Feeding Hay?

Status
Not open for further replies.
G

guineapigloverx

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Jun 17, 2014
Messages
28
Reaction score
3
Points
60
Hello, I'm new to the forums, so excuse me if this is in the wrong section, :D

I'm looking into getting a couple of guinea pigs in the future but before I get them I of course want to do research. I've been researching so much and I've discovered so much that I never knew!
Anyway, I wanted to know, what hay do you recommend to use as feeding hay? I'm from the UK, and can't have hay delivered.
I'm looking Pets @ Home own brand of timothy feeding hay, but I'm unsure. What do you think of it?
Also, if I were to buy the actual timothy brand hay that Pets @ home do sell, for around £8 for 1.8kg, how long would that last 2 guinea pigs?
Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it! Any suggestions from pets @ home, or local shops, would help. I'm unable to access any farm shops either which doesn't really help!
 
Hello. Welcome to the forum. Unfortunately, that place does not have good quality hay. All the best hays are available online. Is there really no way you can have it delivered, even to another address?

Will you be getting your new piggies from a rescue? This link will show you your nearest one,
http://theguineapigforum.co.uk/pages/guinea-pig-rescue-locator/

I personally do not buy from shops that sell animals as it only encourages them to stay in business. There is a shop in London called pet pavilion that does not sell animals but sells meadow hay. It's not great though.
 
Hiya, many of us on here buy the oneline hay from hay for pets my bale lasted me 4 months! (Mid July until this week) i buy the natural Ingis hay from them its £16 that's including the p&p for a 9kg bag No chemical sprays at all just natural :) i swear by it, fast delivery too.
Hay should be good quality it should by green and smell nice not brown as I found pets at home hay often was. It should ideally be long strands of hay too which helps their teeth (mine is), buying farm brought hay can often lead to your piggies getting mites, ive not had this with my hay but I did when I brought my boys as the lady I got them from had farm hay the sort they sell for £3 for a big bag.
Kell
 
Hiya and welcome!

Well done you for doing your research before getting piggies :) I can highly recommend rehoming a pair from a rescue. It's great to give somepig a new start in life and it helps rescues have more space for another piggy in need.... The rescue locator at the top of the page shows the best of the rescues in the UK.

Hay is important as you already know and there is a limit to what you can get from high street shops in terms of quality and quantity. I order online but the brand I use is also available in Pets @ home. I use Burgess forage, dandelion and marigold or chamomile hay. It's not cheap but my boys are fussy and that's what they eat most of. Online retailers are usually cheaper, sell larger bags and have a wider variety of hays available so it might be worth seeing if you can find someone who can accept deliveries for you, perhaps a neighbour or friend. I used to get mine delivered to work sometimes and as both of us at home work strange hours, often our neighbours will take deliveries for us or the driver will leave it in a safe place.

Sometime little local independent pet shops have the best and they might be willing to do a regular order for you. I get through a few bags a week between 4 piggies but sometimes more, depends how they are feeling and if it's colder they eat and use more to play in.
 
Can recommend looking a local pet supply stores, we have one 1 mile away that sells really nice local farm hay. Some online companies like dustfreehay will deliver to a safe place also if you are not in for deliveries

Exciting piggie times ahead, if we can help with anything just ask :)
 
I started out getting pure pastures meadow hay from The Range. I can't remember the price now but it is a reasonably cheap price. I was happy with it and all our piggies ate it. But then I got hay from hay for pets. It is much much better stuff. I have since bought one bag of the stuff from the Range and I was really surprised how unimpressed I was with it given that I was happy with it before. Having said that, if you really can't hvr anything delivered, it at least has the advantage of coming from a shop that doesn't sell animals.

The largest size bag from hay for pets (9kg I thibk?) lasts about 5-6 weeks for 8 piggies. Hope that helps.
 
Wow! I'm amazed by the amount of people who have replied and giving such great advice. You have a great community here on the forums! :)

I'm looking at what MerryPip said about the burgess forage dandelion and marigold hay, or the chamomile hay.
Looking at these online at Pets @ home:
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/woodlands-chamomile-harvest-hay - chamomile hay
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/excel/excel-herbage-timothy-hay-1kg - Excel herbage timothy hay (with dandelion and marigold herbage)

Do you think these are okay/what's the best out of those 2?

