Three questions

[Zahrii]

1. Would my two bonded male chins still need cuddle buddies?

2. I know some people feed their chins 2-3 types of hay. I only feed my boys 2nd cutting timothy, but should I add some other type?

3. How many apple sticks a week is too much?

 

[Amethyst]

1. They don't need it, but depends on the chins, some like them some don't. Males also use them sometimes for humping too... Also if they are use to it already it can be comfort if something happens to one of them.

2. It's best to give a variety of hay, it keeps the hay interesting, as well as each type of hay is chewed differently. So each wear down teeth differently which can help prevent tooth spurs.

3. Apple (or any other kind of chin safe wood) sticks can be given unlimited, so you can give as many as you can afford to give a week. My guys normally get about half a dozen of various kinds of wood chew sticks a day.

 

[Zahrii]

What's the best type of hay(s) that people use with timothy?

 

[Amethyst]

The most common and easy to get hay include, orchard, botanical, and meadow, which you can find at pet stores, but any grass hay is good. You can also give grain hay, like oat hay, but only as a treat hay, about a handful worth a week.

 

[Zahrii]

Do I give the same amount of hay I usually give with the timothy?

 

[Amethyst]

The timothy should be the primary hay, so no more then 50/50 mix. I have 3 hay feeders for my two chins, if I fill all three I do two with timothy one with other hay, or if I just fill two I do one with timothy the other with something else. I also buy a big bag of timothy and then one smaller bag of something else, getting something different each time.

 

[Zahrii]

Would it be okay to mix the two hays? I only have one big hay feeder at the moment.

 

[Amethyst]

Yep you can mix it, just make sure it's more timothy then other. So like a couple handfuls of timothy and one handful of other for example.

 

[Zahrii]

The timothy hay I get comes in a box that allows the hay to breathe and protects it from any sunlight. However, I'm thinking about purchasing the second hay from a different company and it isn't in a breathable box, just a bag. How would I store that hay?

 

[Amethyst]

I keep my hay in an open cardboard box. You can also store it in a laundry hamper thing like this.