Last Updated on June 5, 2023 by Georgie Smith
Hay is a significant component of a Guinea Pigs’ balanced diet. Water and hay are the two most essential elements of your pet Guinea Pigs’ well-being and care. Good quality, fresh Hay is the most important nutrition for Guinea pigs and other small animals. It not only supplies healthy teeth and digestion, but it also contains a heap of nutrients necessary for overall good health.
However, not all hay is good hay. Various types offer different amounts of vital nutrients and fiber. This article is about the best hay for your Guinea Pig and how to select the best.
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The Benefits of Hay for Guinea Pigs
Being a new owner of a Guinea Pig you may not understand how vital it is to have good quality hay in its diet on a regular basis. Pet Guinea Pigs require unlimited access to good quality, fresh hay for her health and well-being.
Free-ranging, wild Guinea Pigs have unlimited amounts of plants to graze on whenever it wants. Wild fruit, twigs, grass, and shoots provide them with a nutritionally well-balanced diet. It also guarantees it to have a healthy digestive system.
Hay and other chewable items wear a Guinea Pigs’ teeth down to help prevent them from overgrowing. Guinea Pigs as pets, however, rely on a diet that their owners provide for them. The most important thing about hay is that your guinea pig has access to fresh, clean varieties at all times.
Why Guinea Pigs Need Fiber
Pet Guinea pigs need a healthy, fibrous diet such as roughage to maintain a smooth digestive tract. All breeds of Guinea pigs and other small animals are prone to unhealthy digestion issues. The most important way to give this amount of roughage is to provide her with unlimited access to good hay.
Fresh water and food, healthy food, is crucial to your Guinea Pigs’ diet and well-being. Your new pet needs to have access to munch down on the hay and other roughage. Before we talk more about hay let’s discuss the five top-selling Guinea Pig Hay on the market.
The Five Top-Selling Guinea Pig Hay
Small Pet Select 1st Cutting “High Fiber” Timothy Hay Pet Food
The first product is by one of the leaders in small animal accessories. Small Pet Select Timothy Hay has more pliable and softer stems than many other 1st cuttings. The final result is hay with higher fiber than the 2nd cutting, but it continues to be Guinea Pigs and Rabbit’s enjoyable treat.
Small Pet Select is determined to offer the best of the best Timothy Hay for all small animals. Most owners of small pets know that hay is a vital part of their Guinea Pigs’ diet. It’s no secret that small pets can be super picky eaters. They are more than picky about the hay they eat.
Beings small animals are so picky; Small Pet Select goes above and beyond what others do to find and provide the best Timothy Hay possible. It is hand packaged into a super-strength corrugated box in small portions and checked once more before shipping.
That process guarantees the highest quality of hay is what you get every time with a 100 percent guarantee of satisfaction, or you get your money back. The final result is a product that is soft, beautifully green, and a sweet taste that smells like meadows.
More flower head and high fiber is the perfect blend to make this one of the best-selling products on Amazon. For more information on this product and how to order yours today, click here.
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Standlee Premium Western Forage Timothy Grass, 10lb Box
Second in line is a product from Standlee Premium Western Forage. This ten-pound box of Standlee Premium Western Forage Timothy Grass is the highest quality of forage that provides plenty of calcium and protein.
Timothy Grass is a necessity to help keep your pet’s gastrointestinal tract healthy. That includes Guinea Pigs, rabbits, and other small animals. The natural forage instincts are vital to your pets dental and overall health.
Standlee Best Timothy Grass comes from nutrient-rich, volcanic soils of Idaho where the sun is abundant, access to irrigation is constant and low humidity. All this together creates the leader in Timothy Grass. For more information and how to place your order, click here.
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Timothy Complete Guinea Pig Food
Kaytee products are the rock stars of foods and items for small animals. This product, Timothy Complete Guinea Pig food is perfect for ensuring your pet gets the proper nutrition to live a long, healthy life.
This high-quality pelleted food comes from hand-selected Timothy Hay that has all the vital nutrients that your Guinea Pig needs. Animals such as these require careful, specific care from their owners. That includes the perfect food to support a healthy digestive system.
Kaytee Timothy Complete Guinea Pig food has everything hay could offer your pet. Kaytee is a company that puts all animals and their nutrition first. This product is not only enjoyable and a favorite of pets, but it also provides all the nutrition your Guinea Pig requires.
With more than 150 years of experience in nutrition, the evidence of the level of care and quality proves why this company is a leader in all small animal foods and accessories. To learn more about the quality of all Kaytee products as well as ordering yours today, click here.
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Small Pet Select Orchard Grass Hay Pet Food
When it comes to finding hay that your Guinea Pig will love as well as providing all the nutritional needs, look no further than this product. Small Pet Select is second to none with their Orchard Grass Hay Pet Food.
