2nd or 3rd Cut?

chinchillachris · Jan 17, 2014

Hi all,
I've been searching old posts on this forum and I've noticed that there've been TONS of people raving about Kleenmama's brand timothy hay. So, I went to their website and noticed that they sell both 2nd cut timothy hay, and 3rd cut hay. The 3rd cut sounded like a really good product (multiple reviewers claimed their chins would devour it), but, I saw some people saying that 3rd cut is low in fiber and 2nd cut should be fed instead. So, I was wondering, which one should I buy, 2nd or 3rd? I'm really tempted to buy the 3rd since it seems like most chins love it, but I don't want to buy it if my chins won't be getting enough fiber. If anyone could shed some light on this situation, I would be most appreciative! Thanks!

akane · Jan 17, 2014

Doesn't really matter but 2nd cut is generally preferred for a good mix of leafy and stemmy and often sells out the fastest with the guinea pig and rabbit crowd. However I've found chins don't have the same likes as most small herbivores so they may enjoy 3rd cut better. Either one is a good high quality hay.

javachin · Jan 17, 2014

I prefer 2nd cut, but I do buy 3rd cut to change it up a bit for my chins. Either way, they're both excellent quality hays.

ticklechin · Jan 17, 2014

3rd cut is ok IMO if you are not feeding is as a primary hay, its high in protein and low in fibre, 2nd cut is a much better choice for dental and gut health.

seachin · Jan 17, 2014

In my experience, chins will eat either but mine do prefer third. But I do balance with wood and wood sticks to increase grinding and have been good for two years so far. But you can switch back and forth like Javachin does. It does seem that third ie becoming less and less readily available through Kleenmamas so I may switch back to second. Perhaps second is a better rounded hay if you aren't giving other chewtoys.