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hayethusiasts

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Hi. I've been on the hunt for a nice soft, silky, long strand hay that i can store inside the house. With the recent constant rain and high humidity it has made me realise I need to buy somewhere where I can store inside our house.

So far the only hay that they like is the soft timothy hay from timothyhay.co.uk. The problem with this is I can only store it outside plus I have to shake it twice - and even if I do sometimes it still causes one of my guinea pigs to sneeze so much when I am approaching the bottom hay.

That being said, I've been trying different hays but could not find a hay they love as much as the one from timothyhay.co.uk which got me thinking -

1. how long do you introduce hay to actually conclude they do not like it? (I don't want to wait long enough to see if they like it that it will cause them to lose weight but at the same time I need advise on how many days you assess if they like a particular hay please?)

2. Any recommendations for soft, silky and long strand hay that that is dust extracted/low dust please?

3. Has anyone tried meadow hay from white rabbit hay orwhite peak living please?

Thank you in advance for anyone who will help/answer. I am getting really desperate at this point. So far they have tried the following but unfortunately they are not keen:

1. Littlehayco meadow hay
2. Haybox meadow hay
3. Ings hay from hayandstraw
4. Happy hay co meadow hay
5. Pillow wad meadow hay
6. Meadow hay from hayandstraw - they loved this but unfortunately it had sooo much leaves that I am unsure how safe it is to give to my piggies, a handful of hay had at least 5 leaves! I also asked the owner of hayandstraw but they did not know what those leaves were.
7. Nature's own meadow hay

I also would like to try the silky soft hay from little hay co but I am worried about protein/calcium content as it says it contains rye grass? Same as the sweet green hay from nature's own - not sure how it is in terms of protein content as it is sweet?

Thanks again and apologies for the long post.
 
My two have a mixture of Hay and Straw’s meadow hay and Ings hay.
The meadow hay is great for making hay nests and other modelling
Ings goes down very well.
I know they’re eating plenty of the hay by the vast quantity of poops
 
Merab said:
My two have a mixture of Hay and Straw’s meadow hay and Ings hay.
The meadow hay is great for making hay nests and other modelling
Ings goes down very well.
I know they’re eating plenty of the hay by the vast quantity of poops
Click to expand...
Thanks Merab. My piggies did try the meadow hay from hay and straw but it had lots of these leaves, Anne did not know herself what they were so I stopped giving it to them. 🥲
 

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hayethusiasts said:
Thanks Merab. My piggies did try the meadow hay from hay and straw but it had lots of these leaves, Anne did not know herself what they were so I stopped giving it to them. 🥲
Click to expand...
How odd. I’ve never found those in the hay I’ve had.
I would have been very cautious about feeding the hay too if I had found any.
 
Have they been maintaining their weight throughout trying all the different types? Really that’s the only way you’re going to know - if they are keeping their weight up then they are eating enough.
Of course you don’t want them to lose weight but really if they do then that is your only way of knowing they aren’t eating it. If they flatly refuse any hay whatsoever, weight loss is going to happen very quickly.

I would not consider protein/calcium content of hay - and haven’t done so in almost 40 years of keeping small animals. It’s pretty hard to know given the soil it is grown in makes a difference as well. Water and pellets are where the major concern is, not in hay.

How long have you been trying each one for?
(You have tried more types of hay than I have, i just buy it and perhaps this batch is not quite as tasty as the last but they eat it and I’ve never thought to change type if one batch isn’t as good as before. Perhaps I’ve been lucky in never having had mine refuse any (except stalky Timothy!).

The other difficulty is being a natural product, you can get one batch which is soft and long and then the following year it’s dry and stalky. 2025 was not a good producing year so the hay we are buying now is not necessarily as good as it had been previously.

I store my meadow hay bales in a bale bag (which I bought from Amazon) and keep in the shed. There have been no issues with damp etc within the bag.
Perhaps you could decant hay into a bale bag for storage and with the bonus that any dust would sink during the transfer process.

