Soft brands of timothy hay?

[sleepingchild]

I had a bit of a scare today.

While studying for my CRT exam, I had my earplugs in to avoid noise from my roommate upstairs. My 3 cavys are in my room with me, but behind me. Anyway, all of a sudden I thought I heard a high pitched cry. I turned around and saw one of my boys, Xanax, walking around with his head turned to his side. I picked him up and he cried a high pitch wheek, and cuddled him.

I immediately thought it was his ears, since I remember reading that was a sign of mites or something (turning their head or w/e), but then I looked down at his eye, and he had blood all around it. I immediately gently sponged it away, and continued to cuddle and examine him. He didn't have any other scratches, and when I saw him in the cage with his head to the side, his two cagemates were in the other side of the L shaped cage.

It seemed to clot quickly, so I held him for a little bit longer and then placed him back in the cage. He was by one of the hay racks that I had, so I have a strong suspicion that he either popcorned and poked himself in the eye, or was pulling some out and some poked him. My boys do quarrel on occasion, but I don't think it was them that did it this time, as there are no other wounds on the other boys and that was the only one on Xanax. No fur was pulled out either, which is usually a sign that they had a fight.

ANYWAY, I'm sorry this is so long, but I want to find some softer hay. At the moment, I'm using Kaytee's 24 oz bags that you can get at Wal-mart, Petco, etc. It's mostly all hard, pointy strands. My boys do eat it, of course, but I'm just worried that this may happen again and perhaps even be more severe next time. So, are there any brands that are not crazy expensive but softer? I'm on a budget and don't have much room for mass amounts of hay. Or is there even something I can do to the hay I have to make it less hard?

Thanks in advance guys!

[bpatters]

Kleenmama's hay is cheaper, even with shipping, than the stuff you buy in a pet store. The later cuts of hay are softer -- second is softer than first, third is softer than second. If you're on east coast, Sweet Meadow Farm hay may be cheaper than Kleenmama.

Or, you may be able to find good hay at a local farm or feed store, or at a horse stable. If you don't have room to store a lot of it, but can get it at a good price, it's probably worth buying it and throwing it away, or sharing it with a rescue or a neighbor.

[sleepingchild]

Thank you! I forgot to ask about what the "cuts" meant.

I'm just not sure of Kleenmama's sizing. I'm so afraid that I'm going to buy some from them but then end up with a huuuuge thing of hay. The pictures don't really help much on their site. Do you know of any picture examples somewhere or easy way to figure out how much hay I'll actually be getting?

[Pretty Piggies]

I used to use Kaytee, which is hard like you said, but now I use Oxbow. It is MUCH softer, and about the same price. Kaytee's bags are a bit bigger, but Oxbow has very long pieces of hay, so it is about the same. It is better for them too. Do you have a Pet Supplies Plus around you? Many pet stores now carry Oxbow from what I hear. Others say KM is great too. Your boys will LOVE Oxbow much better (I know from expierence.)

Edit: Oxbow sells small bags.

[sleepingchild]

I was looking into Oxbow too; there is a specialty pet store which sells Oxbow near me, I'm just not sure with the price how I will be able to do that. But I think I'll just have to kind of compare the sizes and weigh the pros and cons of the two. Being on a budget sucks!

[bpatters]

KM sells it in different sizes. You can go by how much you get in a 24 ounce bag -- that's a pound and a half. If you buy 9 pounds of KM, that's 6 times as much as a Kaytee bag.

I buy 45 pounds at a time and store it in my garage.

[sleepingchild]

How long does that usually last you, and do you ever run into the problem of mold/mildew? We have nice cold winters, so I think it'd be ok to store in the garage for me also during the winters, however during our summers it gets pretty humid. Does that ever present a problem for you when you store it? I just don't want to buy a ton of it and then end up having to throw it away due to mildew

[foggycreekcavy]

If you are looking for softer hay, go for KM's bluegrass or Oxbow's orchard grass. These hays are much softer than any timothy.

[bpatters]

Sleepingchild, I live in Houston, and unless the temperature is over 100 degrees, the humidity is usually higher than the temperature. If you live somewhere where the winters are cold, I guarantee you your summers aren't as humid as ours! I haven't had an problem with mildew or mold in the garage, and a box of hay lasts me 4-6 months.

[mokaseed]

Can I ask .. how much is it for shipping for you.
Because I live in Canada and the quote is $55 for 45lb (FedEx (1 x 45.00lbs) (Fedex Ground))
Just wondering is this quote "normal" or is it on the expansive side.
Does the quote include tax and other charges?
Thanks!!

[pinky]

I don't know where you live, but if you have a Pet Supplies Plus near you, they can order Oxbow in bulk for you. Orchard grass can be ordered in 50 lb boxes for about $61 which includes tax and shipping to the stores in IL. Timothy can be ordered in 25 lb or 50 lb boxes. Or you can ask your local Oxbow supplier if they can order bulk Oxbow hay for you. It's cheaper ordering and shipping to the store than to a home. You just need to pick it up when it comes in.

[mokaseed]

I don't think there's such a store in Canada. But I'll certainly ask our local pet stores about it.
Thanks!

[Jaclyn]

I am in Canada too. Order from Canadian pet connection. I just bought a 50lb bag of oxbow Timothy and shipping is like $24 or something. Great customer service there too. I got 50% off the hay because of a mixup! I didn't even ask for anything!

[pinky]

I am in Canada too. Order from Canadian pet connection. I just bought a 50lb bag of oxbow Timothy and shipping is like $24 or something. Great customer service there too. I got 50% off the hay because of a mixup! I didn't even ask for anything!

I got a box with a yellow flake in it one time. They sent me 25 lbs more for free

[Jaclyn]

How are things with your piggy? Did you find out about the hay and where to get it? If you are near Woodbridge you are welcome to share some of the 50lb box I just bought

[sleepingchild]

I ended up buying a small bag of Oxbow timothy hay, but I haven't used it yet because I still have sooo much Kaytee brand left.

But my new question is this: do they specifically NEED Timothy hay, or can I use the even softer kinds like Orchard, etc, instead in unlimited quantities?

[bpatters]

They can have any grass hay -- orchard, timothy, blue, brome.

[sleepingchild]

They can have any grass hay -- orchard, timothy, blue, brome.

Okay, awesome. Thank you!