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enchantingcavy · Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 10:24 pm Post subject:

I was going to say it'd be lucerne aswell if the produce sais prime hay up here in qld it usually meants lucerne. If you have young growing pigs it should be ok for the time being but if adults as in probably anything over 10-12mths basically the reason this hay isn't recommended is because it's higher in calcium than others and could possibly cause calcium desposits to build up resulting in bladder stones etc in piggies.
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debcostin · Joined: 07 Oct 2009 Posts: 181 Location: Brisbane

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Blackberry · Joined: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 7447 Location: Springfield Qld

Timothy hay is an Oxbow Product, it is good quality and is imported and can be bought at certain pet places and vets, the price is what deters a lot of people - it depends on budget - but I personally think (having used both) that they would be doing exactly the same thing.

Basically the fibre for good digestion and long strands for their back teeth is the most important thing for guinea pigs, regarding hay.

There are lots of varieties that they can saftely eat but hay is seasonal and varies... at the moment Barley is in season and one of piggies favourites.
Grassy hay (which isnt really nice quality at the moment) is also good but not in this particular season, Oaten, wheaten, barley, rhodes grass or plain grassy. Depends on what is stocked at a particular produce store - will also depend on what their customers buy... horse areas generally stock lucerne. But most places are currently selling barley.

Lucerne, Prime, Alfalfa hay is all the same thing.
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pigsforlife · Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 2713 Location: Western Australia

Oxbow hay is incredibly expensive. I get a bag and give it to them as a treat - they go crazy over it but in unlimited amounts it is just too expensive.

At the moment I buy a bale of meadow hay from a feed store. I have found that meadow hay does not have as many pokey, hard bits in it as is generally softer. I have had recent luck with finding bales of light green hay which I am happy with - will never forget the bale I got around this time last year that was beautiful...a rich green and sooo soft.
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Blackberry · Joined: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 7447 Location: Springfield Qld

It's funny how we get excited over lovely hay lol... Im the same..

Speaking of Oxbow, I have a boarding client who only ever feed Oxbow pellets and timothy hay... they have been buying a box of it, not a big box either... for $150 - I almost fell over... my prime barley hay (had some at the pignic if anyone saw it) was identical to the Timothy that they had bought... but the Barley was longer stranded.
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Domino · Joined: 12 Sep 2008 Posts: 692 Location: Brisbane

Um Timothy hay is what Americans call a type of grassy hay.

Grassy hay is best for your cavies, doesn't matter what type.

MegsLovesPiggies · Joined: 08 Nov 2009 Posts: 45

I'm pretty sure it is Lucerne. I bought a bale earlier (A lot of it has blown in the pool... oops) Anyway, on the receipt it said Prime Lucernce Hay.

nuts&bolts · Joined: 13 Aug 2009 Posts: 415 Location: Tweed Heads NSW

If you come down the coast at all there is a great produce shop at Currumbin called creek stock feeds....They always seem to have real nice green grassy hay lol , I think this lot i got is wheaten and it cost me about $14
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The Cavy Inn · Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 11:22 am Post subject:

We are going down the coast for a couple of weeks holidays at the beginning of December so I will go and have a look. We will be staying at Bilinga so Currumbin is just down the road.

Is the produce store more Currumbin valley or close to the beach? Our produce store at Tamborine still seems to have only the prime hay which I now realise is lucern. Our cow has been loving it though...literally runs up to the fence when she sees us come out with our gps. (Ihave given some to the girls and mixed it in with some grass I have picked)

Thank you.

Grandma Guineapig · Joined: 27 Dec 2008 Posts: 681

Lucerne also has a distinct smell about it aswell, it is tough to know what is what at first, even the grass hays can differ alot in quality, the bale I just got cost $13 but is a heap better and fresher then the $12 bales.
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