I used to buy pet shop bagged hay for decades when I had less animals at a time. I tried haybox and happy hay within the last ten years but that’s due to needing bulk and consequently delivery but the cost is just too much. I buy bales from a local farm now and have done for a few years - not dust extracted but usually it falls down when I’m pulling handfuls of hay out anyway. Sometimes it does contain other plants but I just pull them out if I come across them - sometimes there’s none, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot and can get tedious but it’s not enough of an issue for me to change supplier and certainly other plants can get in to any hay supply at some point or another.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Have they been maintaining their weight throughout trying all the different types? Really that’s the only way you’re going to know - if they are keeping their weight up then they are eating enough.
Of course you don’t want them to lose weight but really if they do then that is your only way of knowing they aren’t eating it. If they flatly refuse any hay whatsoever, weight loss is going to happen very quickly.

I would not consider protein/calcium content of hay - and haven’t done so in almost 40 years of keeping small animals. It’s pretty hard to know given the soil it is grown in makes a difference as well. Water and pellets are where the major concern is, not in hay.

How long have you been trying each one for?
(You have tried more types of hay than I have, i just buy it and perhaps this batch is not quite as tasty as the last but they eat it and I’ve never thought to change type if one batch isn’t as good as before. Perhaps I’ve been lucky in never having had mine refuse any (except stalky Timothy!).

The other difficulty is being a natural product, you can get one batch which is soft and long and then the following year it’s dry and stalky. 2025 was not a good producing year so the hay we are buying now is not necessarily as good as it had been previously.

I store my meadow hay bales in a bale bag (which I bought from Amazon) and keep in the shed. There have been no issues with damp etc within the bag.
Perhaps you could decant hay into a bale bag for storage and with the bonus that any dust would sink during the transfer process.

I used to buy pet shop bagged hay for decades when I had less animals at a time. I tried haybox and happy hay within the last ten years but that’s due to needing bulk and consequently delivery but the cost is just too much. I buy bales from a local farm now and have done for a few years - not dust extracted but usually it falls down when I’m pulling handfuls of hay out anyway. Sometimes it does contain other plants but I just pull them out if I come across them - sometimes there’s none, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot and can get tedious but it’s not enough of an issue for me to change supplier and certainly other plants can get in to any hay supply at some point or another.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply/insights. They have been maintaining their weight but then I only let them try new hay for half a day to a whole day, so I am not sure if maybe I am not giving them enough time to see if they like it or not. I am so paranoid about them losing weight, so once I see they are not eating as much hay, I immediately conclude they do not like it. But the hay they like the most has been the cause of their hooting and sneezes. I am entirely not sure why it feels like my piggies are the only ones who has this issue with the soft timothy hay from timothyhay.co.uk because everyone else seems to not have problems regarding dustiness of that certain hay. I have been keeping their hay in a shed too but I feel my main problem is if it is raining constantly i don't have the opportunity to shake it outside.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Have they been maintaining their weight throughout trying all the different types? Really that’s the only way you’re going to know - if they are keeping their weight up then they are eating enough.
Of course you don’t want them to lose weight but really if they do then that is your only way of knowing they aren’t eating it. If they flatly refuse any hay whatsoever, weight loss is going to happen very quickly.

I would not consider protein/calcium content of hay - and haven’t done so in almost 40 years of keeping small animals. It’s pretty hard to know given the soil it is grown in makes a difference as well. Water and pellets are where the major concern is, not in hay.

How long have you been trying each one for?
(You have tried more types of hay than I have, i just buy it and perhaps this batch is not quite as tasty as the last but they eat it and I’ve never thought to change type if one batch isn’t as good as before. Perhaps I’ve been lucky in never having had mine refuse any (except stalky Timothy!).

The other difficulty is being a natural product, you can get one batch which is soft and long and then the following year it’s dry and stalky. 2025 was not a good producing year so the hay we are buying now is not necessarily as good as it had been previously.

I store my meadow hay bales in a bale bag (which I bought from Amazon) and keep in the shed. There have been no issues with damp etc within the bag.
Perhaps you could decant hay into a bale bag for storage and with the bonus that any dust would sink during the transfer process.

