Online vs. in-store shopping

[sohappy2beme]

I just ordered timothy hay, alfalfa nibbles, orchard hay (only 15 oz. bags each) and Cavy Performance (10 lbs) online. I have to pay $29.85 shipping, but I cannot find Cavy Performance in stores here, and the hay is marginal at best. My enitre order is $54.10. I was wondering if I will really see a huge difference with the hay quality. One of our pet stores sells the Oxbow hay but I read that the quality is way better online. Kleenmamas was so not an option because shipping was well over $50 for the cheapest option. Their hay looks so much better--third cut--but the shipping would just about have killed me. Just curious if I will see the difference.

 

[piggiesinpa]

Do the stores carry Oxbow products at all? They should be able to special order you other Oxbow products if they do....

 

[sohappy2beme]

I should check--never thought to ask, but the one store I go to has great customer service so I will ask them. Thanks!!!!!

 

[piggiesinpa]

No problem! They should be more than happy to do that. If not, the reason you're paying a hefty penny in shipping is beacuse KM's and Oxbow both use UPS and/or FedEx services. USPS is generally the fastest way to ship. The other stores (UPS and FedEx) is simply more expensive to make profit.

 

[JennG]

I was able to find Mazuri at a grain elevator (where I also found Canidae dog food). Mazuri's not the best but it's WAY better than the other crap that I could get at the other stores. And I discovered it's cheaper. I can buy 50lbs of pellets for $25 and it'll last a long time with 8 (& for the moment 11) piggies.

And here's what I discovered about the hay;
"Ok, I did some math last night (believe it or not, I think I figured it out right).
I buy small 1.5lbs of Timothy hay for $3/bag. I went online and was looking at KM's hay. Even though the shipping seems high, I figured I might be saving money in the long run. And I'm right.
For about $70, I can get 60lbs of hay from KM-I'm thinking 35lbs of 2nd cut Early Timothy Hay and 25lbs of last years Bluegrass. If I were to spend $70 on the small bags, I'd only get about 39lbs. SO that's a HUGE savings!!!
Now to figure out where to store it all."

I posted this on GL. I could knock myself over with a brick. I ordered some and it should be coming within a few days. I can't wait. So even if it looks like alot (which I always thought), it actually saves ya money in the end.

 

[sohappy2beme]

No problem! They should be more than happy to do that. If not, the reason you're paying a hefty penny in shipping is beacuse KM's and Oxbow both use UPS and/or FedEx services. USPS is generally the fastest way to ship. The other stores (UPS and FedEx) is simply more expensive to make profit.

I called Oxbow directly since the online shipping estimater quoted me at about $48 Ground and ground is not available to Hawaii, and the quote she gave me is USPS at $29.85 priorty, so I took it. Also, if I am not mistaken (I am going to check on my lunch) the 5 lb bag of Oxbow Cavy Cuisine was more than $5.75 so maybe there is a slight savings there. I was just wondering about the quality of the hay since the stuff I have now seems straw-like--not at all soft and grass-like.

 

[sohappy2beme]

I went to the pet store--$5.99 for a 15 oz. bag of Oxbow Oat hay and that is the only Oxbow they had--no Kleenmama's. Did my math too (thanks JennG!), and with tax, that is about .41 per ounce! If I buy a 5 lb bag of Kleenmama's 1/2 Timothy and half Bluegrass, then a 5 lb bag of alfalfa, that would total about .27 per ounce including shipping. Big savings!!! Since I already ordered from Oxbow, my next order will be from KM and I can see which the piggies prefer. Wow, it is cheaper online, even with astronomical shipping.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

I went to the pet store--$5.99 for a 15 oz. bag of Oxbow Oat hay and that is the only Oxbow they had--no Kleenmama's.

Kleenmama's isn't available anywhere but her website. So to get her hays or pellets, you have to order online or via the phone. Also you know Oat hay isn't suitable for daily feeding right?

 

[sohappy2beme]

No, I didn't know about oat hay, but I didn't buy it anyway. I was using it more as a gauge of pricing for Oxbow in stores.

Are the KM pellets good? I emailed her and I got the speediest reply! I will be ordering her once my Oxbow shipment I just ordered runs out.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

My pigs have tried KM's timothy pellets thanks to piggersrule. She sent me some to try. My girls liked them. KM's pellets in my opinion are the best there are because she formulated them especially for pigs knowing what foods are already on the market with 90%+ of pellets out there being garbage.

KM's hays are very good too. Especially the 3rd cut timothy and bluegrass. Nothing better than her bluegrass!

 

[sohappy2beme]

What are the rules regarding hay? Can bluegrass be given on demand--as much as they want? What about orchard grass? I ordered from Oxbow this time around because of the Cavy Performance pellets for the babies. I ordered timothy, orchard and alfalfa. I am planning on 3rd cut timothy and alfalfa mix and bluegrass from KM the next time.

 

[Percy's Mom]

Bluegrass and orchard grass are both grass hays and can be given the same way as timothy or in place of it.

 

[jrmPiggies]

I am considering buying food and hay for my soon to be adopted piggies online. My concern is shipping large boxes to the apartment complex that manager will have to deal with. Can anyone give me an idea of how big a box with a 25lb bag of pellets and 25lbs of hay would be? Also, could any give me an estimate of how long that would last for two cavies? My apartment manager said I could have a pair of guinea pigs but she might get upset if there is continous stream of packages she had to deal with. Thank you, I want to get them the best food but the only petstores near here are Petco and a local store (really bad).

 

[sohappy2beme]

This is what Linda from Kleenmama's Hayloft told me regarding the 25 lbs of hay I am thinking of ordering:

Ok, just to let you know, the bluegrass and 2nd
timothy, 25 lbs, comes in
an 18 x 18 x 16 inch box. The 3rd timothy comes
in an 18 inch square box,
so it's not all that big. We leave it compressed
in the bales and keep it
that way to ship.

 

[jrmPiggies]

Thank you! I was imagining alot bigger boxes. I'm still trying to figure out long a 25lb bag of food will last. I want to use the pellets before the vitamin C degrades. Guinea Lynx says 1/8 cup pellets/cavy/day but cups are volumes not weights and I don't know the density of pellets.

 

[ctinaw]

Oh that's not as big of a box as I was thinking of. Does KM use USPS or what type of shipping service? UPS is a pain here because it's a locked building and I always end up having to drive an hour to pick up my package, so I'd rather avoid anything that is shipped by UPS.

 

[sohappy2beme]

It is UPS for everywhere BUT Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico according to their website.

 

[sohappy2beme]

Oh, maybe you can ask them to deliver it somewhere else, like work, or leave with a neighbor?