My guinea pig doesn't seem to eat hay stems

[JonathanLee]

I just got my first guinea pig a few days ago and in the last few days, I gave him Timothy hay. He did eat, but from what I see, he didn't eat the hard stems. I searched for softer kind of hay but they don't have it, in my country at least. Should I encourage him to eat it or should I buy more hay and throw all the hard and thick stems away? I can afford the second option but it would be great if there are alternatives. Thanks in advance and sorry for my poorly written English.

 

[S'mores and Pockets]

My piggies don’t eat the hard stalks either (they have Timothy right now), I normally throw it away in yard waste because it gets soiled from their pee. So refilling it often is necessary, when all the soft parts are gone. I bought a Timothy and orchard mix (some say it has less hard stalks so piggies don’t waste as much) and going to see if my piggies like it better. But my piggies have to finish their Timothy bag first.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Mine don’t like the hard stems of first cut timothy hay either - I think a lot of people will tell you their piggies also don’t like to eat the harder stems.
Mine are fed primarily soft meadow hay (although they are now also being given second cut timothy which is much softer, as well as orchard grass).
There are several types of hay which are appropriate for guinea pigs but it is going to be down to the type which you can most easily source.

A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)

 

[JonathanLee]

Mine don’t like the hard stems of first cut timothy hay either - I think a lot of people will tell you their piggies also don’t like to eat the harder stems.
Mine are fed primarily soft meadow hay (although they are now also being given second cut timothy which is much softer, as well as orchard grass).
There are several types of hay which are appropriate for guinea pigs but it is going to be down to the type which you can most easily source.

A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)

Thank you so much! I didn't know about orchard grass before, and after doing some research, I found out that they do sell it! The price is comparatively high but well, if it's good for my guinea pig then sure. By the way, can I use it to replace Timothy completely?

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Mine are the same. They do like to waste quite a bit. Mine have three different types of hay at the moment.

 

[JonathanLee]

My piggies don’t eat the hard stalks either (they have Timothy right now), I normally throw it away in yard waste because it gets soiled from their pee. So refilling it often is necessary, when all the soft parts are gone. I bought a Timothy and orchard mix (some say it has less hard stalks so piggies don’t waste as much) and going to see if my piggies like it better. But my piggies have to finish their Timothy bag first.

I use toilet paper rolls and stuff all the hay inside to avoid them being peed on and also prevent my guinea pig from eating his own fur. You should try it too! Double the fun for your piggies

 

[weepweeps]

Maybe buy a small sample first as mine hate orchard hay!

 

[JonathanLee]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Mine are the same. They do like to waste quite a bit. Mine have three different types of hay at the moment.

It seems that they're all picky eaters, so maybe I should just replace the hay more often. Surely it is affordable but I will have to cut down on other things to meet his need though...

 

[Piggies&buns]

Make sure there are large piles of loose hay available, not just stuffed in toilet rolls. Putting it in toilet rolls is fun, but they need free, unhindered access to lots of hay At all times. It is going to be peed on though, that is just how it is with piggies!
Does he have another piggy living with him? They are highly social animals and need to be kept in pairs at all times.

 

[JonathanLee]

Make sure there are large piles of loose hay available, not just stuffed in toilet rolls. Putting it in toilet rolls is fun, but they need free, unhindered access to lots of hay At all times. It is going to be peed on though, that is just how it is with piggies!
Does he have another piggy living with him? They are highly social animals and need to be kept in pairs at all times.

This is a tricky problem. I've read a lot of articles and they always say that I should have at least 2, but I really can't raise 2 of them. I will ensure that he's happy by spending more time with him though!

 

[alpacasqueak]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Mine are the same. They do like to waste quite a bit. Mine have three different types of hay at the moment.

Same here! And two types of readigrass, blooming spoilt beggars!

I have four pigs, two pairs as they do need to be kept in pairs/groups as said above, they get through around 17/18kg a month, so it’s quite a bit per pig and the majority of that gets chucked in the bin as it’s been peed/pooped on! My gang all get big hay piles, I gave up with holders/hangers etc years ago, pigs love a hay pile!



Hay is really important with pigs so they have a lot of it, even if a lot of it goes in the bin!

 

[Piggies&buns]

This is a tricky problem. I've read a lot of articles and they always say that I should have at least 2, but I really can't raise 2 of them. I will ensure that he's happy by spending more time with him though!

I’m afraid human contact isn’t enough as no matter how much time you spend with him, you can’t speak his language. He really does need companionship of his own kind to be truly happy (boars can only be kept in pairs, so getting him one boar friend is so important for his lifelong wellbeing).

The two guides below explain further.

Companionship
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

 

[S'mores and Pockets]

I use toilet paper rolls and stuff all the hay inside to avoid them being peed on and also prevent my guinea pig from eating his own fur. You should try it too! Double the fun for your piggies

I do sometimes! But they always yank it out, they also have a hay rack, but also yank out and discard the hard stalks!