I used to buy pet shop bagged hay for decades when I had less animals at a time. I tried haybox and happy hay within the last ten years but that’s due to needing bulk and consequently delivery but the cost is just too much. I buy bales from a local farm now and have done for a few years - not dust extracted but usually it falls down when I’m pulling handfuls of hay out anyway. Sometimes it does contain other plants but I just pull them out if I come across them - sometimes there’s none, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot and can get tedious but it’s not enough of an issue for me to change supplier and certainly other plants can get in to any hay supply at some point or another.
Click to expand...
I have been blessed with very very fussy piggies 🤣😅
 
Merab said:
How odd. I’ve never found those in the hay I’ve had.
I would have been very cautious about feeding the hay too if I had found any.
Click to expand...
Yeah I seem to always receive really really stalky meadow hays or meadow hay with unknown leaves! 🤣
 
I would say you are rushing them and making a lot stress for yourself - possibly unnecessarily.
It’s impossible for you to know whether they are eating enough by watching them at all and certainly half/one day is nowhere near enough time. I would say give it a week (you can do daily weight checks if you’re worried). If they haven’t lost weight in the first week then they are eating enough. Certainly by two weeks they have maintained for the whole time (normal fluctuation aside) then you can be certain there is absolutely no problem with the hay you are giving and consequently no need to change it.
An adult pig of good weight would have to lose 100g within 48 hours and not be seen eating any hay for me to be concerned they don’t like the hay (adjustments made for younger or smaller piggies)

Very dusty hay is a problem for some more sensitive piggies. Shake each handful within the bag or box it comes in - dust will fall to the bottom. Or even buy a bale bag and tip the hay into the bag and let the dust fall to the bottom of the bag. Bale bags are absolutely huge - you’ll have room to shake it within the bag while you are in the shed.

Sometimes I can get a bale which is lovely and soft, other times it contains stalky bits, sometimes it’s all over more stalky - but it’s never been a problem. If it’s very bad then I’ll remove the dry sharp bits due to risk to eyes but as I say, I haven’t changed supplier because of it.
 
hayethusiasts said:
Hi. I've been on the hunt for a nice soft, silky, long strand hay that i can store inside the house. With the recent constant rain and high humidity it has made me realise I need to buy somewhere where I can store inside our house.

So far the only hay that they like is the soft timothy hay from timothyhay.co.uk. The problem with this is I can only store it outside plus I have to shake it twice - and even if I do sometimes it still causes one of my guinea pigs to sneeze so much when I am approaching the bottom hay.

That being said, I've been trying different hays but could not find a hay they love as much as the one from timothyhay.co.uk which got me thinking -

1. how long do you introduce hay to actually conclude they do not like it? (I don't want to wait long enough to see if they like it that it will cause them to lose weight but at the same time I need advise on how many days you assess if they like a particular hay please?)

2. Any recommendations for soft, silky and long strand hay that that is dust extracted/low dust please?

3. Has anyone tried meadow hay from white rabbit hay orwhite peak living please?

Thank you in advance for anyone who will help/answer. I am getting really desperate at this point. So far they have tried the following but unfortunately they are not keen:

1. Littlehayco meadow hay
2. Haybox meadow hay
3. Ings hay from hayandstraw
4. Happy hay co meadow hay
5. Pillow wad meadow hay
6. Meadow hay from hayandstraw - they loved this but unfortunately it had sooo much leaves that I am unsure how safe it is to give to my piggies, a handful of hay had at least 5 leaves! I also asked the owner of hayandstraw but they did not know what those leaves were.
7. Nature's own meadow hay

I also would like to try the silky soft hay from little hay co but I am worried about protein/calcium content as it says it contains rye grass? Same as the sweet green hay from nature's own - not sure how it is in terms of protein content as it is sweet?

Thanks again and apologies for the long post.
Click to expand...


