Does Hay Quality Vary With Quantity?

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Catie Cavy
Supporter 2011-2020

Post   » Fri Apr 05, 2019 6:52 am


Could it be from Drs. Foster & Smith? Maybe items Petco didn't want to sell?

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Fri Apr 05, 2019 9:00 am


I was thinking Drs Foster & Smith, too, since they were in Rhinelander, WI and I’m in central MN. I was surprised at the aquariums and reptile habitats, though. I plan to go back and pick up some food and other supplies to donate to local shelters.

I love a bargain but hate to see a company close.

Gessika

Post   » Sat Apr 06, 2019 8:40 pm


I just re-ordered some hay and did it via KM's site and not Amazon. It was $6 cheaper not using Amazon because they charge tax and KM doesn't. KM's also has a loyalty program and you earn points with each purchase towards free product in the future. The shipping times seem to be the same with both sites.

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ItsaZoo
Supporter in 2023

Post   » Sat Apr 06, 2019 10:34 pm


Well I have to put in a good word for Chewy. I wrote a review about the quality of the 9 lb bag of Timothy I bought from them and gave it two stars. I just received an email that they issued a refund on my credit card. That was totally unexpected. Amazing customer service.

Gessika

Post   » Sat Apr 06, 2019 10:38 pm


Sef1268, they've moved to "free" shipping now on both their website and Amazon, so it's a flat rate for the hay based on amount. The overall price is higher now than when the hay and shipping were priced differently, at least for me.

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mmeadow
Supporter 2004-2022

Post   » Wed Apr 10, 2019 1:41 am


Got my new 45lb box of bluegrass, and it seems just fine.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sat Apr 13, 2019 4:05 pm


On the subject of hay, I have to abandon the orchard hay because of allergies my wife has to it. My 4 boars are all over the house at any given time, and so is the hay. There's no escaping it for her. I will go back to the bags of Timothy hay if necessary, but I want to explore my options first.

One of the feed stores has a bale of oat, wheat and barley hay, which should be ok for my wife to be around. I know that the wheat and oat hay is ok for them. It's the barley I'm concerned about. As I understand it, those hays are the grassy stuff that's left after the seed/cereal has been harvested from it. Is that right? I googled barley hay and got the standard result which says they can have all 3, but I wanted to see what you guys have to say before I decide. I'll ask the vet too.

My goal is to give my boys the best hay and balance it with value. The bags of store bought Timothy hay are fine, but it's a better value for a bale. The biggest bag I can get is about an eighth of a bale and costs about the same as a whole bale from the feed store. This will be a very short experiment. I'll go back to the bags of store bought Timothy if I have to.

Harmony

Post   » Sat Apr 13, 2019 5:25 pm


That's interesting, so in the states they call it hay? Over here the stalks from crops such as wheat, oat and barley is straw. I have more experience of feeding hay to horses than guinea pigs, as my gps mostly have grass, but over winter I did have to resort to hay and found it quite amazinghow they would happily pick bits out of one bag, and totally refuse to touch the next one! Must admit I can understand the allergy problem, as both the poor gps and myself started itching horribly when they were on the hay.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Apr 13, 2019 5:51 pm


Hay and straw are two different things, here.

Straw is just a stalk after the grain has been removed, usually left over from wheat. Hay is a grass or a legume, still has the grain, and has nutritional value that straw doesn't have.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sat Apr 13, 2019 7:13 pm


Okay, that makes sense. So do you think the mixture of oat, barley and wheat hay would be good for them? Will it give them the nutrients they need in enough quantities without putting their health at risk?

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Apr 13, 2019 7:16 pm


Without reading back, what was the problem with timothy hay?

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sat Apr 13, 2019 10:44 pm


Nothing wrong with Timothy hay. I was looking at getting a better value. It's anywhere from $9-$11 for a 48 oz bag that lasts 5-6 days. I can get a whole bale for about $20 and that's a 4-6 month supply. Since I have the storage space to keep it warm and dry, I wanted to go that route. Since my wife is allergic to the orchard grass I can't use it. She is ok with Timothy hay and be ok with wheat, oat and barley hay, but I don't want to compromise the piggie's diet.

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