Hay - Trying to understand the "cuts"

Banksy

Banksy

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hey guys,

I'm just about to order another batch of hay and I'm shopping around just to get a feel of all the types of hay that are available etc.

I am considering ordering from the little hay co this time but finding it slightly hard to understand what each "cut" offers.

So far I have used natures own to provide the piggies a choice of timothy, meadow and sweet green but find they only seem to offer timothy as a blend with flowers and carrots etc and don't offer any larger bags for discounted prices.

I try to offer a softer grass for burrowing and the timothy/meadow for dental care - the piggies seem to like both types of hay for eating and definitely prefer the meadow hay to burrow in or even use as their toilet.

the little hay co seem to offer a bundle pack for £40 where they offer multiple different choice - i was thinking of getting the silky soft hay which they proclaim is the most sought after for the nesting aspect and their timothy hay for the dental aspect.. but i see they also offer second cut timothy hay. From what I've read this is softer than first cut but is it any better? would i be good in getting an extra pack of the softer timothy hay to offer as an option in place of the sweet green hay i got from natures own? or is the cotswold sweet better?

so many questions!

EDIT - i have used A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries) for a lot of my information but I'm still finding it hard to differentiate the sort of benefits of each hay and what ones are best to offer - i.e should i always have a harder hay like first cut timothy available where possible or does it not matter too much as long as the piggies are eating?
 
Any grass hay wears the teeth. It’s not really the case that Timothy is better for it as such.
Different hays do have different nutritional values. The first cut Timothy can be too tough for some and they will refuse to eat it. (Certainly the case for all six of my animals hate the stalky Timothy hay).

Second cut Timothy is softer - a little less stem and a bit more leaf. A good option if you’re got piggies who don t like first cut to it being stalky and hard.
We have found some cases on here where when fed soft cut exclusively it is too rich for some piggies and causes digestive upsets and soft poop.

So really you are looking for a hay which they like primarily! And one which fits your budget.
Offering a couple of different types can be very good as it gives that variety and give you the comfort is knowing they will eat a few different types should you not be able to get any one at any time.

I buy a bale of meadow hay from a local farm. They live outside so it is used as bedding (because it’s cheap), topped up a few times a day and they eat plenty of it. I also give orchard hay - a handful thrown in twice a day for variety.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Any grass hay wears the teeth. It’s not really the case that Timothy is better for it as such.
Different hays do have different nutritional values. The first cut Timothy can be too tough for some and they will refuse to eat it. (Certainly the case for all six of my animals hate the stalky Timothy hay).

Second cut Timothy is softer - a little less stem and a bit more leaf. A good option if you’re got piggies who don t like first cut to it being stalky and hard.
We have found some cases on here where when fed soft cut exclusively it is too rich for some piggies and causes digestive upsets and soft poop.

So really you are looking for a hay which they like primarily! And one which fits your budget.
Offering a couple of different types can be very good as it gives that variety and give you the comfort is knowing they will eat a few different types should you not be able to get any one at any time.

I buy a bale of meadow hay from a local farm. They live outside so it is used as bedding (because it’s cheap), topped up a few times a day and they eat plenty of it. I also give orchard hay - a handful thrown in twice a day for variety.
Click to expand...
I'm hoping to find a farm locally that sells hay, I know of one that sells hay in the summer where I used to live but that's a good 40-50 min drive away, think most of the farms around here are purely cattle/animal farms but there must be somewhere that offers hay!

but it is good to know that all hay is ok for the teeth, my piggies don't seem to be too fussy about their hay but they definitely increased their intake of hay when i switched out from the rather dry/dusty looking timothy/meadow blend from pets at home to the more fresh, green and lush smelling natures own hay
 
I tried the Little Hay Co second cut my piggies loved it. It's very rich, my boars put on a lot of weight with it. Great if you have piggies that need some weight gain but 2 of mine are under vets orders to lose some due to their arthritis! I will be buying it again to use as a treat sprinkled on top of the Natures Own Meadow they have as their main go to hay. Mine don't eat hard spiky first cut timothy which is what most timothy in this country is.
Timothy hay is hard to grow here, we have the wrong climate so most is imported. Little Hay co does grow some but it is unusual to get a second cut. I believe last year was the first time they managed it.
I don't think the timothy from Natures Own is grown on their farm unlike the meadow which is why it's sold in small bags and is expensive for what it is.
 
piggieminder said:
I tried the Little Hay Co second cut my piggies loved it. It's very rich, my boars put on a lot of weight with it. Great if you have piggies that need some weight gain but 2 of mine are under vets orders to lose some due to their arthritis! I will be buying it again to use as a treat sprinkled on top of the Natures Own Meadow they have as their main go to hay. Mine don't eat hard spiky first cut timothy which is what most timothy in this country is.
Timothy hay is hard to grow here, we have the wrong climate so most is imported. Little Hay co does grow some but it is unusual to get a second cut. I believe last year was the first time they managed it.
I don't think the timothy from Natures Own is grown on their farm unlike the meadow which is why it's sold in small bags and is expensive for what it is.
Click to expand...
That is very interesting to know! i didn't take in to account that it may be imported, I thought it was just because they only seemed to do it with dandelion etc.

Is the silky soft stuff from little hay co any good for weight management? i opted for second cut + silky soft. It's easy enough for me to source out some meadow hay from natures own as well as they are pretty cheap and good quality.
 
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