more quickly. This is also good to have on hand if your guinea pig has recently had a surgery as it can give them an extra boost and possibly aid in a faster, more uneventful recovery.

モルモットの給餌のために購入。 嫌わないのでしっかりと栄養補給もできて、安心しています。少々お高めですが、これしか受け付けないので継続しています

Un producte excel·lent.

L’expérience m’a malheureusement appris à toujours en garder un paquet de côté si besoin 😣 Le produit est top, très appétant et facile à préparer. La petit cuillère inclus pour le dosage est très pratique. Je recommande, ce produit peut sauver des vies 👍👍

Prima dwangvoer, er zit alles in wat je cavia nodig heeft.

Fine Grind Critical Care is a great product! I would never go back to the regular grind actually. I find this one much easier to feed and less likely to plug up the tip of a syringe. Even making the regular stuff really runny, I would often have problems with plugging and then shooting a big blob into bunny's mouth all at once when I pushed harder. Problem solved! My bunny likes the taste, and has been getting this a couple of times a day for several months now to help with her eating. I truly believe it's saved her life. I will always keep some of this on hand.