What is the difference between timothy GRASS and timothy hay. What is the best to feed to guinea pigs? Thanks! Bill
233105
Assuming your animal has the appropriate protein pellets, hay is probably more beneficial than grass. The pellets supply the essential nutrients and protein. The availability of hay at all times keeps the critter occupied during its waking hours, while providing fiber crucial to its digestion (guinea pigs can quickly become impacted) and a hard enough texture to keep his teeth leveled and aligned. I think of the grass as a treat, much like parsley. Your critter will probably suck it right up, but he'll also want some dry stuff that he can "snap" iinto little pieces.
233106
Well, timothy hay is just dried timothy grass. Both are pretty much equally nutritious to your guinea pig's health.
233107
I completely agree. The grass is a little softer and might stay green a little longer. Both our Guinea pigs love this product, and it saves you money in the long run.
38162
Looking again at their website they seem to have grass fed which is labeled grass fed and some that is not so I would make sure it is labeled grass fed...
2021383
Grass hay (eg timothy) is VITAL for guinea pig's health. It should make up the largest part of their diet. There are many problems associated with not eating enough hay: 1) Digestive problems. There are two important issues here. As a grazing species guinea pigs are designed to eat a large amount of low cal food. Their digestive system is geared towards eating almost all the pigs waking hours. Not eating enough in terms of volume can lead to problems like gut stasis which can be fatal. Hay is the thing your pig should be eating most of - pigs that don't eat enough hay will either not eat enough overall (risking gut stasis) or will overeat other stuff (eg pellets) leading to obesity. Hay also provides vital fibre which aids proper digestion. 2) Teeth. Guinea pigs teeth grow continuously and need to be kept worn by by chewing / gnawing. Contrary to popular belief this is not naturally done by gnawing on wood - and most guinea pigs will ignore chew toys and wood blocks anyway. The teeth are naturally worn down by eating large amounts of grass (or hay, which is dry grass). This is partly because of the large volume consumed, and partly because of the physical and chemical properties of the hay which make it so effective. Overgrown teeth is very common in guinea pigs and rabbits that eat little or no hay. 3) Boredom. As a grazing species guinea pigs would naturally spend a lot of their eating. If you do not provide them with the means to eat as much and as often as they want they have little to do with their time, leading to boredom and frustration. This in turn can cause chronic stress which causes a huge variety of health and welfare problems. If your guinea pig eats all the time but has no hay, it will overeat veggies and pellets, which may lead to obesity or other malnutrition issues. Therefore, hay is absolutely vital for a guinea pigs health and welfare. It must be available at all times, in unlimited amounts. Veggies and pellets are important, but the hay is still necessary.
1230445
We use flaked wood shavings for our guinea pig. Because of the depth of the bottom, we can fill it halfway and not have him kick it everywhere. But he is much smaller than a rabbit.
1466588
Yes, timothy hay is an essential part of their diet. It's good for their digestion and helps grind down their teeth.
73784
I had some problems with seed sprouting. Fortunately, the weed seed growth is very different from the seedlings I put in, so it's not hard to differentiate. I will say, that it was a lot less seed than the straw I got (not hay) from the farm store. Granted, the feed store straw was a LOT cheaper, but again, the weed seedlings are easy to pull up. The straw works well for holding in moisture, and is a lot lighter than using wood bark mulch. Gardening in the southern Nevada desert climate is all about moisture retention.
2140134
It.is how the pig is raised (antibiotics?) and the food it is given. Free range fed with organic feed would help getting them certified organic by the USDA for instance.
786547
I had it for about 4 weeks and it was still fresh. It is actually my guinea pig and rabbit's favorite type of hay.
2071414
We had no problems with our two little guinea pigs... they like it a LOT, so it only lasts about 2 months, but no problems stored in that time. It is quite dry stuff (in a good way), I think it could go quite a while.
1412677
The difference is not so much in the odor control, which is not the real issue because, in my case, the guinea pigs do not smell unless you do not clean the peed up parts of the bedding. The Ultra is super for dust control. It just is not dusty, it is absorbent, easy to spot clean, and looks nicer. I have just started using it and will now stay with it.
1058302
Excellent question Larry. I fed them to my daughter's pet turtle. However, if you are looking to make fertilizer for your garden there are some great youtube videos on doing so. Try this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvM6OjIvY3w What they say in making one of these makes sense and if this is what you want to do I really hope it helps. When and if I get to this point I will likely
1197184
Sorry I can't help, I threw the packaging away. However, based I my experience giving these to my guinea pigs, I wouldn't spend the money for them. See my review.
1207418
Yes! is is basically made of hay. Our guinea pigs loved it (so much that they ate the whole thing!)
1374619
As far as I know it's just made of recycled paper. This is the only bedding I use for my rabbit and guinea pig, and I've been using it for years with no problems. I've never seen any dust or particles that come from the bedding, so as far as anything getting into your guinea pigs lungs, I don't think you'll have to worry. Avoid wood chip beddings for guinea pigs, those are the ones that can cause them to have lung issues.
1100716
It was a gift sent from Amazon to a friend so I never saw it but if it has a bottom in it rather than just the sides around, it would be perfect for your guinea pigs I would think. I don't know anything about guinea pigs but the pen has mesh on the sides so if they chew, it might not work. Hope this helps.
22717
Certified organic or not, the quality and price is nothing compared to Oxbow. I would suggest bulk from Drs Foster and Smith. You will save a lot of money and your small creature will appreciate it. My rabbits have never been more excited for feeding time.
1656842
Good question! This is probably possible because it's primarily a timothy hay-based product. Oxbow has a customer service department you can contact via the internet. Phone numbers aren't allowed on these answers, so just do a simple search. If your hamsters eat hay, they will probably like this feed too. Good luck!