Hay versus Hay Pellets

jilliebelle · Aug 13, 2010

Timothy hay is obviously a necessary component of a chinchilla's diet, but since I got my chinchilla, Van Gogh, in March I have discovered that I'm allergic to timothy hay. I was wondering if feeding only hay pellets available in the pet store is okay or if I have to feed him timothy hay (if I do, I can probably just take a lot of allergy meds). Any help would be great. Thanks!

tunes · Aug 13, 2010

Do you mean pellets or cubes? Hay cubes seem to cause folks with allergies a lot less problems. Have you tried them?

greychins · Aug 13, 2010

I'm wondering the same thing. If you mean timothy pellets like (see below) - then no, those won't take care of the hay requirement. Chins need actual hay because of the different texture that it is from pellets - they have to chew it with their back teeth and it helps keep them worn down... pellets alone won't do that. I'm with Tunes though, if the loose hay bothers you, I would try the hay cubes. Much less of a mess as well...

RDZCRanch · Aug 13, 2010

There are other grass hays that you can try that might have less dust. My boyfriend is severely allergic to timothy hay and gets itchy if it's even in the house. I use oat hay and he's never had a problem with it. You can also try Orchard grass.

proudmom25 · Aug 13, 2010

Are oat hay and orchard grass both going to work at wearing down the teeth like timothy hay? I have some orchard grass but the texture is very different.

I know a few of my chins that don't like timothy will eat the orchard grass.

greychins · Aug 13, 2010

I'm not sure about orchard grass working as well as timothy - our chins like it here, but we give timothy as well.... it seems like a "softer" hay to me, so I personally wouldn't think it'd work as well, but that's JMO.

Oat hay, though, is actually supposed to be better at wearing down the teeth because it's a coarser hay than timothy. We give our lazy-chewer-chin oat hay in addition to his timothy, and he hasn't had a problem since...

jamanalo · Aug 15, 2010

Yea the pellets are not a problem. If they are easier for you I say do it. If those other you, you can delve into other types. But the pellets or cubed form will cut down on dust and mess on the cage floor. Hope this helps!