Alfalfa hay recommendations?

[Eviolus-]

I've gone through a lot of brands of alfalfa hay and although the pigs love all of them they're all stubby bits of hay and at least 50% dust as well as being very pricey.

I'm starting to think that this is just the nature of alfalfa so before I give up on my search and feed them seemingly bad quality hay I thought I'd check here to see if anyone has had success with a particular brand

Thanks for any replies

 

[Eva121]

Hi!
Alfalfa is usually not good for adult guinea pigs, it has a bit to much calcium for a healthy pig diet!
I recommend Timothy Hay, my guinea pugs love it and it is usually never stubby bits of hay.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’ve never had to use alfalfa - I know your piggy is pregnant so I’m guessing that is why you are asking - but I have been using Oxbow Timothy/orchard grass mix and have never found it to be dusty or in anyway problematic. I know they do alfalfa as well. The only thing is that Oxbow products have quite a price tag to them....

Remember to still use it sparingly. Even though it is ok to be fed to mummies to be and young babies, it should only be fed very sparingly - about a handful a day I believe (EDIT: I’ve just linked in the pregnancy diet guide and yes, a handful a day to supplement normal grass hay). Grass hay still needs to be constantly available. My guess is that nursing mums and babies will get enough calcium from pellets and veggies.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/pregnancy-and-nursing-diet.109377/

 

[VickiA]

When I’ve had pregnant sows and juveniles I have used Oxbow Alfalfa hay. Just remember to give it sparingly.

 

[Eviolus-]

Hi!
Alfalfa is usually not good for adult guinea pigs, it has a bit to much calcium for a healthy pig diet!
I recommend Timothy Hay, my guinea pugs love it and it is usually never stubby bits of hay.

Sorry I should have mentioned, it's for pregnant pigs (boar escape)

 

[Eviolus-]

I’ve never had to use alfalfa - I know your piggy is pregnant so I’m guessing that is why you are asking - but I have been using Oxbow Timothy/orchard grass mix and have never found it to be dusty or in anyway problematic. I know they do alfalfa as well. The only thing is that Oxbow products have quite a price tag to them....

Remember to still use it sparingly. Even though it is ok to be fed to mummies to be and young babies, it should only be fed very sparingly - about a handful a day I believe (EDIT: I’ve just linked in the pregnancy diet guide and yes, a handful a day to supplement normal grass hay). Grass hay still needs to be constantly available. My guess is that nursing mums and babies will get enough calcium from pellets and veggies.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/pregnancy-and-nursing-diet.109377/

Right now I give them a small handful of oxbow alfalfa in the morning along with their regular hay and veg but they don't seem to like the oxbow one as much as the others I've tried even though oxbow looks the best quality, it doesn't smell as strong so maybe that's it.

Anything alfalfa is pretty pricey, about £10 per kg so for once oxbow hasn't bumped up the price.

I've reread the pregnancy and nursing guides so much at this point I don't know if reading them again will do much more than stress me

 

[Eviolus-]

The best types of hay for your guinea pig's regular fare include timothy hay, wheat, orchard grass oat and brome. If you buy small bags of hay in pet stores, your choices might be limited. If you have other hay-consuming animals, such as horses, goats or llamas, you can serve the same hay to your small pets. You can also use hay as bedding for your guinea pig; he can rest and snack at the same time. Not only does hay provide fiber for your guinea pig's teeth, but as roughage it keeps things moving in his gastrointestinal system.

I know I'm asking for good brands of alfalfa hay because I have pregnant pigs

 

[AutumnThePig]

Oxbow! My pigs love all types of hay from them.