Question about type of hay (and a few others!)

[TaraRose]

I don't know if a lot of you remember me. My guinea pig is doing really good...I love him to bits

Today I got him orchard grass because the petstore was out of timothy. He doesn't seem as gung-ho about it as he is the timothy hay. If he eats less of it, is that dangerous? How much nutrition does he actually get from the hay itself? I know he uses it to keep his teeth worn down and also to aid in digestion. He has unlimited hay and pellets (alfalfa based) all the time and he gets greens (lettuce - romaine, red leaf and green leaf) and a peice or two of carrot daily. Will he be ok eating orchard grass instead of timothy for a few weeks?

Also I know guinea pigs can digest paper, but he really likes to eat it. He loves fast food napkinds and toilet paper rolls with some toilet paper still left on. I try and make sure he has one or the other to play with all the time. Should I limit the amount of paper he's exposed to? How dangerous is it for him to eat paper and why is he eating it??

Thanks in advance!

[julsie]

The orchard grass is fine, but if he's not eating, I'd suggest buying some timothy hay soon and mixing the two together.

I can't answer about the paper-eating. Hopefully somebody else can!

[pgpsm]

ANY other hay other than Timmothy hay, should be fed as treats. Occasional treats that is. None of the other hays mach to timmothy hay. GET SOME TEMMOTHY HAY!!!!!

[Ly&Pigs]

A tiny bit of paper or cardboard will not hurt a pig but letting them ingest too much may cause bloat. Bloat requires emergency treatment. It's better to not give things like napkins, toilet paper (the rolls are fine with a slit cut lengthwise to prevent getting stuck in it) paper towels, etc.

Pgpsm, please do not yell at people in threads and check your posts for errors before submitting them. And while you are at it, please don't give bad advise. ANY grass hay is fine to feed on a daily basis as long as it's grass hay. There are many varieties of grass hay. Orchard grass is a variety of grass hay and is fine to feed on it's own.

[TaraRose]

Thank you guys for the advice. My piggie will be sad not to have his napkins anymore..what causes them to eat paper? Is it a diet deficiency?

[Macha]

Thanks for posting that, Ly. We just bought a huge bag of Oxbow orchard grass, and I was wondering just that.

[Biscuit]

Originally Posted by pgpsm

ANY other hay other than Timmothy hay, should be fed as treats. Occasional treats that is. None of the other hays mach to timmothy hay. GET SOME TEMMOTHY HAY!!!!!

Should you feed timothy hay before or after you hit your guinea pig?