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Timothy Hay

KATHY

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Is buying timothy hay really that much better than buying from a petstore?
 

CavySpirit

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The standard brand hays that are sold in petstore are -significantly- inferior to those you can order from Kleenmama or Oxbow or American Pet Diner.

AND you'll pay a whole lot less for a whole lot more of great hay.
 

Piglet

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The hay in a pet store is horrid. Its brown, dusty and smells awful. Once you buy a fresh bale, you'll notice the difference! A lot fresher and a lot cheaper.
 

mom to cujo

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Cujo's absolute favorite hay is from (broken link removed). Their hay smells sooo fresh and sweet. Their service is excellent. you won't be disappointed.
 

bunnyluv17

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Piglet said:
The hay in a pet store is horrid. Its brown, dusty and smells awful. Once you buy a fresh bale, you'll notice the difference! A lot fresher and a lot cheaper.
Not all hay in pet stores are bad. Pet stores around here sell Oxbow, which is a good brand.
 

Piglet

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That is true, but surely its better to get fresh hay by the bale from a farm?
 

loves2travel

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speaking of hay, i was thinking of buying a whole lot because its sooooooo much cheaper. 50 lb for 50 dollars. I thought that was a really good deal. About how much will i use for two pigs every day and will the hay last long? or will it get bad quickly
 

bunnyluv17

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Piglet said:
That is true, but surely its better to get fresh hay by the bale from a farm?
Not all hay from farms is good. We tried getting a bale of timothy for our rabbits from a farm store but it was thick, coarse, and yellow. The rabbits hated it, if you are getting a bale make sure it is fresh and green.
 

Piglet

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There are two types of hay you can get. Ist cut and 2nd and you must have got the 1st, which is still fine, just not for rabbits and guinea pigs.
 

loves2travel

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question!

if i'm going to keep hay in a rack, then how often will it need to be changed? For all of you, how many oz of hay due you use each month
 
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loves2travel

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so for 2 female pigs, would 50 lb last a year?
 

mncavylover

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That much should last you a LONG time, probably even over a year! Maybe 18 months or so... wow! That's a big amount! Your piggies will love you for it. If there is a way for you to get a little less and get fresh more often, you may want to, as in a year it may mold. You won't want to waste all that hay! Good luck! =)
 

NoVeil

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I got 30 lbs of hay at the beginning of June. I am feeding 3 piggies with it and just reordered it. I put hay in a hayrack for them and also toss in a handful or so each day for them to munch and nibble on. If I room to store it, I would order larger amounts but I am generous with the hay since they loved to burrow in it as well as eat it. I think 50 lbs for 2 pigs may last 4 months but certainly not a year.
 

mncavylover

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Yes, actually, I've looked at how much my piggies eat... and it's a bunch more than I thought! =) 4 months is probably accurate, sorry for my answer above. Good luck! =)
 

loves2travel

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just curious, about how big will a 50 lb bag be? I'm wondering if i have the sorgae for something that huge
 

NoVeil

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The box of 35 lbs of hay I got is not as big as you may think. I think it was about 18"x20"x18" or thereabouts. 50lbs would not be significantly bigger. It would easily fit in a 30 gallon trashbag.
 

NoVeil

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I go though about 10-12 lbs of hay a month with three guinea pigs. I put a generous handful in the racks each morning, replenish during the day as needed. The next morning, I take what is left in the rack and put it in the cage for them to burrow and play in (along with more, if needed) and refresh the rack. Every few days, I scoop up the play hay and remove it totally. Mine always have rack hay and loose hay to play/burrow/munch on. It just depends on your pigs, I have one that doesn't care if she has hay to play in, she pushes it to a corner and ignores it if it is not in her rack. Another one of mine loves to play in the hay and if there is not a pile on the floor, she will climb into the hay rack itself to play.
 

kavykritter

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well, the pigs eat the hay at their own pace, so it might be hard to say, but you should guve them as much as they will eat, and then see, but i have heard alot of things about how to store hay and how long it will keep, so it depends on how you store it, and how fast your piggies eat it, and stuff
 

Starbucks

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bunnyluv17 said:
Not all hay in pet stores are bad. Pet stores around here sell Oxbow, which is a good brand.
the petstores around here also sell oxbow, but the quality of the hay (not the brand oxbow) is horrible. i think it is really old or something because the hay is always yellow and dried out, like straw. i buy mine from a feed store. 10 lbs. for $10, when the big 40 oz. (about 3 lbs) bag of hay at the petstore cost almost the same price, $8.

much cheaper to try and buy it from a company that specializes in hay, like the ones mentioned above.
 
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