shay
Newbie
Posts: 24 
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Post by shay on Oct 15, 2016 6:09:32 GMT
I was just wondering what some of the best brands of timothy hay are for my piggies. I find a lot of the pet store brands aren't the best and are quite pricey. Now, the price is not a big deal to me as long as I am getting a good quality hay. It is okay if I have to buy it online/order it. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
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Post by Bean on Oct 16, 2016 17:44:35 GMT
Whereabouts are you? I don't know any brands myself (aside from Oxbow, which is good quality, but might be the expensive one you speak of!), but as I'm in the UK, any names I mention might be useless to you anyway!
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Post by bazookagoof on Oct 16, 2016 19:06:18 GMT
I buy Oxbow brand for my piggies. They seem to enjoy it.  |
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shay
Newbie
Posts: 24
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Post by shay on Oct 17, 2016 0:06:50 GMT
I am in Canada and I looked up oxbow and it had not the best of reviews. So i wasn't sure
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Post by bazookagoof on Oct 17, 2016 0:17:41 GMT
I am in Canada and I looked up oxbow and it had not the best of reviews. So i wasn't sure That's odd, but if nothing else you could just buy a small bag and see if your guinea pig likes it. I see a lot of hay brands that come in small packages, so you could get some samples and see what works for you without having to purchase an enormous sack of hay every time. |
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shay
Newbie
Posts: 24
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Post by shay on Oct 17, 2016 1:54:38 GMT
That is a good idea, I will try the little bag first!
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Whimsy
Bronze Member
Posts: 400
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Post by Whimsy on Oct 18, 2016 4:04:01 GMT
I have bought Kaytee all the time I've had my piggies. I'm in Canada too btw. You really have to look at the hay when you buy it, because the quality is not always the same from bag to bag. Sometimes it seems like a lot of small pieces, sometimes it's not that green etc. it's a little cheaper than Oxbow.
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 18, 2016 21:48:47 GMT
I think Kleenmama services Canada, but I'm not sure. Www.KMSHayloft.com They have by far the best hay in the US. They source it locally, so it's really fresh when they get it. They also sell pellets. Www.smallpetselect.com is another option, at least in the US. They are also a mail order, and also sell pellets. Oxbow is really good, though unlike the other two, I don't know where it's sourced. It's also bagged/boxed and sent out in huge quantities, so buying it from a pet store could mean you're buying a bag that's been in the warehouse for months. I've never gotten stale Oxbow from a feed/grain store, but I often got it at the pet stores. Put down the three types of hay, and any animal will go to the Kleenmama first, the Small Pet Select next, and the Oxbow last. Kaytee, unfortunately, is way at the bottom of the list. No offense, Whimsy. Their pellets break down really badly, so there is a lot of pellet dust at the bottom of the bag or box, compared to any of the others. That's not a good value, when so many of the pellets never make it to being eaten. Also their hay never attracted any of my animals, bunnies, guinea pigs, etc., which is what started me looking at the other brands. There are many other brands, though not sold in my area. ZooPreme or something like that is one that was sold on the west coast. I did a comparison of the US products, about 15 years ago, and it rated very highly. I don't know how it rates, now. I don't remember the others, but we were rating them on the amount of calcium(you don't want much) compared to the other nutrients, how the pigs responded to it, how much junk there was in the hay(seed heads, stiff stalks that could cause hay poke injuries), how many little pieces and how much hay dust was at the bottom of the container, and generally how fresh it smelled. For the pellets, how badly the pellets broke down, how big the bulk of pellets were and how fresh they smelled. If Timothy hay was the first ingredient, or was further down the list, etc. I hope all that information helps, and you can get some of these products in Canada. |
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Post by bazookagoof on Oct 19, 2016 2:32:47 GMT
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shay
Newbie
Posts: 24
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Post by shay on Oct 19, 2016 3:52:53 GMT
Thank you all so much for your help I will really be looking into it all!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Oct 19, 2016 8:11:37 GMT
Our bunny and piggy have Oxbow hay. I made the mistake of leaving it on the floor and Holly bunny decided to help herself by chewing a big hole in the side of the bag lol!
Hugs
Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Oct 19, 2016 8:12:11 GMT
I tend to buy big bales of regular meadow hay for my lot - either from a farm or a horse supplies shop. It's always far superior to the regular hay you get in most pet shops. Plus it's so inexpensive (£5 for a bale that lasts weeks and weeks) that I can give them loads to play in (which they love).
I supplement it with treat hays and grasses - timothy, oat etc. The latest ones I got were Burgess which I'm not sure you can get there but were great. Again, if you have the storage space to buy bigger amounts, buying from an equine supplies store can save you masses.
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shay
Newbie
Posts: 24
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Post by shay on Oct 19, 2016 15:12:29 GMT
I live in a one bedroom apartment, with piggy stuff taking up a lot of storage and space for their enclosure, so I cannot buy super large quantities at a time unfortunately, which sucks because there are some good, and cheap suppliers I know of that I could get it from but I just don't have the space for a bale of hay in the closet. But thank you so much for your help!!
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 19, 2016 17:31:03 GMT
Shay, do you have a storage unit, even an attic or basement space included with the apartment? I'm only asking because I buy meadow hay, but I buy it from a rescue(to help support the rescue), and they divide the bales into flakes, and put each flake in a plastic bag. They use big bags, but the flake is about the size of the large Oxbow bag of hay. I was just thinking that if you had any place, even a big trash can outside, which is where we store our extra, you could buy a bail of meadow hay and separate it into packages you could store. Just a thought.
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shay
Newbie
Posts: 24
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Post by shay on Oct 19, 2016 18:37:50 GMT
Could I store it outside in the winter? It gets quite cold here, this may be a stupid question but I really do not know
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 19, 2016 19:25:03 GMT
We keep ours in a wheelie bin outside, year round. You can buy a bale of meadow hay, and because they are so inexpensive, you can give the pigs a lot, without feeling guilty for what it cost. I give mine lots of hay, now that it's not costing me a fortune. Just get a trash can that seals well, if you have raccoons or bear in your area.
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shay
Newbie
Posts: 24
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Post by shay on Oct 20, 2016 0:49:26 GMT
Oh perfect, I have a nice big balcony that I can store it on, Thank you! I know exactly where to get the hay from |
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Post by bazookagoof on Oct 20, 2016 2:40:48 GMT
this may be a stupid question but I really do not know Please don't ever think that when posting here- I came aboard about a year and a half ago hoping I could get a few answers about guinea pigs without someone typing, "use the search function, noob!" and everyone here has been nothing but respectful to me... and so I stayed. |
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shay
Newbie
Posts: 24
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Post by shay on Oct 20, 2016 4:51:45 GMT
Thank you, I appreciate your kindness. And everyone else's as well thank you everyone for your input!!
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 20, 2016 19:16:48 GMT
No, Baz, we're not going to say that. If we can help, we will. Searching the internet can be complicated. If you don't know the exact words for your search, you end up in some really strange places. I've done so many searches, there's no reason for others to have to do them all over again. Nope, no stupid questions |
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