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Oxbow Hay Cakes

Lacy&Buttercup

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I'm ordering hay cakes with my next order of hay to see if Lacy & Buttercup like them. What do you think of changing over to hay cakes instead of hay? It would be so much nicer but it probably has it drawbacks.
 

aqh88

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Hay cakes do have much longer strands than any other hay cube but are no comparison to actual hay. Long strands of hay are much healthier for their digestive tract and wear down the teeth better. Hay cakes make a good treat and might work if someone absolutely can't feed loose hay due to allergies or so forth but you really shouldn't replace their long hay strands with the shorter hay cakes strands just because it's convenient for you. I also found hay cakes to be fairly messy because they left very small bits and pieces everywhere that the guinea pigs didn't think were worth eating. Like dumping the bottom of the hay bag in the cage.
 

Slap Maxwell

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I use hay cubes as a treat. I only used timothy based ones for my guys. They make a HUGE mess on fleece bedding, so they only get them about twice a month. They really enjoy them but they are not a replacement for regular hay.
 

Ly&Pigs

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Hay cakes are definately not a substitute for regular loose grass hay. They are fine for occasional treats or even in addition to loose grass hay.
 

Lacy&Buttercup

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Okay, thanks. I thought it was a little too easy. They'll get them for treats during floor time then. They make a big enough mess on the fleece as it is with their pellets. I think they play in them more than they eat them.
 

Sabriel

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Hay cubes are good for pigs who just won't eat pellet mash. I take the crushed up bits from the bottom of the bag and sprinkle it on top of Spinel's mash. I'm so sneaky :p

But that's in addition to the huge box of hay Spinel gets every day.
 
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