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Hay 'Prairie Timothy Hay' from Pestell?

SennaRei

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I asked my boyfriend if he could buy more oxbow timothy hay for my guinea pigs, but instead brought Prairie Timothy Hay by Pestell. I've never seen nor heard of this brand before, and I'm not sure if it's good enough. It certainly looks different in color compared to oxbow.. but I may just be very particular about what I'm feeding my boars. Does anyone know if this is an ok brand to feed them?
 

bpatters

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Timothy hay is timothy hay is timothy hay, no matter whose name is on it or where it comes from.

That said, growing conditions in different parts of the country result in different qualities of hay. In one year, the hay you've always gotten that was very good may not be not nearly up to snuff. So especially if you're buying hay in bulk, it pays to find out where it's coming from and what kind of growing and harvesting conditions they've had.

But, that hay you linked to comes in small packages, which makes me thing you're buying hay at a pet store. Whatever the brand, that will cost the most for the poorest quality of hay, hands down. It often sits on the shelves in warehouses, and it's dry and dusty by the time you get it.

The cheapest way to buy hay is from a local farmer, if you can find one. I have no idea whether Newfoundland grows hay, or what variety, but you might see what you can find. People who can find hay locally can often get it for $10 a bale.

The next cheapest is to order it online. That will be four or five times more expensive than a local bale, but many times cheaper than what you get in a pet store.

One option you might want to look into is that Oxbow will ship 50 pound boxes to a store near you for pickup. I'm pretty sure they do it for Petsmart, but if not, you might check to see if a local feed store could get it for you that way.
 

SennaRei

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Unfortunately no, I've even searched online if there were any farmers across the province who grew timothy hay and have not found any(I don't think our climate is suitable for growing it). Which is why we buy hay from the closest pet store in town two hours away, but I never thought about being able to order it online.. It certainly sounds more convenient!

I'm so relieved to hear that-I've been stressing over this bag of hay. I want the best for my pigs. I'll call a petsmart in town and see if they do it, if not, I'll check out ordering it online. Thank you for the help!
 

Mikko

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Hi, sorry if this thread is done and gone with... I recently got a piggy from a lady who was giving her lone piggy away. With it she was kind enough to give me three bags of this Pestell Prarie Timothy Hay.
After looking it up online a bit (since new piggy has barely touched the hay--but might be nervous from the big move), I read that it may be too tough for guinea pigs and doesn't have enough vitamin C in it? (I give them both a vitamin C supplement).
Also read on some sites that my piggies could choke on the hay (very worried since the pellets she gave me for my new piggy had tons of seeds and large colorful bits in them).

Would anyone be able to confirm that this is safe for my piggies?
 

Soecara

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@Mikko Hay should make up at least 80% of their diet. It provides necessary fibre to keep their digestive system healthy and the abrasive strands of the hay is what keeps their continuously growing teeth worn down. Guinea pigs should always have an unlimited supply of hay available. I have never heard of a guinea pig choking on hay, sure occasionally they may cough if they try to eat a bit too quickly but that happens more often with vegetables then hay and it is never anything more then a small cough. As to that specific brand of hay, it is Timothy hay which is the most common kind of hay fed to guinea pigs in the US, so yes it is safe as can be confirmed by many members on here, and as bpatters said before Timothy hay is Timothy hay regardless of the brand.

You are correct however that hay does not contain vitamin C, which is where vegetables come into play. Guinea pigs should be given 1 cup of vegetables per pig per day. The most important component of this one cup should be 1/6th to 1/8th of a green bell pepper (per pig) as it is the best source of vitamin C for guinea pigs, as bell peppers are both high in vitamin C, low in calcium, and a low risk vegetable for causing gas and bloat (high calcium diets put guinea pigs that are older then 6 months of age at risk of developing bladder stones which are a common health complication). For more information on what vegetables to you can feed, and how often you can feed them see this page https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List

Now onto the pellets, as your current pellets that came with your new guinea pig have coloured bits and seeds they are quite unhealthy. The seeds pose a high choking hazard, and are quite fattening. Not to mention the composition of the coloured bits. I would also be willing to bet the pellets have quite high calcium levels, which is a big concern if the guinea pig is older then 6 months. Ideally you should switch over to either Oxbow or KMS brand pellets. Oxbow you should be able to find in most pet stores, and you can order them online. KMS pellets are only available online from this webpage (broken link removed)
 

Mikko

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@Soecara
Thank you. I was just worried about Prairie Timothy hay versus Western Timothy. But it seems the consensus is that both are good. Even though my western timothy hay seems to have vitamin C added they will be getting their vitamin C from vegies everyday and what's in the pellets so they will be fine.

Piggy has been moved to Owbow pellets and seems to be enjoying them much more than the other ones.

Thank you again for answering me quickly and giving me even more information that I expected.
 

lunarminx

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Are you sure you aren't thinking Timothy hay pellets that have the vitamin C? I have never bought hay that had vitamin C added to it.
 

bpatters

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Hay doesn't have vitamin C added to it.
 

Mikko

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You're right. Double checked my western timothy hay and it did not have added vitamin C. I think I read it on yahoo answers. Sorry for the confusion and thank you both again.
 
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