Which Part Of The Hay Is Eaten?

[Sewn_Chaos]

Greetings,
So I have one question, the hays that we gave the piggies consist of the stalks and the leaves, correct me if I am wrong, apologize for I am not really familiar of that subject matter.
Anyway, I am wondering, which part of the hay is actually eaten? I always thought they would eat the leaves part but just now I noticed my girl is chewing on the stalk? Are both parts edible?

Thanks in advance

 

[Sewn_Chaos]

Greetings,
So I have one question, the hays that we gave the piggies consist of the stalks and the leaves, correct me if I am wrong, apologize for I am not really familiar of that subject matter.
Anyway, I am wondering, which part of the hay is actually eaten? I always thought they would eat the leaves part but just now I noticed my girl is chewing on the stalk? Are both parts edible?

Thanks in advance

I'm also asking because I need to know if there are only the 'stalk' part of the hay that are left, does that mean I can dispose and replace the hay or just leave it there as they will eat it later? Thanks

 

[KaitlinH]

I'm not sure! maybe @Wiebke can help

 

[Wiebke]

Guinea pigs have double the number of human taste buds and they can be very picky as to what they eat. They usually make a beeline for the tastiest and greenest bits in the hay and leave the rest; often the less tasty stalky bits. Replenish the hay regularly and remove what has not been eaten. Hay should make 80% or more of the daily food intake.

You can offer both stalky timothy and softer orchard or meadow hay; the latter is better in a hay tray for them to burrow and sleep in as it much less likely to cause hay pokes in the eyes.

 

[rome_italy]

the hay they won't eat for sure is the dirty hay, on which they poo and wee... for this reason part of the hay is wasted unfortunately...
I take the leftover hay in the morning and I put it into a large box for their floor time. They usually jump into the box and eat some strings, leave their poo and wee and play with that hay, but if I want them to eat the hay I need to put new one on the old...
Piggies have also their tastes about the hay. Timothy is the best one but sometimes they don't like it... I buy different brands just for getting them used to different hays. My vet suggests to buy the cheapest and the "ugliest" hay just because it is important to replace the old with the new one (and because what appears ugly to us is often appreciated by them). I have bought a soft hay they are appreciating very much and I put it into hayracks, so that they cannot wee on it.
This is the box with leftover hay (which they eat during floor time)