How to get them to eat all their hay?
I have noticed that my piggies will only eat "leafy" parts of the hay and are just leaving the stemmy hay.How can I stop them from just leaving the stemmy hay?
You really can't.
My guinea pigs only eat about 1/3 of the hay I give them. They eat the "good" hay (leafy parts), then play with the rest or use it to decorate their cages :)
(After they play in hay, remember not to let them eat it. There's probably poop and pee on it.)
The only way to make them eat it would be to deprive them of new hay until they eat all of the stemmy hay, but since guinea pigs need access to hay 24/7 to remain healthy DO NOT do that. It could lead to serious problems. I was just making my point that you really can't do anything about it. That's how guinea pigs are.
I would just give them a space to play in the "bad" hay. I have a litter box full of hay just for playing in duirng floor time and they love it!
My guinea pigs only eat about 1/3 of the hay I give them. They eat the "good" hay (leafy parts), then play with the rest or use it to decorate their cages :)
(After they play in hay, remember not to let them eat it. There's probably poop and pee on it.)
The only way to make them eat it would be to deprive them of new hay until they eat all of the stemmy hay, but since guinea pigs need access to hay 24/7 to remain healthy DO NOT do that. It could lead to serious problems. I was just making my point that you really can't do anything about it. That's how guinea pigs are.
I would just give them a space to play in the "bad" hay. I have a litter box full of hay just for playing in duirng floor time and they love it!
They will never eat ALL the hay that you provide. And they will always eat what they consider to be the best part. But no worries. All parts are good for them and they will still get all the benefits to their teeth and digestive tract. Just make sure you are feeding a good quality hay like Oxbow brand. It should have a pleasant "tea" smell and not be brown.
I always gave a huge pile in the morning and a huge pile in the evening. The soiled hay gets removed each time before the new goes in.
The PIG in Guinea pig means that they are good at leaving a lot of excess. So hay especially should be eaten but then trampled, pooed and peed on and thrown around. It's extra points if they can get the mess out of the cage and onto your floor. If you're not throwing away any "used" hay, they are not getting enough.
I always gave a huge pile in the morning and a huge pile in the evening. The soiled hay gets removed each time before the new goes in.
The PIG in Guinea pig means that they are good at leaving a lot of excess. So hay especially should be eaten but then trampled, pooed and peed on and thrown around. It's extra points if they can get the mess out of the cage and onto your floor. If you're not throwing away any "used" hay, they are not getting enough.
Ha ha, I love the point system your guinea pigs play by, WICharlie! I think our pigs play the same game.
I have noticed that once I started getting our hay from KMS hayloft instead of at the pet store they are eating far more of it than before. There is still plenty that gets trampled, peed on, pooped on and thrown around for "decoration," though. Just not nearly as much as before.
I have noticed that once I started getting our hay from KMS hayloft instead of at the pet store they are eating far more of it than before. There is still plenty that gets trampled, peed on, pooped on and thrown around for "decoration," though. Just not nearly as much as before.
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RavenShade
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Good hay will have fewer tough stems and more they will be willing to eat. Even though it seems more $$ on the surface, if less goes to waste, it's better in the long run. My new boars came with a bag of Oxbow and they are eating almost all of it.
I give them fresh hay that is supposedly American Pet Diner but from a different web site... either way, it's green and fresh-smelling and seems good. I get rid of the extra hay every day, I was just wondering if there's a way for less to go to waste. I guess there's not... come to think of it, given how much time and effort those piggies demand of me, I'm actually not that surprised...
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