New Owner - Hay Food Or Bedding?!

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Mudpuppy

Mudpuppy

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Hello everyone,
I'm soon to be a new owner of a handsome little rescue guniea pig. He will be my first. I've bought some books and done some reading online, but I thought I'd ask the experts (you!) as I'm getting totally confused about hay! I know hay needs to be given at al times as food, as well as vitamin C enriched pellets but which 'hay' is best for guinea pigs, because there are lots of different types in the shops! :( I have looked for Timothy hay which the lady in the rescue centre suggested, but can only find 'meadow' hay - is this type of hay ok?
Also, some are labelled 'bedding' - what is the difference between hay for eating and hay for bedding, if any?!

Thank you in advance from me and my new furry friend
 
Hi :wel:to the forum..

Meadow hay is fine for your piggie.. but watch out for any Thistles and remove them before giving it to your piggie.. As for hay sold for bedding we don't have any experience of that.. sorry.

As far as diet goes have a look at this thread.. http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...veg-and-fruit-list-with-vitamin-c-grading.42/ as it gives a good indication what's good for your piggie. How old is your rescue piggie, as the amount of pellets will vary ?

A guinea pig diet should consist of at least 80% hay but unlimited is better, 15% fresh veggies and 5% nuggets. As for the fresh veggies, introduce slowly to avoid tummy upsets especially if your piggie is not used to them.


Lisa & Ali..
 
Hay can be used for bedding but even "be dding" hay will get eaten. Timothy hay is very stalky and great for teeth waring but not so good for bedding due to risk of eye pokes.

you can feed meadow and use as bedding as well. It is good to have a hayrack so they have a constant supply of "clean" hay and if you wish to use hay as bedding that is fine.

I use fleece for my cage liner with towels underneath, I then have cat litter trays with wood cat litter pellets with meadow hay ontop. I then put timothy in hay racks but that is just what I like to do and many other pepple do different things.

There is no right or wrong with hay provided they have a constant supply of clean hay to nibble on. the exception would be alfafa which should only be fed to pregnant sows or babies as it is too rich in calcuim for normal pigs.
 
I use timothy and rye hay for my piggies - it's coarser and tends to get eaten more then slept on.
Wouldn't be any harm getting samples to see which they like the best and also no harm getting two types of hay. One for sleeping on and one for eating
 
I use hay which is cut from the field next to my horse's paddock, its farm hay and is from an old established meadow but much cheaper to buy farm bales than small pet shop bags. I give them hay to sleep in as well as eat.
The only thing with large bales is just to check the quality, make sure its not dusty.x
 
Thank you to everyone who has replied! Very useful suggestions :)

Lisaali - the rspca think the piggie is 6-12 months, so it terms of guinea pig years, I'm not sure how 'young' that is!
Another (probably stupid!) question is, when they talk about giving a little veg to the guinea pigs such as broccoli, presumably they should be raw, i.e. before being steamed/boiled for my dinner!?! :P

He is a cutie who loves lots of cuddles from humans - he apparently came from a large home of over 100 piggies which was unsuitable, then he was rehomed by someone with other guinea pigs, but he wasn't happy mixing with others, so had to go back again. :( They were looking for a home that would take just one guniea pig rather than two or more, so it suited me as a newbie :)

I haven't decided on a name yet, but I have some ideas :D :D :D
 
Thanks :) Yeah, think he would have been squished among 100+ guinea pigs :/ hope he will enjoy living in his new home - I'm looking forward to giving him lots of TLC :)
 
I'm sure he will with all the love you'll give him and combined with info on here you'll find inexpensive toys etc.. to keep him happy. If he is not suitable for a companion it would be an idea to get him a soft toy to cuddle upto. If you get one made for a newborn these are normally piggie safe, just make sure you cut off any care labels and try to avoid ones with plastic eyes etc..
 
Awwwww that's a lovely idea... :) thanks :) That would be cute - I will see if I can get one :D X
 
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