Feed in pellets
What To Look For:
Providing food as pellets
Additional information:
Is feed provided in pellet form?
Meal and liquid feed has been found to be associated with lower tail occurrences of tail biting than pelleted feeds6,7. This is considered to be due to pelleted feed being associated with gastric ulcers. The particle size within the pellets can be very small (less than 0.8mm) which has the potential to cause gut discomfort due to ulcers. Larger particle size is found in ground meal, which has a lower risk of gut ulcers.
Suggestions:
Provision of additional straw, as it is suggested that ingestion of straw can counteract the gut irritation6.