Review - Supreme Tumblefresh

Having guinea pigs and rabbits I'm always on the look out for new and effective ways to line the cages.  Poops aren't too bad but pee is the most noticeable smell.  Something that will stop the smelly wiffs and extend the life of the cage bedding will make life so much more pleasant for not just me but the animals.

Tumblefresh by Supreme Pet Foods is a brand new product which is replacing it's predecessor, Carefresh.  Having used Carefresh quite a few times before I was keen to try out Tumblefresh and see how it fared.  It's marketed as being 250% more absorbent than traditional bedding, which I'm guessing is in comparison to wood shavings.

Tumblefresh comes in two pack sizes: 8.5 litre and 23.5 litre.   I got the smaller of the sizes at 8.5 litre capacity which features a handy zip lock if you don't use it all in one go and want to store it without the worry of it spilling out.

Tumblefresh looks very much the same as Carefresh but differs slightly with it's mixture of grey and pale yellow fibres.  It's a papery texture, almost like pulverised toilet paper!  It's made from wood pulp but apparently environmentally friendly and safe to put out onto a compost.  A definite advantage if you're concerned by how much waste product you put out in the bin.  I found it not to be dusty at all despite what it looks like.  It's quite fluffy, and doesn't really smell either.

I decided to put the Tumblefresh in the 'Dinosaurs' cage - the terrible two-some Scooby and Stewie!  Their cage is always the messiest so if the bedding works it'll be a success.

Scooby and Stewie!

I laid down a few sheets of newspaper first just to make cleaning out a bit easier.  You can roll up paper with mess quicker than shovelling it out without, so it's a good idea whatever else you use in the cage.  Thankfully my parents are good newspaper collectors for me and always have a good stash for us to pick up.

I found the 8.5 litre pack didn't cover the base of the cage very deep, in fact it was just a light dusting of bedding material.  The pack instructions says to create a layer of 1-3 inches in depth; the coverage I got wasn't an inch.  If I had more of the Tumblefresh to hand I would have used quite a bit more.  However, I will say the cages I have are some of the biggest cages you can buy (they measure 118 x 58.5 x 51.5 cm), so if you have a smaller cage, then this pack size will probably be more than enough.

I started the cage afresh on Friday and poops and general mess aside, it's smelling pretty much alright.  Every day I put meadow hay in the bedroom compartment and pigloo as well as a pile to munch on so the cage floor does end up covered. 

You can tell where the Tumblefresh is saturated as the fibres turn a darker grey.

When the hay and poops are cleaned out, the Tumblefresh still feels relatively dry, and there's not much wetness gone through to the thin layer of newspapers.  I am impressed!

Moving the Tumblefresh aside, the paper is dry beneath.

Relatively dry but some wetness in 'potty' prone area.

I'm not certain how Tumblefresh is an improved version Carefresh but it's still a good, effective cage substrate all the same.  If I had more of the product put down then I know I'll be getting the most benefit out of it.  It's definitely worth using if you want to limit the times you clean the cage out and if smells are a concern to you, because this eliminates most wiffs.

The only drawback I would say is the pack size because the 8.5 litre handy pack is not big enough for even just one of my cages.  I wonder what size cage the pack is intended for, especially if the zip lock is to be needed.  It could possibly work as a spot clean pack.

As I have several large cages I'd need more than a few of these packs at each cleaning out session.  The larger 23.5 litre pack wouldn't get me much further but would make more sense using.  Lots of rabbit and guinea pig owners use equine products which are produced in larger quantities; it would be good for a comparative size of Tumblefresh.  For a product sold in the high street pet stores though, the range of pack sizes available is a good choice for the owner of one or two rabbits and guinea pigs.

Becky x

Food Review: Supreme Science Selective

Towards the end of last year I started to do some reviews on a few of the market leaders in the extruded pellet dry feed industry.  Supreme Pet Foods were very forthcoming and keen to assist me with my reviews and so sent me some bags of their Science Selective rabbit feed and guinea pig feed to test out with my animals.

Since beginning my review the recipe for the rabbit Science Selective has now changed.  It now includes a higher percentage of fibre which is very much a good thing.  Therefore I can only comment on and review the earlier product, but it is in essence the same feed.

5kg bag

It's very important to gradually add a new food into a rabbit's diet so their digestive system doesn't become upset.  Rabbits tummies are sensitive things so a slow change over is key when switching to a new brand.

Before I started the gradual implementation I wanted to see the initial reaction to this food against its competitors:  Mr Johnsons which I reviewed earlier and the Burgess Excel which is the current feed for all my animals.

I was keen to use Lucy as primary tester as she's definitely one of the more difficult bunnies when it comes to food.  Having rescued her from a home prior ours, Lucy came to us unaccustomed to a good diet of pellets or vegetables.  We have since moved her away from a muesli food diet to a pellet feed.

Lucy, the very hairy Lionhead!

I laid out a small quantity of Supreme Science Selective to the far right, Mr Johnsons in the middle and Burgess Excel (Lucy's usual food) to the left.  This is what happened:

Lucy has literally taken to the Science Selective very well, in fact it didn't take long at all to change her dry food over completely.  To this day she is eating a full portion of Science Selective everyday and no longer eats Burgess Excel.  She's definitely decided which food she prefers to eat!


The Nitty Gritty

When I first opened the Supreme Science Selective I was surprised by how different to the competitors the food compared.  Mr Johnsons and Burgess Excel were similar nugget form where the Science Selective are more curly sausage shaped; thin biscuits around 1.5cm long.

Fibre - 19% (23% new recipe), Protein - 14%

Curly and sausage shape pellets

Initially I expected Lucy to experience problems eating these pellets as she has a history of dental problems; malocclusion.  At times it seemed she struggled to get hold of the long shapes in her mouth and would drop them after trying to reel them in.  Personally I would say the shape is the only drawback to this food and too large.  Having continued with the pellets Lucy has acquired a knack of eating them and quite happily guzzles her way though. 

I am happy that Lucy is eating this food now.  She appears more content with it, enjoys eating it and contains a higher level of fibre at 19% (or 23% by the new current recipe) compared to Mr Johnsons Everyday Advance 17%. 

Perhaps even more positively, Lucy's teeth have now established a healthy state and she's not needed dentistry for some months now.  Is this down to the Science Selective?  Could well be.

Becky x