Good hay brands??

[timandben]

I have been trying to find a good hay that my chinchillas like. currently they are on a Petco brand, but I would like to get them off that as soon as possible.

So, I was wondering if there is a lowish priced, good, hay that people have tried and would recommend. also, shipping can't be to expensive for 91105

thanks!

 

[MelLovesBella]

oxbow timothy hay.. it's what my chinchilla likes.

 

[MelLovesBella]

if you look under the classified section of the chinforum there are links to people who sell it.

 

[Stackie]

Good hay is whatever your chins will eat. Try looking around at local feed stores. If you have a TSC or Rural King near by, some carry Standlee hay products. Unfortunately all mine carry are alfalfa, not timothy. Look for good color and smell.

Online I have ordered from American Pet Diner and Kleenmama's, both of which my chins eat well. Oxbow is luck of the draw. If it's filled with more 1st cut than 2nd, they won't touch it.

 

[Essentia]

I agree with Stacie. Definitely check your local feed stores and horse farms for bales of hay. If you don't have local chinchilla people around you for you to split some hay with, you can always donate the extra to a bunny or chinchilla rescue. A bale of hay is only going to run you between $5-$20 (depending where you are) and you are going to get anywhere from 50-80 lbs of hay.

If you don't want to go through all that, I would get Oxbow hay at Petsmart. It's the hughest quality that I have found in pet stores. I have also ordered from Kleenmama's Hayloft and been happy with what I bought.

Good hay is whatever your chins will eat. Try looking around at local feed stores. If you have a TSC or Rural King near by, some carry Standlee hay products. Unfortunately all mine carry are alfalfa, not timothy. Look for good color and smell.

Online I have ordered from American Pet Diner and Kleenmama's, both of which my chins eat well. Oxbow is luck of the draw. If it's filled with more 1st cut than 2nd, they won't touch it.

 

[Milo10]

I Used to get fresh hay from a farmer around us. It was really nice!

 

[Dodgerchick]

I have a rabbit/chin rescue locally in so. California where I buy my hay and such. They have an amazing custom blend of oat, wheat and barley that I feed my babies. It is always so fresh and fragrant and they ship! I went to a feed store and bought a bale of Timothy and they wouldn't touch it after eating the custom blend! They have a website you can check out if you like: www.bunnybunchboutique.com.

 

[ChinnyMom]

is it good to have chins mostly on a primarily grain based hay like the kind Dodgerchick mentioned? i always thought grains should be limited due to the phosphorus/calcium ratio and the way phosphorus absorbs calcium. would the stalks (hay) of grain plants hold as much phosphorus as the grains themselves?

 

[ticklechin]

I would not feed a grain hay exclusively for the reason listed above, oat hay depending on the cut can be high in phosphorus and the hay itself is low in nutrients.

 

[Snickers]

I buy a bale of timothy from the feed stores cost from $22 to $28. I did purchase one bale that was timothy/orchard mix since the timothy didn't look great this is after I went through 2 bales in one month. I have picky eaters when it comes to hay so I end up giving 1/4 to 1/2 away to the shelters.

 

[SarahKay]

My chinchillas actually used to eat Kaytee hay happily so I don't think they're picky eaters. They live on oxbow now and I've never had any problems but I think my pet store is pretty heavily trafficked so they probably ship fresh hay in often.

 

[Anfsurfer]

Currently in the house I have one bag of Kaytee Timothy, one bag of Oxbow Timothy, one bag of Oxbow Oat Hay, and one bag of Oxbow Orchard Grass. The Kaytee hay is awful. I bought it because it was on sale and I thought "How much different can it be?". Shadowfax won't touch the stuff! The Oxbow Timothy is better as my chin will eat some of it. But his ULTIMATE favorite is Oxbow's Orchard Grass. I can fill up his hay holder to any extent and it's all completely gone in the morning. I always put a few strands of Oat Hay out with any hay for a different chewing texture.

Someone in a previous post mentioned Kleenmama's hay, and I checked them out. I just purchased 5 lbs. of Bluegrass hay, and 5lbs. of something she's calling SUPER 2ND CUT TIMOTHY HAY. She is having her farmers cut the hay a week earlier than regular second cut, so it's supposed to be very grassy and very healthy for the animals. I haven't received it yet but i'm very excited about it.