Also, are these both okay for everyday feeding hay, as I know guinea pigs are meant to have constant access to hay. Or would these types of hay just be 'treats'?

Will also have a look at The range like PiggySmitten said, when I get chance :)
 
If you add your location there is very likely to be someone if not a few people who live near you and will be able to advise better of where you can shop x
 
They do need hay as about 80% of their diet. I use burgess excel hays most of the time but that's because that's what my boys like! I also mix it up with timothy hay, green oat hay and whatever else looks good.

Timothy hay is the usual 'staple' hay for piggies but it's up to you and your piggies what suits.
 
guineapigloverx said:
Wow! I'm amazed by the amount of people who have replied and giving such great advice. You have a great community here on the forums! :)

I'm looking at what MerryPip said about the burgess forage dandelion and marigold hay, or the chamomile hay.
Looking at these online at Pets @ home:
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/woodlands-chamomile-harvest-hay - chamomile hay
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/excel/excel-herbage-timothy-hay-1kg - Excel herbage timothy hay (with dandelion and marigold herbage)

Do you think these are okay/what's the best out of those 2?

Also, are these both okay for everyday feeding hay, as I know guinea pigs are meant to have constant access to hay. Or would these types of hay just be 'treats'?

Will also have a look at The range like PiggySmitten said, when I get chance :)
Click to expand...
I have used the excel herbage one with dandelion before. I think it's bigger than the chamomile one and cheaper than it but I've never tried the chamomile one. The dandelion one is probably better quality overall than the one from The Range but it is more expensive. You could mix them together or alternate them to keep costs down?

Again, I really feel for you not being able to have anything delivered as you can buy the Burgess cheaper elsewhere online. I agree if you can add your location you may get some more local recommendations or even someone nearby who may be able to accept an order for you and drop it off with you. Id be happy to do that if I'm close enough.
 
I'll look around. With the excel herbage with dandelion and marigold, is this okay to be feeding them all the time? Like as there only supply of hay?

Thankyou PiggySmitten, :)

Also, with the excel herbage one, (1kg) how long do you think that'd last with 2 guinea pigs?
I really appreciate your help!
 
It probably doesn't seem right if you do the maths based on what I said before about the big bags I get but if I was using just the excel, I'd expect it to last at least a couple of weeks for 2 piggies. You will have waste, it's unavoidable. It's chopped short so I find you have to put more in as they can eat it quicker (less chewing than for the longer cut hay).

You can feed just the Burgess (or just the stuff from the Range). Edit: (to be clear) and just that all the time with no other hay is ok but you may find their teeth don't keep as well worn down as they would with some longer cut hay.
 
I bought some of the excel herbage and opened it just over 2 weeks ago now and my two have loved it, they particularly like the flowery bits in it, you can see them rooting around for the best bits!

I have about 1/3 of the bag left and they have had a few handfuls of it every day, they also get meadow hay every day. I did have 4 pigs eating it for a few days as I had 2 on holiday with me! If it's your only hay I'd say it would last 2 pigs about 2 - 3 weeks but if you give them another type as well it will last longer. The rest of my bag will last the next 2 weeks at least I think as it's very tightly packed in the bag. I bought a corner toilet for the hutch but it gets used as a hay dish now, so the excel goes into that over a layer of bedding as they do sit in it while they munch.
 
So from pets @ home that'd be around £12 per month, give or take a bit. Just trying to price things up to see how much it's really going to cost me, as I really do want to be prepared!

I have questions about other food such as fruit & veggie, and the pellets they eat, etc..would it be best to create a new thread?
 
guineapigloverx said:
So from pets @ home that'd be around £12 per month, give or take a bit. Just trying to price things up to see how much it's really going to cost me, as I really do want to be prepared!

I have questions about other food such as fruit & veggie, and the pellets they eat, etc..would it be best to create a new thread?
Click to expand...
You might get more responses of you do but it's entirely up to you - it's your thread, feel free to take it where you like!

Have you tried searching the forum? I remember reading a thread somewhere where someone had costed it up and written it all in a post. It was not that long ago so might be useful to you.
 
I'll just ask on here because everyone seems to helpful.
How much, should I feed my guinea pigs daily? There's so many answers online but I feel its best coming from people who actually own guinea pigs!
I know they should have vegetables, but what vegetables? I want to get stuck into a routine where I know exactly what to give them each morning and how much.
 
