Chew sticks

[RubySimon]

Good morning!

Have not been on here for awhile, hope everyone is having a nice holiday season.

Does anyone know of a good source for applewood chew sticks? Not Oxbow, they are too expensive. All the ones I find on Amazon are made by companies that have weird names. Would love to find some that are definitely safe.

Thank you for any info offered.

[Lynx]

I have never given them. Maybe some special hays and vegs?

[Renonvsparky]

Amazon. It's amazing. They have apple wood sticks for as little as $8. And if you use the link at the bottom of this page you will be helping to support Guinea Lynx because we are an Amazon affiliate!

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Apple+Sticks+Pet+Chew+Toys+for+a+ ... f=nb_sb_noss

If you're not totally set on wood sticks for your guinea pigs to chew on, try wicker balls. Mine love them. They play with them and chew on them. They're pretty inexpensive and they last a couple of weeks.

[Lynx]

Thanks for mentioning that, Renonvsparky! I think the most sure way to benefit Guinea Lynx is to click on the link below first and then click on the link you posted. What happens is that first connection kind of "registers" whatever purchases you make to benefit the referrer. There are no automatic Guinea Lynx codes added in to the posts (I wish there were - would make it easier). But the two step process seems to work.

I can say I like the idea of the wicker chew balls better than the apple wood sticks.

[Renonvsparky]

Sammy liked both the wood sticks and the wicker balls. He chewed the sticks and pushed the ball around. Dean is the one who chews up the wicker ball. Mr Bubbles doesn't like either one. He has a special chew toy. The rest of the pigs prefer the wicker balls over anything else I give them to chew.

I got the link I posted by clicking on the link below and typing it the search item.

[Lynx]

The link below is appears as a shortened link but includes "Guinea Lynx" as the referrer:
https://www.amazon.com/?tag=guinealynx-20&linkCode=ez

[RubySimon]

Thank you!

I like the NiteAngel sticks from Amazon, but they are out of stock. Am leery of some of the others since they are made by companies with odd names.

I actually use them for one pig and my chinchilla. Neither of my pigs have any use for willow balls. Little stinkers, lol.

[ItsaZoo]

I have some of the wicker balls that came with a play wall, but Gidget isn’t interested. So I use it to hide lettuce and veggie pieces so she has something to search for.

[Renonvsparky]

That's weird. Mine love them. They are little clowns when they toss them, push them with their noses and chew them. To each their own I guess.

[ItsaZoo]

I don’t think Gidget had a variety of food or a lot of sensory stimulation as a baby. She’s not wild about the Oxbow vitamin C and she doesn’t care for the Simple Rewards treats. She’s not a fan of meadow grass or timothy, she doesn’t like apples, arugula, or dandelion and she’s luke-warm about peppers. So I’m trying to broaden her horizons.

[Lynx]

I sure hope she ends up eating more hay! I think of it as such an important staple for so many reasons - teeth and digestion especially!

Too bad you can't sit her down and explain it to her!

[Renonvsparky]

BJ was like that, but only with veggies. Sammy and Dean only got lettuce for their veggies. I just kept giving them other things and they eventually came around to them. I honestly believe that Gidget will too.

[ItsaZoo]

She likes orchard grass and eats enough of that. She picks through her pellets and I’m still mixing in some of the young pig pellets, so I’m not sure if those are the ones she’s eating or the ones on the floor when she’s done. I’ll have to try 2 separate feeding cups and see. And she likes corn husk, carrot slivers, and leaf lettuce. I plan to grow some grass for her this winter so she gets something fresh.

[Renonvsparky]

Sounds like you're on top of things. Gidget is lucky to have you!

[Lynx]

Oh, that she likes orchard grass is a good thing!

For what it's worth, I think putting a little bit of timothy or meadow grass in a corner would still offer her an opportunity to try them and get used to them. Perhaps putting the previous day's uneaten hay in another guinea pig's cage and offering fresh in case it just gets (to her nose) stale and uninteresting. Guinea pigs can be finicky.

[ItsaZoo]

I still offer timothy and meadow grass. She burrows through it so she may be eating some, but she definitely prefers orchard grass. I'm okay with that. Timothy hasn't been that good and some pieces are pretty sharp. I've wondered if that didn't contribute to Lacey's eating issues. So I'm leaning toward feeding the softer grasses.

[Lynx]

Ha! I should have known you had that covered! (offering it anyway)

[Renonvsparky]

Do you have a Tractor Supply Store where you are? If you do, they have very nice 50 pound bales of Timothy Grass for $22. I've been buying it from multiple locations of their store since I moved here and I have yet to get a bad one. Lush, green and a really good mixture of fine and coarse cuts.

[ItsaZoo]

We don’t have Tractor Supply around here, but we have Runnings. That’s a really good price for Timothy, but it would last me forever. I’ve been ordering Oxbow Orchard Grass from Chewy and a 40 oz bag lasts almost a month.

[Renonvsparky]

One bale only lasts me about 3 weeks. With 11 guinea pigs and the fact that I keep plenty of hay in their cages so that they can eat as much as they want, it goes pretty fast. There's a lot of it that gets thrown out when I change their bedding because they lay on it too. Well worth it to ensure they get the nutrition thay need. Not like it goes to waste as I'm collecting it and will be using it as compost.