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Do they not like Timothy Hay?

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Idag

New Born Pup
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Hi,
Slightly worried newbie here. I got my boys just overa week ago and started them off on meadow hay which they were munching constantly. I ready that Timothy hay is preferred by most pigs so I got 2 big bags from Pets at Home. Only problem is, they don't seem that keen on it! Has anyone else found this? They are still eating their veg and nuggets fine. Would you go back to meadow hay?I've still got a bag and a half of Timothy to get through ! 😕
Thanks
 
It might not be that they don’t like Timothy hay, it might be that they don’t like that brand - yes, piggies can be
that fussy! The only type of Timothy my two will eat is the expensive oxbow hayblends (orchard grass and Timothy hay mix). Stick with the hay you know they like but mix a handful of the other hay in every now and then. They may grow to like it. If not, if might be worth trying different type next time.
 
All my lot love timothy hay, maybe it will take yours a while to get used to it as it takes a lot more chewing than meadow hay and isnt at all comfy to sit on! I think a lot of us find though that P@H hay isnt always the best quality, its quite variable... maybe you could order another brand online in a small tester size and see if that makes a difference?
 
Must say I am a bit sceptical of Pets at Home after seeing a cardboard box hidey for sale at £10! For a cardboard box! !
Also, all their treats seem to contain sugar?!
 
Hello again, I just found a couple of handfuls of the meadow hay at the bottom of the hay bin and tried giving it to the pigs to see if they preferred it. They went mad for the meadow hay! I feel bad that I have deprived them of their favourite hay for a few days. I will bring home a new bag of meadow hay for them tomorrow but will they be ok without eating the Timothy until then? I am worried as their hay racks of Timothy look fairly untouched and I know they need to be almost constantly eating hay for their teeth and digestion.
 
I have lots of fresh grass in the garden, would that be a good alternative until I can get them more meadow hay?
 
i don’t buy treats for that reason - they are sugary and quite bad for them. A treat for my boys is a blueberry, a tiny slice of carrot or some parsley. I know fruits aren’t terribly good for them but at least I can monitor the amount given much easier by giving them one blueberry than I can by giving a shop bought treat.

Grass would be good. Possibly not much goodness in it this time of year, but it would be better than nothing I would have thought.

If they are hungry, in theory, they might go for the Timothy....?
 
Do get some hay quickly as piggies teeth are constantly growing and they need it above all else for their digestion and dental health. meadow hay is fine for their teeth along with some grass x
 
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If you are offering hay, and it doesnt smell or look bad, I think they will eat enough of the timothy to avoid starvation if they are hungry :) but you could offer a little fresh grass, just not too much if they arent used to it, as that could cause bloat or diarrhoea. Welcome to the ranks of the truly enslaved piggy parents who offer everything your piggies need then lose sleep over it in case they aren't satisfied :)
 
Also if you want to offer treats (and avoid anxiety about hay deficiency!) you might buy a bag of readigrass or some hay cookies (pure compressed hay and meadow plants) or some green oat hay, which are entirely hay based and sugar free and contain enough hay to tide them over for a day if you run out or they dont like what's on offer!
 
Thanks so much again everybody, this is a great forum 😊
Pigglepuggle, would you happen to know the brand of compressed hay treats you recommend please?
 
We like Rosewood hay cookies, and I think Friendly is the Readigrass brand but Readigrass is in itself I think a trademark of the company- they do green oat hay too :) I buy all mine from Amazon which is nice and simple!
 
My lot get hay cookies or readigrass on playpen days when they dont get any pellets or food bowls, they get scatterfed hay and hay treats and veggies all over the floor so they can forage for their breakfast for an hour or two! In terms of good timothy hay brands, a lot of us on the forum now use Haybox (their meadow hay is lush too) or Supreme Science Selective is a good quality tasty timothy you can buy from Amazon though it can be a bit dusty near the bottom of the bag :)
 
I can vouch for haybox! I’ve not tried the Timothy yet but have just had my first delivery of meadow a few days ago and it is fab!
 
PigglePuggle said:
My Haybox delivery comes tomorrow, this month we are going totally Haybox so I'm expecting 10kg of meadow and 10kg of timothy!
Click to expand...

Just a little warning (with it only being my first delivery last Friday I am not sure how long the issue has been going on) there was an issue with the normal boxes (or something to that effect as per the note I found in the box) and they aren’t their normal boxes. I had 10kg delivered and the boxes were enormous - certainly looked bigger than the pic you posted in comparison to Theo ...

(Sorry to hijack the thread)
 
Piggies&buns said:
Just a little warning (with it only being my first delivery last Friday I am not sure how long the issue has been going on) there was an issue with the normal boxes (or something to that effect as per the note I found in the box) and they aren’t their normal boxes. I had 10kg delivered and the boxes were enormous - certainly looked bigger than the pic you posted in comparison to Theo ...

(Sorry to hijack the thread)
Click to expand...
Not at all this is very good to know @Piggies&buns ! I'll see what they bring me tomorrow and report back :) maybe we promoted it so well on the forum they can't keep up with the demand!
 
We got a delivery of hay box meadow hay 5 weeks ago and it’s lovely. Smells sweet and fresh and the boys go mad when fresh hay is given. Fred sleeps in the hay tray and even George has started pulling some hay out the hay rack so he can sleep on some up on his wee ledge. Hoping we get the bigger boxes in next weeks delivery 😂
 
Idag said:
Hi,
Slightly worried newbie here. I got my boys just overa week ago and started them off on meadow hay which they were munching constantly. I ready that Timothy hay is preferred by most pigs so I got 2 big bags from Pets at Home. Only problem is, they don't seem that keen on it! Has anyone else found this? They are still eating their veg and nuggets fine. Would you go back to meadow hay?I've still got a bag and a half of Timothy to get through ! 😕
Thanks
Click to expand...
I have only had my two baby boars for a week and they will be four months next month, but they love meadow hay, absolutely love it. However, to encourage foraging etc I bought timothy hay. I got this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/Excel-Burg..._5?keywords=timothy+hay&qid=1571936721&sr=8-5 as it was recommended to me and it is affordable for me, but so far they do like it. They eat the meadow hay more, but they like it. It is much sweeter than meadow hay and I don't find this brand dusty at all. However, I put the timothy hay in a hay rack as it is quite sharp, so hopefully, it will prevent any eye injuries. It may just take time for them to get use to it or they may not like that brand. I wouldn't worry as long as they are eating some type of hay that is good for them
 
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