I use the silky soft hay from The Little Hay Company and have for many years - it is lovely and soft and makes a great nest !
I store my hay in small plastic wheelie bins - the dust sinks to the bottom and it’s easy to move it about
 
Piggies&buns said:
I would say you are rushing them and making a lot stress for yourself - possibly unnecessarily.
It’s impossible for you to know whether they are eating enough by watching them at all and certainly half/one day is nowhere near enough time. I would say give it a week (you can do daily weight checks if you’re worried). If they haven’t lost weight in the first week then they are eating enough. Certainly by two weeks they have maintained for the whole time (normal fluctuation aside) then you can be certain there is absolutely no problem with the hay you are giving and consequently no need to change it.
A adult pig of good weight would have to lose 100g within 48 hours and not be seen eating any hay for me to be concerned they don’t like the hay (adjustments made for younger or smaller piggies)

Very dusty hay is a problem for some more sensitive piggies. I would buy a bale bag and tip the hay into the bag and let the dust fall to the bottom of the bag. Bale bags are absolutely huge - you’ll have room to shake it within the bag while you are in the shed.

Sometimes I can get a bale which is lovely and soft, other times it contains stalky bits, sometimes it’s all over more stalky - but it’s never been a problem. If it’s very bad then I’ll remove the dry sharp bits due to risk to eyes but as I say, I haven’t changed supplier because of it.
Click to expand...
I shake my hay twice... once from the box to their storage box outside, and 2nd time from the storage box outside to their inside container. Before we fill their litter tray we actually do another shake. Even with these measures one of my piggies will sneeze a lot when digging into their hay (like 4-5 sneezes in a matter of minutes) I understand this happens but if I am doing all these measures and still having these results then I know I probably need to adjust to my piggies needs and give them a low dust option (or change the hay they have). I am not sure about their history so I have a feeling they must have a history which has caused them to be very sensitive to dust.

I will certainly give it a week then, and just do daily weight checks. Thank you again for the insight, i knew I was not giving them enough time to get used to the hay but just wanted some reassurance, so thank you x
 
Roselina said:
I use the silky soft hay from The Little Hay Company and have for many years - it is lovely and soft and makes a great nest !
I store my hay in small plastic wheelie bins - the dust sinks to the bottom and it’s easy to move it about
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! 🥰
 
Roselina said:
I use the silky soft hay from The Little Hay Company and have for many years - it is lovely and soft and makes a great nest !
I store my hay in small plastic wheelie bins - the dust sinks to the bottom and it’s easy to move it about
Click to expand...
What do you use if it runs out? I heard they run out during summer of their silky hay? Not sure if i heard right :)
 
hayethusiasts said:
I shake my hay twice... once from the box to their storage box outside, and 2nd time from the storage box outside to their inside container. Before we fill their litter tray we actually do another shake. Even with these measures one of my piggies will sneeze a lot when digging into their hay (like 4-5 sneezes in a matter of minutes) I understand this happens but if I am doing all these measures and still having these results then I know I probably need to adjust to my piggies needs and give them a low dust option (or change the hay they have). I am not sure about their history so I have a feeling they must have a history which has caused them to be very sensitive to dust.

I will certainly give it a week then, and just do daily weight checks. Thank you again for the insight, i knew I was not giving them enough time to get used to the hay but just wanted some reassurance, so thank you x
Click to expand...

Does the sneezing continue the entire time she is eating; and for every time she is eating eg if she eats for ten minutes sneezing the whole time and then goes away, comes back half an hour later and sneezes the entire time again?

Sneezing does mean she is removing the dust from her system; I am concerned that you could tie yourself in knots. One batch from one brand may be almost dust free and you decide that’s the one you’ll go with, but it doesn’t mean the next one will be - each time the hay moves it rubs on itself and more particles break off regardless of how well dust extracted it is as source.
Maybe it’s a case of find a hay they like, stick to it regardless but try using air filters or such like near their cage? (I know nothing about them though)
 
Piggies&buns said:
Does the sneezing continue the entire time she is eating; and for every time she is eating eg if she eats for ten minutes sneezing the whole time and then goes away, comes back half an hour later and sneezes the entire time again?