My boars get 30g of burgess nuggets in the morning and 30g at night in 2 bowls. They have cucumber, pepper and celery in the morning and carrot instead of celery at the weekend. In the evening they get mostly leafy veg, so some spring green and coriander with a green bean each. 2 or 3 times a week they get something different added like slices of broccoli stalk, spinach, kale, romaine or another lettuce, parsley. They get a bit of fruit like apple, pear or melon at weekends too. They have tried other veg and fruit since we have had them but what I've listed is their regular diet. The fresh veg weighs about 100g in total for they day (50g per pig).

They have fresh water daily and there is always plenty of hay in their hutch/ cage, I give timothy hay and meadow hay.

This link should help too http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/
 
Lolly said:
My boars get 30g of burgess nuggets in the morning and 30g at night in 2 bowls. They have cucumber, pepper and celery in the morning and carrot instead of celery at the weekend. In the evening they get mostly leafy veg, so some spring green and coriander with a green bean each. 2 or 3 times a week they get something different added like slices of broccoli stalk, spinach, kale, romaine or another lettuce, parsley. They get a bit of fruit like apple, pear or melon at weekends too. They have tried other veg and fruit since we have had them but what I've listed is their regular diet. The fresh veg weighs about 100g in total for they day (50g per pig).

They have fresh water daily and there is always plenty of hay in their hutch/ cage, I give timothy hay and meadow hay.

This link should help too http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...or-a-balanced-general-guinea-pig-diet.116460/
Click to expand...
This is a great post in terms of giving you a good idea of variety, amounts etc. of veg. As you will have read on the sticky threads in the food section, you just need to be careful to only feed some foods in moderation. Too much that is high in calcium, for example, is not thought to be good.

@Lolly's post shows how you can vary what you give so you can still give those things. Just be careful re celery - I am happy to be corrected (as ours love it) but I think that is one that is high in calcium so @Lolly probably makes that a smaller proportion of the overall weights mentioned.

Oh and corguettes are safe but most piggies don't seem to like them
 
Okay. Thanks very much, is it the 30g of nuggets each or 30g of nuggets between them?
 
The Burgess nuggets say for guineas 700-1200g to feed 30-50g daily. Mine both weigh around the kg mark and are 5 months so still growing but too many nuggets isn't good for them so they get 30g between them in the morning and another 30g in the evening. I will gradually reduce the morning down to 20g between them but will probably keep the evening nuggets at 30g as evening veg to breakfast is the longest stretch for them, they do tend to eat all the nuggets over night.

It's a good idea to weigh your guineas every week at the same time of the day to check growth (if you have young ones) or to keep a check that their weight is stable. Sudden weight loss is a sign of poor health or illness for example. Mine get weighed before their morning veg on a Sunday, they tend to gain about the same each week so I know they are both getting equal amounts of food.
 
@PiggySmitten - they get about 1/4 of a stick of celery between them (depending on how big the stick is, less of a big one!), they would definitely eat more! Mine will eat courgette providing it's from my Riverford organic box :roll:, they leave it from other sources. I think I have the least fussy pigs around, they hoover up everything in short time!
 
Like children, why do they love best the things that are not so good for them?!

Interesting on the organic corguettes - I'm afraid I won't be treating ours to those though I might try yellow corguettes next year as I sometimes grow these.
 
MycuteBoys said:
Hiya, many of us on here buy the oneline hay from hay for pets my bale lasted me 4 months! (Mid July until this week) i buy the natural Ingis hay from them its £16 that's including the p&p for a 9kg bag No chemical sprays at all just natural :) i swear by it, fast delivery too.
Hay should be good quality it should by green and smell nice not brown as I found pets at home hay often was. It should ideally be long strands of hay too which helps their teeth (mine is), buying farm brought hay can often lead to your piggies getting mites, ive not had this with my hay but I did when I brought my boys as the lady I got them from had farm hay the sort they sell for £3 for a big bag.
Kell
Click to expand...
How does delivery work with hay for pets. Can you choose what day to have it delivered?
 
Davey-cavy said:
How does delivery work with hay for pets. Can you choose what day to have it delivered?
Click to expand...
Hiya Mr, when I order it, it normally arrives within 4 days I'm unsure if you can ask for a day for it to arrive that would be very helpful if so. Do you have a neighbour to take it in for you or somewhere dry for them to leave it?
You won't be disappointed at all with it, mine lasted my 4 months :) ive just started my 2nd bale.....which type are you ordering?
Kell.
 
