Timothy hay cubes

[jmess]

I am not really sure I still qualify as a new owner but I want to venture into some new territory here...

Since we got our second chin, a lot more hay and poop gets kicked out of the cage. It is not too big of a deal since the cage is not located in a high traffic area but we are considering switching, or at least supplimenting, the hay with hay cubes. When I search, I don't find many brands available. Can someone please tell me if this is an acceptable substitute for hay? What brands should I avoid/consider? Thanks!

 

[jess32247]

Using hay cubes makes about the same mess as loose hay and won't affected how much he poops. You'll still have to do just as much cleaning in his cage every day.

I've heard two things about hay cubes, one being that it's fine to feed all the time instead of lose hay, and the complete oppsite being that they are only ok as a treat but not as the main hay. Maybe another member can clear this up for me, deffiantly will be checking back here!

Just did a quick search for you and found that Oxbow sells them, in timothy at least. http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/products/type/detail?object=1531

And Kaytee sells them, again in timothy that I see. http://www.kaytee.com/products/timothy-cubes.php

 

[SookiFace1]

I'd suggest buying the cubes and seeing if your chinnies will eat them first.. My 1 year old won't touch them but my you gets loves them. They'll both destroy Timothy Hay but for some reason Sookie hates them

 

[rutherford]

i feed rutherford only hay cubes because he shoves all his hay out of his cage, too. i find myself sweeping up loose hay every hour, and it just got too irritating. they don't stay as fresh, so he gets super picky about which ones he want to eat.

i will have to argue that the hay cubes created less mess than the loose hay for me. true, you still have to sweep up crumbs here and there, but it doesn't get everywhere. at least rutherford only eats around his bowl, so i just get a pile of crumbs to sweep up every day instead of all over the cage, shelves, carpet, etc. life has definitely been a lot easier!

and as for where to buy hay cubes, rutherford doesn't like the store bought kind. they're less fresh and super compacted. i buy from: http://jaxchinchillarescue.webs.com/productpage.htm ; it's $1 a pound, so not bad at all.

 

[jess32247]

i will have to argue that the hay cubes created less mess than the loose hay for me. true, you still have to sweep up crumbs here and there, but it doesn't get everywhere. at least rutherford only eats around his bowl, so i just get a pile of crumbs to sweep up every day instead of all over the cage, shelves, carpet, etc. life has definitely been a lot easier!

Really? Maybe your just lucky then LOL. whenever I give my chin a cube as a treat, she makes quite a mess. I only give about 1/4 of a alfalfa cube every few weeks, and even that makes a mess. Cleaning the lose hay isn't much of a problem though, a simple dust pan and brush does the job!

Hmm :hmm:

 

[Lillybabe]

In my opinion hay cubes are fine to give regularly in addition to loose hay. I usually break them into small chunks as the girls seem to ignore them if they are too large. That being the case hay cubes do not have as much nutritional value as loose hay. The process to condense them takes away some of the nutrition and they aren't typically as fresh. In addition to that hay cubes can be crushed like pellets and do not wear down the back molars like hay does. It is important that chinchillas be free fed loose hay to wear down their back molars and as a staple in their diet. If your chinchilla does not eat loose hay then you need to try different brands and potentially have their teeth checked. My little malo guy would barely touch even the tastiest hay. My girls on the other hand devour the stuff like it's going out of style. Yes, it makes a mess. If you are worried about mess offer less at a time and refill hay more often. This will keep less off the floor as there is less to be thrown around. You may also need a different container. If what the hay is stored in is high up in the cage I have found it gets all over the place moreso than if it is stored at the bottom. From all the advice I have gotten and much of what I have read I have been told that you can not substitute hay cubes for loose hay. Loose hay is a necessity. This is why people with bad hay allergies can't typically have chinchillas.

 

[Spoof]

I've given hay cubes and pellets only on and off for years. They make far less mess than loose hay. Sometimes I just give pellets, depends on the hay quality.

I prefer the timothy/alfalfa mix cubes, they're easy to find in 50lb bags and only $10. I've had good luck with Standlee products in the south here. If you walk up to a bag and it smells yummy, they're good. If you can't smell it, it might be ok, but it's 50/50. )

 

[Essentia]

I give loose hay and hay cubes here. I agree that hay cubes create less mess, but aren't quite as well liked as loose hay. As for the cubes, I also give a 50/50 timothy/alfalfa hay cube. I use Standlee cubes and they are definitely the most well liked out of any hay cubes I've tried. When you open the bag you can smell how fragerant they are, which I haven't seen with any other brand.

 

[Dewdrop]

I wanted to switch to cubes to help control mess. (And I did find, for us at least. It did create less mess.) BUT I'd get a small amount to try out first. Some chins don't like the cubes....I know two of mine won't touch them.

That being said, when I bought, I first got from a forum member, and then standlee from my feed store. ($11 for 40lbs...)

 

[cindyv3737]

I give Shelly both loose hay and cubes. She is not that messy of a chin. Prissy, yes. Messy, no.

Artemis and Button, only get loose hay. I find that they sometimes pee on their cubes. They will chew them, if they are on a hanging toy. That is the only way they will get cubes. The only reason A and B are messy, is because my lazy rump has not ordered bass pans for their cage. Their mess is all my fault.

 

[rutherford]

for those of you that purchase standlee hay cubes... where do you find them? at your local pet store? i don't think i've ever seen them at petsmart. do they have a website?

the only brand i see is kaytee, and rutherford dislikes them because the hay cubes aren't very fresh. plus, it's super compacted so it's really hard for him to eat it. he usually picks those out and eat the fresher alfalfa/timothy mixed hay cubes i purchase from a forum member here.