Orchard vs Timothy.

Lorcan

Lorcan

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So until recently the only hay the goblins have ever really wanted, is oat hay and the stalkiest, spiniest poke-happy timothy hay possible. Soft hay was a no-no. They'd eat it if they absolutely had to but there was a general vibe of "stop hiding the good stuff" and if you put down the Happy Hay samplers, meadow and crau got ignored. Expensive organic hay from France is nothing compared to poke-happy timothy.

However, they do love orchard hay too, not as much as timothy but they still get excited for it. But what I don't have is room in the house for boxes over 5kg. 10kg can work but it's pushing it for space getting up and down the stairs because the box sits in the corner of the first "mini landing" before the top of the stairs. I asked Happy Hay if it was possible to get a box of timothy and orchard in the same box because of space restraints but it turns out they use different sized boxes for each (which...kind of makes sense, 2.5kg of orchard hay took up a quare amount of space in the 5kg timothy box), so that's a no.

Since Cam does occasionally decide to nest himself in some hay, I've gone with the orchard. It's softer, less likely to poke his eye out, they'll still both happily eat it. Is there anything I should be watching out for, or feeding less of because of it? Oat, meadow (and crau) and timothy I'm familiar with, but orchard's new to me.
 
My piggies love the orchard hay too. I buy the Oxbow brand coz it's just in bags. Quite expensive though. But I make sure that they meadow, timothy and orchard are all available for them 24/7 so they can have a variety. They also have oat hay that I put in a bowl coz they don't eat it all the time, but it's there whenever they want some.
 
Oh if I could I'd do 5kg of orchard and 5kg of timothy, there's just nowhere to put another box except in the bathroom, which is less than ideal.
 
Timothy is the most recommended but any variety of timothy, orchard or meadow hay is perfectly fine and will do.
My own now ca. 80 piggies have been mostly living on meadow hay and have still had a perfectly healthy, long life with several of them living to 8 years and never any diet related dental issues in all the time. They just need to eat a little more of it but we are not talking large amounts more...

PS: Offering changes in hay also counts towards enrichment. It's like offering different varieties of bread to humans for a welcome change. ;)
 
We have fed orchard for about 18 months now, I will occasionally get them the treat bags from happy hay co of the Crau and Oats hay (my boys think French organic hay is simply delicious!)
They are both happy and healthy and most importantly my allergies are fine!
 
rp1993 said:
We have fed orchard for about 18 months now, I will occasionally get them the treat bags from happy hay co of the Crau and Oats hay (my boys think French organic hay is simply delicious!)
They are both happy and healthy and most importantly my allergies are fine!
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I love it when I give them the meadow and crau samplers and they both just...stare at me, like "uh what's this?" every time.

Wiebke said:
Timothy is the most recommended but any variety of timothy, orchard or meadow hay is perfectly fine and will do.
My own now ca. 80 piggies have been mostly living on meadow hay and have still had a perfectly healthy, long life with several of them living to 8 years and never any diet related dental issues in all the time. They just need to eat a little more of it but we are not talking large amounts more...

PS: Offering changes in hay also counts towards enrichment. It's like offering different varieties of bread to humans for a welcome change. ;)
Click to expand...

Happy Hay have stopped doing 2.5kg boxes of most of their hays, but they still do it for the crau and oat because they're treat hays. And I like to get a small box of the oat hay occasionally because they do love it, and with a smaller box I can tip it in with the larger one without trouble. It's pointless buying meadow and crau though, it's a fight to get them to eat it, so I've mostly stuck with timothy.
 
Lorcan said:
I love it when I give them the meadow and crau samplers and they both just...stare at me, like "uh what's this?" every time.



Happy Hay have stopped doing 2.5kg boxes of most of their hays, but they still do it for the crau and oat because they're treat hays. And I like to get a small box of the oat hay occasionally because they do love it, and with a smaller box I can tip it in with the larger one without trouble. It's pointless buying meadow and crau though, it's a fight to get them to eat it, so I've mostly stuck with timothy.
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Nothing wrong with any of the major three hay varieties as a mainstay base whatsoever. Any speciality hays like oat hay should be used as a treat rather than as a daily feature, though.

You have to be practical and go with what works out for you. Don't fixate on 'only the best is good enough' in all aspects. 'Decent' usually does the trick just as well. Your local circumstances, ranging from availability, quality, price to storage at home, will all play into what you ultimately buy. You are not aiming for the sky; you are aiming at going with what works out best on the ground for your own individual situation when all is said and done.

Mine have been on meadow hay simply because the local independent pet shop I have used for the last decade offered locally sourced meadow hay that was nice and soft and because the price was very good - with over 20 piggies, that is a major consideration. Sadly the shop has now been sold on to Jollyes so I have to switch providers; I am currently trying to work out which place offers the best price/quality balance for setting up a standing order again. I've already had a hay poke from the Jollyes hay so I am not a happy bunny with what they have on offer now. :(

You can find an overview over the different hay varieties and which ones are mainstay or enrichment/treat hays in our hay guide: A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)
 
Up until the goblins arrived, I'd seen orchard hay mentioned on the forum and kind of...blanked it? Comet would eat whatever hay you'd give him, it was the only thing he was never fussy about, and even with the other 3 back in Northern Ireland it was mostly bags of Burgess, I'd never really had to think about it otherwise. And then along came the goblins who are only fussy about one thing - the hay!

