Top 7 Maintenance Pelleted Diets for Small Pets in the USA (2025) — Vet-Backed Choices to Maintain Adult Health and Find the Right Fit for Rabbits, Guinea Pigs & Chinchillas

Oxbow Essentials Adult Rabbit Food is positioned as a premium, timothy-hay based maintenance pellet with consistently high fiber levels and uniform pellet size that supports dental and digestive health. It stands out against the list for its veterinary-focused formulation and manufacturing consistency, which often justifies its higher price by reducing waste and feeding variability. Compared with the other options here, Oxbow is the go-to for owners prioritizing a clinically consistent, long-term maintenance feed even if it costs a bit more up front.

Supreme Selective positions itself as a market-leading European maintenance pellet with a forage-focused recipe, high crude fiber from timothy hay and natural ingredients that mirror top-tier nutrition at often more competitive regional pricing. It frequently matches Oxbow for nutritional priorities—consistent fiber, timothy hay base and stabilized vitamin C—while offering a compelling value proposition in UK and EU markets.

Mazuri Chinchilla Diet is a market leader valued for its precision-formulated, zoo- and lab-grade pellets that deliver consistent vitamin/mineral levels and traceability, which is particularly useful in institutional or high-control settings. While generally costlier than Oxbow or Martin Little Friends, Mazuri’s higher protein and fortified profile provide a technical advantage for animals needing strict nutrient monitoring, though that formulation can be richer than ideal for routine maintenance compared with the lower-protein Oxbow and Science Selective options. Economically, larger institutional bag sizes can lower per-pound cost, making it competitive for multi-animal households or facilities.

Oxbow Essentials is best-in-class for hamster maintenance because its timothy-hay–based pelleted formula emphasizes high fiber and limited seeds, helping reduce selective feeding and support dental and digestive health. Compared with the other products on this list it is typically pricier but offers veterinary-formulated transparency and a conservative protein/fat profile tailored for long-term maintenance.

Mazuri holds a market-leader position thanks to its laboratory-grade manufacturing controls and precisely defined nutrient profiles, offering consistent intake and predictable maintenance nutrition suitable for gerbils in research or high-precision care. Technically it outperforms many pet-oriented mixes on batch-to-batch nutrient consistency, though that precision can come at a higher cost and with a formulation that is less focused on the high-fiber forage profile emphasized by brands like Oxbow.

Oxbow's Essentials pellet ranks highly for degu maintenance because its timothy-hay–based formula delivers very high fiber and steady, low-fat nutrition that suits degus' digestive needs while remaining more affordable and widely available than specialist degu blends. Compared with the other products on this list it offers a conservative nutrient profile (lower protein and fat than some lab-grade diets) and consistent pellet quality, making it a cost-effective, low-risk choice for long-term maintenance feeding.