Another Question?

[Wheekie]

First, I want to thank you guys. I really don't know what I would do without you. Everybody I meet that has guinea pigs gets told about this site. OK, here comes the question:Whenever I get a bag of hay,there's always some in it that has already turned brown(especially in the fall). I always pick it out just cause I don't like the looks of it, but is it really bad for the piggies or am I just being picky? (I have to use Kaytee or Animal Planet Timothy Hay because it's the only thing I can find in my area-I can't afford to have the real good stuff shipped clear across the country!) Thanks!

[LouisesPigguns]

Hi,

Do you have a pic of it? I use Timothy and some strands are darker. I've tried various hays and find the barn dried hay the best. I've found in the UK the quality of hay has been poor this season, probably because of all our wet weather.

I'm sure the brown strands are nothing that shouldn't be there, if it is in a lot of the bags.

Louise

[kavykrazy]

There are other options when looking for hay. Try feed stores or horse barns. Feed stores would be by the bale, but if you need a smaller amount, you might be able to purchase small amounts from riding stables. Most horse people buy good quality hay.

[Ly&Pigs]

All hay will have bits of brown in it from time to time. It's just hay that has dried more than the rest. You can either pick it out or just leave it in. It won't hurt the pigs if there is a bit of brown.

The Animal Planet line is just Kaytee feeds/hay in disguise. All the Animal Planet pellets are Kaytee pellets with a different name. Kaytee hays are notorious for having a lot of brown bits in their bags of hay.

If you add up the costs on all the small bags of Kaytee hay you buy say for a 2-3 month period then compare that to the cost of KM's or Oxbow hay, I bet you'd see a big difference in cost even if the shipping seems rather high.

[Wheekie]

Originally Posted by LouisesPigguns

Hi,

Do you have a pic of it? I use Timothy and some strands are darker. I've tried various hays and find the barn dried hay the best. I've found in the UK the quality of hay has been poor this season, probably because of all our wet weather.

I'm sure the brown strands are nothing that shouldn't be there, if it is in a lot of the bags.

Louise

I'd love to post a picture(of lots of things), but I can't figure out how to upload a picture! If I don't pick out the brown strands, they just don't eat it, so I guess it's no big deal! Thanks!

[Ly&Pigs]

To put pictures in threads- follow the directions in this thread http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...ures-post.html.

If you use photobucket, then please make sure you have the photos resized as to not distort the thread size by following the directions in this post- http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...otobucket.html.

[Mommy Of One]

I am unsure of what it is. Is it possible that it is mold though? Does it have any odor? I would suggest storing it in a dry, normal temp. and see what happens.

[Ly&Pigs]

I believe Wheekie is talking about browned strands of hay, not mold or other issues. As I stated before, ALL hay will have some brown strands. It's just hay that has dried much more than other pieces. It doesn't hurt the pigs and many won't eat the brown strands as they don't have much flavor. Kaytee hay is notorious for having bags that are about 1/2-2/3 green and the rest is brown. Alot of it has to do with the way hay is dried and stored.

Mold won't show up as brown strands of hay. You would know mold if you saw it on hay. It will have certain qualitites such as spores, bad smell, etc.

[Mommy Of One]

Oh thank you Ly!
I read it wrong and misunderstood what she was talking about.
I think it is just older hay. I have a few strands of that everyonce in a while. Nothing to worry about. I was under the impression that there was brown stuff (I don't know what) mixed in with the hay. I don't know how I got that.

[Wheek Weak]

Even our KM hay has some brown strands, stiff sticks, etc., sometimes. Hay is just another kind of grass, so it's natural to have some variation.

I just pick out the "odd" pieces and throw them away.