How much hay?

[zachdave]

I just bought my first 9 pound box of Kleenmama hay and it is very nice. My newest pig (Fudge) seems to go through a lot more hay than my other pig, Peanut. When I had Peanut alone, she ate a little hay but not much. Now that I have two pigs, I find that I can fill the hay thing in the AM, also fill two rolls of toilet paper holder that I put in their 2x 3 C&C cage, and by the evening most if not all of the hay is gone. How long should a 9 pound box of hay last for two pigs? I paid $23 for the 9 pound box and between Carefresh and hay these girls are getting expensive!

[babyboo]

Well your suppose to let them have it at all time. My pigs would go through a entire hay rack in like an hour. So then I swiched to a bucket of it and they don't seem to eat as much. but I can say, two pigs eat more hay than one. Also you are giving them pekkets to right?

[Ly&Pigs]

There is no set amount of time a box of hay should last. It all depends on how much they eat.

Next time you may want to invest in the larger 25lb. or 35lb. box.

[fourboys4now]

My boys eat so much that last time I bought it I went for the 35 pound of KM hay. With shipping it was about $48.00 and I've been using it for quite a while now.

[LisaIsMe]

I know what you mean. When I got my two baby girls, the woman helping me showed me this giant bag of Timothy hay. I thought, 'no way!' That bag is too much and would last forever. I live in in Mobile, Alabama, and with all the humidity here - I thought that it would go bad and get moldy just sitting around. I finally found a small bag. But after watching Patches and Peanut go through it, I soon realized that it was not going to last very long at all!

I've since went back and grabbed the large bag. I now keep it in a 13-gallon trash can (which barely holds it).

[Lourdes]

I guess i'm blessed to live where i live and be close to a feed store. I managed to carry the timothy bale down the basement myself, but the alfalfa all 80# of it is sitting in my trunk...
60# Timothy costs 5.75
80# + Alfalfa 11.95
It's better to buy in bulk. I've even seen hay on ebay, but i'm not sure if it's okay or not. My two girls eat quite a bit for being babies and i do throw quite a bit out soiled/on bedding/on floor etc. I don't mind though since it is cheap.

[wickedrodent]

A 9lb box of KM's lasted my 4 pigs 2 months, if that helps any.

It does seem like they go through this faster than the feedstore hay. They like it better, and so do I. The bluegrass smells so nice, like tea leaves!

[Biscuit]

AHH, my 6 sows go through a 25lb box of APD timothy in about 6-8 weeks.

[auburnmare5]

I go through about one 24 oz. bag every 5 or so weeks. (For one piggy)
But double that because you have two.
But there is no set time that the box should be gone. All pigs are different so one person could go through it in about 4 months, and another person it could take 6 or more! You never know.

[paula.m.moore]

I go through three 32-oz. bags in a week. For 9 pigs. Am I feeding them too much?

[wickedrodent]

Am I feeding them too much?

You can never feed too much hay; they should have it at all times.

[pigsforlife]

24 oz every 5 weeks for one pig seems like such a tiny amount. I go through three biscuits of oaten hay in 2 weeks, plus a 15oz bag of Oxbows Timothy Hay (provided in limited quantities - so a handful every other day), granted I have 4 girls. The problem I am having at the moment is that the hay down the bottom of the hay rack goes brown before it has been eaten and so I have to change everything, wasting alot of hay in the process. Any ideas why it goes brown and how to prevent it? I am thinking that they either urinate on it or the hay down the bottom isnt getting enough air.

[Ly&Pigs]

PFL, try smaller amounts in the hayrack but refilling it more often. I used to have that problem with my own herd but now I just put a smaller amount in but refill it about 3-4 times per day.

[kmug500]

Babyboo ~ what are pekkets? I am new to the Guinea Pig world. But I must say I am learning a lot from here. I have 4 GP. 2 that are @5 mths old, and two that where born last night. I was just wondering what pekkets are? Thank you!

[Wheek Weak]

Pekkets are what you get when you hit the K key instead of the L key!

Babyboo actually meant to type "pellets".

[babyboo]

I am sorry, I was trying to type pellets not pekkets. Once again sorry

[Wheek Weak]

Hitting the wrong key is easy to do (we all do it sometimes).

Knowing our piggies...they would probably eat "pekkets"!!