Hay Oxbow is Terrible

[Greenbean]

Store hay has been sitting on their shelves for a while and not what anyone would consider "fresh". Once you have seen how soft and fresh Kleenmamas or Oxbow is, you would never think Kaytee is fresh. Kleenmamas is so fresh that you can wrap it around your finger. The only thing I got from Kaytee on my finger was a sliver from how dried out it was.

I have tried Kleenmamas before when I just had Bean, and she didn't like it. :\ I haven't tried Oxbow yet, but from the comments about it here, I'm not sure if I even want to.

 

[CavyMama]

I have tried Kleenmamas before when I just had Bean, and she didn't like it. :\ I haven't tried Oxbow yet, but from the comments about it here, I'm not sure if I even want to.

The comments here have been about the store-bought Oxbow. Hold judgement on it until you've had a chance to see, feel, smell real Oxbow hay from the farm.

 

[Greenbean]

The comments here have been about the store-bought Oxbow. Hold judgement on it until you've had a chance to see, feel, smell real Oxbow hay from the farm.

Do you order it online? I thought it was only available in stores.

 

[CavyMama]

Yes, both Kleenmamas and Oxbow are available online.

Kleenmamas: kmshayloft.com

Oxbow: oxbowanimalhealth.com

I've personally ordered KMs so I can speak to its quality but Oxbow comes close behind KMs in quality and is another highly recommended hay on this site. Both offer good pellets as well.

You can even see the difference in the pellets made from the hay. If you compare Kms pellets to Kaytee pellets, KMs pellets have a green tint (made from KMs hay). Kaytee pellets are brown (the color of dried out hay).

 

[MrWhistles]

ETA: I used to think Kaytee was fresh too before I laid eyes on the beauty that is Kleenmamas.

Oh yeah. That lovely soft, fragrant and green hay. So soft I could sleep in it!

 

[CavyMama]

Oh yeah! With kaytee, I was always worried that my pigs would poke their eye with it. That stuff can really cause some damage to piggies. I have no worries about that with Kleenmamas. My pigs LOVE to burrow in it, sleep on/in it or just lay on it.

 

[PiBee]

I've never heard anyone say that Kaytee is green and fresh looking - other than one person in this thread. Any Kaytee I've seen has been yellowed and brittle. Definitely not fresh.

Ah, yes, I think I got mixed up between that and how many people said their piggies love it. My Kaytee is pretty green though, but I can imagine it's far from being the best.

 

[MrWhistles]

Oh yeah! With kaytee, I was always worried that my pigs would poke their eye with it. That stuff can really cause some damage to piggies. I have no worries about that with Kleenmamas. My pigs LOVE to burrow in it, sleep on/in it or just lay on it.

Sticks ahoy in Kaytee!
Whistles was very picky with his pieces in Kaytee. But with KMS he just pigs out! xD

 

[seida]

Just as an added comment on Oxbow, I bought a small bag of their orchard grass hay and my pig LOVED it - it was soft, green, smelled amazing, and she pigged out. As a result, I next ordered a large bag of the same type of hay - but it was quite different. It was still green (with a few brown strands throughout) but the strands were thicker, longer, and not as soft It's still better than the timothy I had, but I'm really surprised at the difference between the small and large bag. It may be a one off, but I'll go back to buying small bags even though it's less cost efficient. (I have to order them online and thus pay for shipping too :/)

 

[pinky]

Pinky, I heard that Lake Barrington Feed & Supply has some great Orchard grass available. Their number is 847.842.0605 Thought of you when I heard... Have not seen it but the person who mentioned knows what they are talking about

@skinnyguineaus, you're my new BFF. I went to pick up my Oxbow orchard grass at Pet Supplies Plus after work and the manager said his sales rep moved from MI to IN so his orders have been disrupted. He couldn't get any Oxbow in this week and he was going to try for next week. He didn't even have the 25 lb bags of timothy he usually has. Out of desperation, I called Barrington Feed to ask about the hay. (I only had a couple of day's worth of hay left.) He said they were nice and were $7.50 a bale. I drove up there (it took me 40 minutes) and realized it's north of the bridal store where my daughter bought her wedding dress so I had no trouble finding it. He said he has to lock it up now because people are stealing hay due to a shortage. It's not Oxbow quality but my guinea pigs love it. It's probably about 30 lbs and it fit into about 3 and a half yard waste bags.

