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Australia Petstore-bought hay

Skylarnz

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yeah the first bag I tried wasn't that good but I got 3 on special about 2 weeks ago and all 3 are really nice green hay and so I will not be buying the big bags anymore!!
 

RodentCuddles

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Really, they are green? That is awesome!!!
 

Skylarnz

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hi yes these ones I got is more green than yellow so that is a big plus!! :)
 

Haymonster

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I thought I'd throw in a few things. First, yes we have Oxbow in Australia (though not in New Zealand, seeing as no one has an import license/permit for it there) but it is really ridiculously expensive. I buy the pellets, because I don't think any other pellets are worth feeding, and I don't like feeding a mix, due to selective feeding. However, one 5lb bag of pellets costs $28. From a quick search I can see that in the US a 5lb bag of Cavy Cuisine is about $10 (the exchange rate AUS$ to US$ is roughly 1:1 at the moment, so no need to work that part out) - that's almost a third of the price! As for Oxbow hay, the 9lb bag of timothy hay that costs $26 in the US sells for $125 in Australia.

So, yes we do have Oxbow hay in Australia, but it's generally not worth it. I'm not saying that we shouldn't feed a high quality hay, only that it's not really worth feeding Oxbow in particular.

I also find that hay here tends to be not as green. I think it may have to do with growing conditions and/or varieties that we can grow. I have never seen Australian grown hay that has that amazing pure green that you see in Oxbow hay (or photos that I've seen of KMs hay). As [MENTION=15597]mari11[/MENTION] said, though, even if bales are yellow/brown on the outside, they may still be green on the inside - have a peek and see! That being said, I don't think that being green is the only thing to worry about. I recently bought a bag of Oxbow timothy as a treat for my pigs and rabbits, and although it was beautifully green, it was very stemmy.
 

RodentCuddles

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Okay, well I just brought one of the small bags from animates and they are so much better!!! It's gonna cost so much more, but my lil piggies are worth it!
 

pinky

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I've been thinking and seeing as the only hay I can find for my piggies is really bad and expired, is it okay not to feed it to them? As for the second time they have gotten mites from the hay, both hays were brought at different stores. Will it be okay if I don't give them hay?

Pellets I feed them:

View attachment 28994

The pellets I feed them is a life-stage mix designed for adult pet piggies over 8 months of age. It is as complete a diet as you can manufacture for guinea pigs, the only addition it requires if a small piece (approximately 25grams) of high Vitamin C fresh veg - they recommend Red Capsicum, Spinach & Kale – and fresh water.

Ingredients include; Mixed hay’s & herbs.

Nutritional overview...
Fibre - 29%
Protein - 15%
Fat – 1%
Note; Due to the nature of the ingredients the exact nutritional breakdown can fluctuate from season to season depending on growing conditions.

Guinea pigs don't get mites from hay. They need a living host to survive. They probably weren't completely rid of them the first time you treated them. Sometimes guinea pigs have mites and don't show symptoms until they're stressed.
 

suzilovespiggie

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They need a good grass hay to help grind down the molars and help with digestion.
 

RodentCuddles

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They need a good grass hay to help grind down the molars and help with digestion.

Yes, I know that but It's really hard to find good quality hay in NZ. The last lot I had brought was brown and mostly fill of weeds. If anyone in NZ has found better hay then the small bags in Animates please tell me!! But the small bags are heaps better then the big ones.
 

mari11

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Apple branches/twigs will also help with their teeth if you have a clean source of those. My guys love them with leaves but are still all over them now without.
 

Haymonster

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I don't think that apple branches will wear down the molars - just the incisors.
 

RodentCuddles

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I think the big bags could be Red clover hay?
 

pinky

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I think the big bags could be Red clover hay?

Unless you have a guinea pig under 6 months of age, you don't want to feed much clover. It's higher in calcium than alfalfa. If you feed it as a treat, it should be fed in small amounts.
 

Skylarnz

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I think the big bags could be Red clover hay?

The big bags from Animates?? That is meadow hay as well! Not sure about the red clover? Do you think it is mixed??
 

RodentCuddles

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Unless you have a guinea pig under 6 months of age, you don't want to feed much clover. It's higher in calcium than alfalfa. If you feed it as a treat, it should be fed in small amounts.

I was just saying that that could be some of what the big bags of hay at animates are. I no longer feed them it.

The big bags from Animates?? That is meadow hay as well! Not sure about the red clover? Do you think it is mixed??

I saw red clover for sale on trademe and it just looked a bit like it.
But I do know they get the bags from different places, I've forgotten where they said they got the big ones from but they get the small ones from Tui.
 

Skylarnz

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I was just saying that that could be some of what the big bags of hay at animates are. I no longer feed them it.



I saw red clover for sale on trademe and it just looked a bit like it.
But I do know they get the bags from different places, I've forgotten where they said they got the big ones from but they get the small ones from Tui.

Hi no idea as to where they get them but the big bag animate brand is meadow hay.....are you talking about the big big bale hay that they also sell?? Not sure about that one!
 
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