Sneezing does mean she is removing the dust from her system; I am concerned that you could tie yourself in knots. One batch from one brand may be almost dust free and you decide that’s the one you’ll go with, but it doesn’t mean the next one will be - each time the hay moves it rubs on itself and more particles break off regardless of how well dust extracted it is as source.
Maybe it’s a case of find a hay they like, stick to it regardless but try using air filters or such like near their cage? (I know nothing about them though)
Click to expand...
He will do a lot of sneezes maybe once or twice a day in a span of minutes. we also have air purifier near their cage.

I will try and see if they like a hay I can store inside the house first (thanks to you at least i know now to give them a week to try new hay ☺️). If not then I dont have a choice but to persevere with the hay they like 😅🤣🫠
 
If all illness is ruled out, if the sneezing stops after a few minutes and is only occurring once or twice a day (albeit several sneezes in a row) and not every time he eats, and you know it is because he is sensitive to ANY dust, then I would not be so concerned. You are never going to get rid of all dust no matter what you try.
They can also sneeze just by eating too quickly.

I would be more concerned if the sneezing is continuous for the entire time and every time.
 
Piggies&buns said:
If all illness is ruled out, if the sneezing stops after a few minutes and is only occurring once or twice a day (albeit several sneezes in a row) and not every time he eats, and you know it is because he is sensitive to ANY dust, then I would not be so concerned. You are never going to get rid of all dust no matter what you try.
They can also sneeze just by eating too quickly.

I would be more concerned if the sneezing is continuous for the entire time and every time.
Click to expand...
Ok thank you. :)
 
I use ings from hay and straw and have done for over a decade with no problems. I also you timothy hay from haybox. Both my rabbits and my two guinea pigs love these hays.

They are not fussy though.
 
hayethusiasts said:
What do you use if it runs out? I heard they run out during summer of their silky hay? Not sure if i heard right :)
Click to expand...


Yes they can sometimes - I usually have a mix of 3
Silky soft hay
Cotswold sweet ( classic)
Coltswold sweet with plantain

My two boars have 2 hay trays with one of the above in each
I mix it up for variety and get sample packs too
Sadly there is wastage but I have a compost bin and the used hay and poops make beautiful compost every year
 
Roselina said:
Yes they can sometimes - I usually have a mix of 3
Silky soft hay
Cotswold sweet ( classic)
Coltswold sweet with plantain

My two boars have 2 hay trays with one of the above in each
I mix it up for variety and get sample packs too
Sadly there is wastage but I have a compost bin and the used hay and poops make beautiful compost every year
Click to expand...
I will definitely try that soft silky hay next then x
 
flowerfairy said:
I use ings from hay and straw and have done for over a decade with no problems. I also you timothy hay from haybox. Both my rabbits and my two guinea pigs love these hays.

They are not fussy though.
Click to expand...
I may have to revisit the ings hay. I find they do not really eat it but then maybe i need to give them more time to try it x
 
Roselina said:
I use the silky soft hay from The Little Hay Company and have for many years - it is lovely and soft and makes a great nest !
I store my hay in small plastic wheelie bins - the dust sinks to the bottom and it’s easy to move it about
Click to expand...
Mine love this hay but I had to give it up as it had become so short and choppy and just ended up becoming a compacted carpet. I was just wondering if this is still the case? I'd love to go back to it but not if it's still so short.
 
I still use Ings Hay and don’t have any issues with it.
Given that Moses & Miriam love to run through their hay, sit on it and sleep under it, it does get compacted so I have to remove it regularly.
 
Zanzan said:
Mine love this hay but I had to give it up as it had become so short and choppy and just ended up becoming a compacted carpet. I was just wondering if this is still the case? I'd love to go back to it but not if it's still so short.
Click to expand...
I’ve had a recent delivery and it’s green and long strands - the piggies love it
You can see it here in the photo
 

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Roselina said:
I’ve had a recent delivery and it’s green and long strands - the piggies love it
You can see it here in the photo
Click to expand...
Brilliant, that looks much better I'm going to order some. Thank you!
 
Zanzan said:
Brilliant, that looks much better I'm going to order some. Thank you!
Click to expand...

Just to mention I order the 4kg bag so I don’t know about other weights
Yes it’s the silky soft hay from the Little Hay Company - I got it 3/52 ago
 
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