Hay differences

[Jane_G]

Is there a difference between hay ordered from Oxbow for example and store bought Kaytee hay? I usually purchase the large bags of Kaytee Timothy hay at my local PetSmart.

Is the quality or age of the hay different online vs. my local store?

Thanks for any info.

[Ly&Pigs]

Although you can use Kaytee hay, the quality isn't as good as hay you can get from Oxbow or Kleenmama's. KM's hay is the best in the world.

Also buying hay in bulk can save a lot of money in the long run. Take the price of say 25lbs. of hay and add in shipping then divide by the number of pounds and that will be the cost per pound. I bet you will find it's much cheaper than purchasing the bags of Kaytee.

[Jane_G]

I did some comparison shopping and I'm really dissappointed. I found a store near me that carries Oxbow. Unfortunately they jack up the price. A 40oz bag of hay is $14. The same size from Oxbow online is $8.50 but they tack on a $13.58 shipping and handling charge! The bag of Kaytee hay that I got at PetSmart was 96oz and cost me $14.

I really think that some of these pet supply companies raise prices knowing that us pet mommies and daddies will do anything for our pets.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I guess I'll stick with the Kaytee brand that I got at the pet store. There's not enough difference for it to be worth switching.

[Toadies]

Jane, if you check the expiration dates on the pet store timothy, you may find that it is as much as two years away. If you have a place to store a large, or semi-large, amount of hay, you just can't beat KM's hay. It is the current season's hay, so the food value is higher, and it is soft and sweet. The average price per pound is about the same as the pet store stuff and it is soooo much better hay. Besides, I found that when I was feeding pet store hay, they didn't always have it when I needed it. I also never knew what quality I was going to get. Alot of it was really stemmy. If you're really set on Kaytee, which I hope you're not, try Walmart. It's a little cheaper. And it is worth switching. There's no comparison.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Ordering in bulk is usually cheaper. Hay stays good for quite awhile if you store it correctly. You can usually get hay much cheaper at feed stores too.

Petsmart sells animals and Kaytee supports pet milling.

[Jane_G]

What is "pet milling"? I have never heard that term before.

[aaronmeister]

Mass breeding of animals for sale, usually under substandard conditions.

[Percy's Mom]

A pet mill is basically factory breeding and where most stores that sell animals get them from. There would be shelves upon shelves of tiny cages housing female animals. When they go into heat, a male will be put in the cage forcing them to breed. When the pups are born, the male might be left in the cage, so the female gets pregnant again almost immediately. When the pups are old enough to breed, they will be put into the cycle if they have not already been shipped off to a store to be sold. If one of the breeding animals dies or gets sick, the breeders rarely worry about taking care of them because there is a steady stream of animals to fill the cages and continue the cycle.

[Jane_G]

Ugh....I'm sorry I asked. What a horrible existence for them.

[Percy's Mom]

And one of the biggest reasons to avoid the convenience of PetSmart or any other store that sells animals.

It's already been mentioned that buying in bulk (usually over 10lbs) can be cheaper. If you have room to store the hay, please check out this option. Kleenmama's hay and pellets are exceptionally high quality. Kleenmama's Hayloft :: Home I know when I purchase from her, my hay and/or pellets usually end up around $1.50/lb.

[Jane_G]

Ok...now another question has popped into my mind. Should I be feeding her another kind of pellet? She eats NutraPhase (I think thats what it's called). It is fortified with vitamin C and she likes it.

If I do switch her, I worry about her being stubborn and refusing the new food.

I guess if I buy enough the shipping charges will out weigh the bigger cost of buying in bulk. Money is tight and I don't have that much room that would be a good storage place for hay and food. I only have one guinea pig so she doesn't need that much. Too bad I don't know anyone that lives near me that I can share hay and food with. That would be a perfect solution.

[Percy's Mom]

You should definitely feed her a different kind of pellet. Nurtiphase is made just for PetSmart and is basically junk food. So, in addition to supporting the store twice (manufacturer and directly to the store) which supports the breeders, it's really just not healthy for your pig. Oxbow or KM's pellets are the best 2 choices for your pig.

[pigsmakemesmile]

Hey Jane,
After being on this site and reading the positive comments on Kleenmama's hay and oxbow's pellets, I said Oh what the heck, I'll try it. I purchased a 25lb box of Hay for $19.00 but the shipping was a killer, $32.00 on top. I emailed her and asked if by chance there was an east coast distributor, unfortunately there's not. But the pigs love it, I love that they love it and I looove how it smells on them and in the house. My daughter also gives it to her 3 rabbits and I layer the pigs cage with it as they love to lay on it, and graze throughout the day. I use to use Kaytee's hay but after using KM's by far there is no comparison. As far as Oxbow's pellets, I purchased it on line a 10lb bag for 9.99 but with shipping, pd $25 and change but they love it and I love that they love it. I just found a private pet store in Hackesttown, NJ 40min travel time that carries this. Actually they carry quite a bit of quality products for piggy's....I was impressed. So to me it's worth the travel cause I can buy 2 bags for the price of ordering it on line. I ran out and my car was in the shop, I had to stoop low and by from Petsmart I purchased Mazurias compared to the other brands, I felt it was a little better. But today's payday so I'll be headn to NJ this weekend to stock up on Oxbow and it really is one of the best for the piggy's I highly recommend it.

[Jenni_Feathers]

I can tell a big difference, I went from Kaytee to KM's to feedstore hay and KM's is the best. The Kaytee was the worst it was hard pokey and expensive and the feedstore hay is pretty good its just not as leafy as KM's. I got the timothy and bluegrass mix from her and it was awesome, and my pigs favorite, but I switched to the feedstore hay to save money, its still a really good quality hay they get though.

I agree with the above, I would definetly change the pellets. Right now I feed Mazuri 5664 which is also a good food but it is still not as good as Oxbow or Kleenmama's since it is alfalfa based. I just have to measure out how much they get a day (1/8 th cup each) the only reason I feed it is because I get it cheap and local, but I really wanna switch to Oxbow pellets.

[pigsmakemesmile]

hey Jennie,
Speaking of pellets, I read the directions and Oxbow says to give an 8th cup also but geese, I have 5 pigs, some eat more pellets than others. I have 3 ceramic dishes, one small, one medium and one large and I have them spread throughout the home so there's pellets where ever they are. I just fill them all and change daily. 'm Aside from the pellets they lie and sleep on their hay it's over every inch of their cage. I change they hay daily which I love to do. So basically they have food available 24/7. They also get plenty of veggies and herbs daily. My one pig though I'm a little worried about. I got him in September at which time he weighed 3.5 lbs (I named him Chubbs) now he's nearly four pounds (I'm changing it to Chubbier). Every time I check on him, he's munch'n on food. The Mazuri seems a little high in fat, I really need to get back to the Oxbow. Can't wait for the weekend to get here.