They arrived with gorgeous hay, great smell, fresh - but also nearly double the price of anywhere else online :eek: and with the weather getting colder, and knowing how Cam likes to nest occasionally, I figured if they'd eat the orchard anyway maybe it was better to go with it for the time being, and should I ever get my act together and get my room cleared enough to get at the built in cupboard I could buy more hay and just transfer small amounts into a plastic bin on a daily basis. Still. Just under £16.50 for 5kg, even every 4 weeks...but I know they'll eat it and I don't want to risk buying something else they'll turn their noses up at.
 
It’s difficult - I buy Timothy soft cut hay from Haybox and store it in a duvet cover in a lockable bin in my shed. That way no mice etc can get hold of it - I decant 2 days worth into bags to keep indoors. I haven’t room indoors for a large box. I buy other hay types but the boys aren’t too bothered they love the soft Timothy hay.
 
My room has a walk in closet (it's currently unusable because the bed frame for the single bed is in it, along with the under bed drawers, and the single mattress is propped up against the door lol). When I find somewhere to palm the double bed off to, I can take the stuff out of the cupboard and put boxes of hay in there, and then transfer it to some kind of large plastic bin regularly. Saves space in the landing, where there really isn't any, and with a bit of luck there'd be less hay on the floor that way.

But until the bed can go up, no cupboard, no room for hay boxes.
 
Dilemmas ….. it’s really difficult - are you no longer wanting the bed ? If it’s good condition a charity might take it.
 
I'd rather have the single than the double - the single is mine and even if I can't get the bed frame back together (entirely possible) then the mattress on the floor would still take up less room than the double. The double was here when I got here, the HA have said that they provided it but if I want rid of it it's up to me, so it's my job essentially. It's just...really awkward to be getting rid of a double divan, lol.
 
My offer still stands to send you samples @Lorcan 🙂. At the moment I have Hay and Straw's Ings, Happy Hay Co orchard, and Haybox timothy.

I agree with @Wiebke , good enough is better than perfect in terms of hay and pellets as you will drive yourself round the bend trying to find the latter! It got so bad for me at one point that I was importing hay from Germany (which at that point was worth it because it was before all the high quality mail order hay companies).

Re: storage, could you use the bed drawers to store hay in pillow cases if you aren't allergic?
 
Not at the moment, only because there's a mattress in the way, I don't have access to that cupboard unless it's moved. I apologise for the state of my room lol, but here -

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First pic, mattress and two cupboards behind it. Second pic, why the mattress can't just be lain flat out, because there isn't the room. Also yes, said mattress has been dyed red because of red bed sheets. 🤷‍♂️ There's no getting hay into the other cupboard either, it can be barely opened so it's got pillows quilts and sheets in there atm, that's all that can be shoved through the gap.

(edit: well, dyed red because of sheets, stained because I keep spilling cola and coffee all over it. It's not the best looking mattress I know.)
 
to be fair most normal people wouldn't be insisting on a single bed instead of a double, lol, but I live alone and it's unlikely to change, what do I need a double bed for? And with the extra space from downsizing the bed, and the extra storage from the bed drawers AND the cupboard access, I'd be home free.

Until recently they hadn't eaten anything that wasn't timothy, and this wasn't anything I was going to have to worry about, or so I thought. Famous last words. They're on Cunipic Alpha Pro and the SS grain free, and now the orchard + timothy. I judge their food at this point by how excited they are to see it, which is what I think matters in the long run.
 
Is the double bed comfortable ? I live on my own and I’ve got a small double bed and I quite like the extra space to stretch out into. I do agree that bed drawers or under bed storage is very useful. It would be very helpful if you could use those cupboards fully. Never easy tho !
 
It's not the worst bed I've ever slept on, but I prefer the single. I have a problem with divan beds in that I always seem to end up sleeping halfway down the bed. Don't ask how, I've no idea. And I prefer the single, especially in winter, because I keep the double quilt and it's much warmer as a result.
 
I understand - could you offer the double bed free on gumtree etc ? The local council can take away furniture .. bed & mattress but they charge a fee.
It would help you storing the hay if you could use the cupboards.
 
Yeah, but I live at an awkward address that can be difficult to find because it's not on the road. Foot access only. And getting it out will be a nightmare because there's no room. Which means that while it's doable I'm also lazy and it's easier to tell myself I'll do it tomorrow, lol. I know, I know, but it is a lot of effort.
 
I get that … sometimes it’s too hard ….I’m still clearing out a shed two months after the new one was put in place !
I have a pile of stuff to sell on eBay and a charity box and … and …but I think there’s no rush and I’m a lazy daisy 😂
 
Have you tried the British Heart Foundation? We had to get rid of a double ottoman bed and me being about five months pregnant was not feeling the bother of doing anything with it myself, and they were great. Filled out a form online, booked a date when they called me back, then waited. All I had to do was strip the bed and they dismantled it, carted it downstairs onto their van, and took it away. Okay I missed out on the money, but it felt nice that my laziness was helping a good cause :)) It was a little upsetting that I'd been avoiding it for months and it wound up being so easy, though.
 
I might take a look at that, thanks @poggle. I feel weird asking for money for it because it's not like I bought it but the housing association said they provide a new bed every time someone moves in, so if I want it gone it's mine to get rid of.
 
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