MerryPip said:
Hiya and welcome!

Well done you for doing your research before getting piggies :) I can highly recommend rehoming a pair from a rescue. It's great to give somepig a new start in life and it helps rescues have more space for another piggy in need.... The rescue locator at the top of the page shows the best of the rescues in the UK.

Hay is important as you already know and there is a limit to what you can get from high street shops in terms of quality and quantity. I order online but the brand I use is also available in Pets @ home. I use Burgess forage, dandelion and marigold or chamomile hay. It's not cheap but my boys are fussy and that's what they eat most of. Online retailers are usually cheaper, sell larger bags and have a wider variety of hays available so it might be worth seeing if you can find someone who can accept deliveries for you, perhaps a neighbour or friend. I used to get mine delivered to work sometimes and as both of us at home work strange hours, often our neighbours will take deliveries for us or the driver will leave it in a safe place.

Sometime little local independent pet shops have the best and they might be willing to do a regular order for you. I get through a few bags a week between 4 piggies but sometimes more, depends how they are feeling and if it's colder they eat and use more to play in.
Click to expand...

Ours also love the Burgess one, since they've tried that they wont have anything else... oO How much space does 9 kg of hay take up? We have very limited storage space to buy biiiiig bags...

PiggySmitten said:
This is a great post in terms of giving you a good idea of variety, amounts etc. of veg. As you will have read on the sticky threads in the food section, you just need to be careful to only feed some foods in moderation. Too much that is high in calcium, for example, is not thought to be good.

@Lolly's post shows how you can vary what you give so you can still give those things. Just be careful re celery - I am happy to be corrected (as ours love it) but I think that is one that is high in calcium so @Lolly probably makes that a smaller proportion of the overall weights mentioned.

Oh and corguettes are safe but most piggies don't seem to like them
Click to expand...

Our pigs seem really random with that. They love cabbage, parsley and kale as well as coriander and carrots. Peppers they will eat, but as a last resort. Parsnip they don't like, courgette and tomato they wont touch. Cucumber and lettuce depends on the day etc etc. So cant guarantee anything!
 
missdoofus said:
Ours also love the Burgess one, since they've tried that they wont have anything else... oO How much space does 9 kg of hay take up? We have very limited storage space to buy biiiiig bags...



Our pigs seem really random with that. They love cabbage, parsley and kale as well as coriander and carrots. Peppers they will eat, but as a last resort. Parsnip they don't like, courgette and tomato they wont touch. Cucumber and lettuce depends on the day etc etc. So cant guarantee anything!
Click to expand...
Someone posted a pic on here once of a 9kg bag with a wine bottle next to it to give a sense of size. I've split my bag in two @MycuteBoys is yours still all in one? Could you do a pic like that if it's still pretty new?

Yeah our piggies are fussy. They don't like peppers at all except very occasionally they will eat small bits of yellow pepper. In fact I struggle a lot for veg high in vit C, but not bad for them in terms of other things such as sugar or calcium, that they will eat. Turns out virtually no one's piggies like courgettes I discovered a few months back.
 
PiggySmitten said:
Someone posted a pic on here once of a 9kg bag with a wine bottle next to it to give a sense of size. I've split my bag in two @MycuteBoys is yours still all in one? Could you do a pic like that if it's still pretty new?

Yeah our piggies are fussy. They don't like peppers at all except very occasionally they will eat small bits of yellow pepper. In fact I struggle a lot for veg high in vit C, but not bad for them in terms of other things such as sugar or calcium, that they will eat. Turns out virtually no one's piggies like courgettes I discovered a few months back.
Click to expand...
Hi hun, I can do that for you ive spilt mine too but I will take some pics of it all in one place :)
 
@PiggySmitten :) red or white ;)

The hay in the bag is loose now as ive spilt it, but when it arrives you can not pull hay out of the bag it's that tightly packed in, as shown in the photo the hay comes in handy sections :)
The blue fabric pop up 'bin' is stuffed full to bursting of the hay from the clear bag (ive had this hay for almost a week so there was just a bit more of it) the best way to store hay is in something breathable like this or a duvet cover not in the plastic bag (as ive done....tut tut) keep it in a cool dry place.

image.webp image.webp image.webp
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top