Not only does Small Pet Select search for the highest quality orchard hay, but they also guarantee to deliver straight to you, fresh and tasty. As you know, it is vital that you monitor and provide the highest quality of hay for your picky eater.
When it comes to hay, Guinea Pigs are picky and choosy about the taste and freshness of their hay. Small Pets processed the highest grade and quality available to provide your guinea pig with the softest, sweetest-tasting hay from the meadows.
To learn more about this leader and high-quality product and order yours today, click here.
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Small Pet Select Combo Pack for Guinea Pigs
Number five on the list is another high-quality product from Small Pet Select. With this product, you get two for one with its combo pack just for Guinea Pigs. This high-quality hay is rich in fiber but low in calories.
There are hays on the market that can lead to health issues due to high calories and weight gain. However, you never need to worry about that with any of the Small Pets Selects products. Guinea Pigs that consume an overabundance of calories is not healthy.
Unless your piggy is still growing or pregnant, watching its calorie intake is vital due to excessive high calories and protein. Guinea Pigs are not able to metabolize all excess calcium and protein which can lead to bladder stones.
Choosing this product is a perfect option for all the vitamins and nutrients your young Guinea Pig needs. With a 100 percent guarantee that your pet will love this product, how can you go wrong? For more important information and how to order yours today, click here.
There you have the top best sellers for Guinea Pig Hay on Amazon. Now, let’s learn a bit more about hay and why it is so vital.
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Why Timothy Hay?
As you can see, there are numerous types of hay available for Guinea Pigs. However, for mature adult Guinea Pigs, Timothy Hay is the leader and best option. Due to its high fiber content, as well as it low calories, calcium, and protein, Timothy Hay is by far the best option.
Having low amounts does not mean that the hay lacks the necessary nutrients to keep your Guinea Pigs healthy and in tip-top shape. Actually, there is no better product on the market than Timothy Hay for all the beneficial nutrients to keep your pet healthy and happy.
Types of Hay
Three varieties of hay that are perfect for Guinea Pigs and available on the market are:
- Grass Hay: Here you have hay that is high in fiber but low in calcium, calories, and protein,
- Legume Hay: Legume hay has more protein, calories, and calcium than grass hay contains as well as less fiber. Alfalfa Hay and Clover Hay are the two most popular varieties available for Guinea Pigs. Alfalfa Hay is the most popular of the two.
Legume Hay makes an excellent supplement for adult Guinea Pigs because it provides a variety of tastes and nutrition. However, you should be sure to only feed your pet this type in moderation. There could be occasions when your pet piggy needs extra protein and calcium or the energy that legume hay offers.
When to Feed a Guinea Pig Legume Hay?
Feeding a pregnant and lactating Guinea Pig requires hay that offers extra protein and calcium to ensure that her babies develop. Developing baby Guinea Pigs need the necessary building blocks for healthy and on-track growth.
There are also extra nutrients required to meet their dietary needs as well as maintain her health throughout her stressful pregnancy phase. Otherwise, the lack of nutrients can take a toll on the mother and babies.
Young, maturing Guinea Pigs can also benefit from the extra protein to encourage additional calories and nutrients to help develop strong, healthy teeth and bones. If you have a pig that is recovering from injury or illness, it too can benefit from the extra calories and nutrients legume hay offers.
When to Feed a Guinea Pig Grass Hay?
Grass hay is a great option for adult guinea pigs because of its low protein and high fiber. The stems are course which is a necessary roughage that is vital for ensuring the digestive system function efficiently.
Grass hay also helps prevent the Guinea Pigs’ teeth from overgrowth but can still supply the necessary nutrients to keep her optimal health in check. Grass hay is available in many varieties, including these:
- Orchard Hay
- Timothy Hay
- Bermuda Hay
- Oak Hay
Timothy Hay is the leader when it comes to being widely available for a good reason. This hay has high fiber contents that are necessary to keep your small animal’s sensitive digestive system functioning effectively as well as prevent overgrowth of their teeth.
Also, grass hay has many nutrients and necessary minerals to ensure your pet’s overall health remains in peak condition. However, grass hay is not simply the choice of good hay that affects the suitability and quality of Guinea Pig hay. Much depends on when and where it is harvested.
Timothy Hay cultivates each spring, with the first cutting in June. However, due to farmers wanting their money’s worth the hay often is left for regrowth and the third cutting.
FAQs:
Q: Does the quality of the hay matter for my Guinea Pig?
A: Yes. All small animals need proper nutrients and vitamins. The first, second, and third cutting are each different.
Q: Which cutting offers the most value?
A: The first cutting is the most abundant for the best roughage needed to ensure a Guinea Pigs health.
Conclusion
Great quality in hay for a Guinea Pig is not only vital but to keep her healthy, it is a necessity. Timothy Hay is the leader for the hay that provides the most nutritional value to your pig’s overall health. In this article, you have the top five products that offer everything your Guinea Pig needs to maintain its overall health.
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