 

[skinnyguineaus]

@skinnyguineaus , you're my new BFF. I went to pick up my Oxbow orchard grass at Pet Supplies Plus after work and the manager said his sales rep moved from MI to IN so his orders have been disrupted. He couldn't get any Oxbow in this week and he was going to try for next week. He didn't even have the 25 lb bags of timothy he usually has. Out of desperation, I called Barrington Feed to ask about the hay. (I only had a couple of day's worth of hay left.) He said they were nice and were $7.50 a bale. I drove up there (it took me 40 minutes) and realized it's north of the bridal store where my daughter bought her wedding dress so I had no trouble finding it. He said he has to lock it up now because people are stealing hay due to a shortage. It's not Oxbow quality but my guinea pigs love it. It's probably about 30 lbs and it fit into about 3 and a half yard waste bags.

Pinky, I am SO glad it worked out!! No it does not have the same LOOK as oxbow but I guarantee it is great quality and pesticide free. The owner is also such a nice guy! I order my feed from there and he is kind enough to hold it for a while until I can make the drive from the city! I also love seeing his dog. lol Such a cute boxer. I am SO glad I was able to help!

 

[pinky]

Pinky, I am SO glad it worked out!! No it does not have the same LOOK as oxbow but I guarantee it is great quality and pesticide free. The owner is also such a nice guy! I order my feed from there and he is kind enough to hold it for a while until I can make the drive from the city! I also love seeing his dog. lol Such a cute boxer. I am SO glad I was able to help!

The guy was really nice. His dog followed us when we went to look at the hay and he/she (I think it was a she) stopped in front of the empty store next door and started whining. He said his dog's boyfriend/girlfriend used to be there with its owner until they closed up the shop. His dog still remembers...It was kind of sad..... I've never seen my guinea pigs devour hay like they do with this stuff. They've had Oxbow and KM but they find this stuff irresistible. I'll definitely buy from him again. He said his next cutting won't be as nice due to the lack of rain, though.

 

[henea guinea]

The one time I was dissatisfied with Oxbow they sent me a replacement bag. The nine pound bags are hand packed and very nice.

 

[SuperGilbert]

I agree, Oxbow hay is overpriced crap.......My guys never cared for it

 

[pinky]

I agree, Oxbow hay is overpriced crap.......My guys never cared for it

Their boxed hay is just as nice as KM hay. I wouldn't buy any bagged hay.. any brand.

 

[MrWhistles]

I agree, Oxbow hay is overpriced crap.......My guys never cared for it

Oxbow isn't crap hay. PetsMart, Petco, PetSuperMarket, WalMart, etc are what "turns" them into crap. They know nothing of hay shelf life and will keep the hay on the self for YEARS. It also depends on your income area. If your area is low income, then everyone isn't going to buy the expensive high quality animal products. To most people, animals are secondary to them. While I believe in this to a certain extent I still make sure I can get the best I can afford for my animals.

You guinea pigs may have "not cared" for the high quality hay for a number of reasons.
1 reason is they may have been raised off of the (real) crap hay for all their life so they want what they are used to. If so, then you continue to give them the higher quality hay in which they will eventually see this hay is really good.
Another reason is the customers at the store you purchased Oxbow may not sell their higher quality products very often. In that case I'd find another store to find hay that ISN'T expired.

 

[SuperGilbert]

Sorry, couldn't disagree more, considering I've had them for 3 yrs now and since they where young pups when i got them, your "raised off the real crap" theory can be thrown right out the window with the other trash.......Nice try tho

 

[SuperGilbert]

Should read" since they were young pups"

 

[MrWhistles]

Sorry, couldn't disagree more, considering I've had them for 3 yrs now and since they where young pups when i got them, your "raised off the real crap" theory can be thrown right out the window with the other trash.......Nice try tho

Okay then, what are you feeding?

 

[pinky]

There is a HUGE difference between buying fresh hay and bagged hay. Even if someone has owned guinea pigs for 20 years and has fed them bagged hay, they can't compare. KM ships fresh boxed. Oxbow ships fresh boxed but also sells bagged hay to stores that sell it to consumers.....Don't buy bagged hay. It's as simple as that. You can order fresh from KM, Oxbow or Sweet Meadow and you'll get nice hay. You can check out local hay farms and see if they have fresh bales and buy from them. And if you're unhappy with hay that comes in clear bags that you can see through, you should inspect it better before buying it, or even better, shop at a store that doesn't stockpile it so it's fresher.