Timothy hay blend vs coarse cut

[JohhnyBishop]

Hi All,
What is the % of timothy hay waste you get from chinchillas.
I have noticed that males are quite wasteful.
I order timothy hay from HayBox.club
https://haybox.club/collections/frontpage/products/timothy-hay
I go for Blend but they also have Coarse Cut:
https://haybox.club/collections/frontpage/products/copy-of-timothy-hay-box-1st-cut-new
Is this good or should I switch to Coarse Cut?

 

[ChinsForLife]

Mine waste at least 60% of their hay.(Chinchillas are very picky, lol) It's a common concern but it's completely normal.

I would stay with the box blend. It sounds like the "coarse cut" is basically just the stalky pieces. Most chins(including mine) are happier if they have both kinds. The soft cut is easier to chew when they just want the taste of it and the stalky pieces help with wearing down the incisors.

 

[JohhnyBishop]

Yes, 60% matches to what my males throw away.
In general females are conservative with hay. They go through a lot less of hey.
I think it's down to general activity. Males are on testosterone and have more appetite.

Thank you

 

[ChinsForLife]

Yes, 60% matches to what my males throw away.
In general females are conservative with hay. They go through a lot less of hey.
I think it's down to general activity. Males are on testosterone and have more appetite.

Thank you

I agree completely! My female wastes alot less than my male.

 

[Amethyst]

I don't currently have any females to compare to, but my male eats over 50% of the hay I am giving right now, I would say waste is only about 25-50%. Maybe he just really likes the hay I give him? (it's local hay I got at a livestock feed store) It does depend on the hay though, some brands he eats more then other others, and some he does waste a good bit. For example he eats almost 100% of the hay I grow and harvest from my property, but some of the ones I get at the pet store are probably closer to the 50-60% waste you are seeing.

I agree the blend sounds like "second cut" hay which is the preferred feeding hay for animals, it has the best nutrient to fiber ratio. The course cut is likely 1st cut, which is good for tooth wear, if your chin will eat it, but not all chins like it. It does depend on the chin though, some actually prefer the crunchier stocks of the hay.

 

[ChinsForLife]

I honestly have too much hay for my two to eat before it goes bad anyway (2 lbs of alfalfa, timothy, and meadow grass hay) so I don't mind them tossing some/most of it. As long as they are eating SOME hay, I'm happy. Lol.

 

[B&E Chins]

My males also waste around the same percentage, 60%.

 

[chinchoo]

My male eats about a quarter of his hay and ignores the rest. He is also extremely picky with hay brands we have used. Small Pet Select is usually a popular choice recommended by the chin community and he sticks his snooty little nose up at it. Right now we get our 2nd cut timothy hay from High Dessert.

 

[ChinsForLife]

Yes, I get mine from my local feed store (Tractor supply/DUMOR brand) and they love it. Considering switching to oxbow though.

Speaking of which, for anyone who currently uses Oxbow, I bought alfalfa for my girl and she loves it but its very leafy and short cut. I have a wire hay feeder for my male so I would prefer later nger strands so it doesn't all just fall out. Is their Timothy hay like this or just their alfalfa? If so, can anyone recommend another brand that would be better for what I'm needing?

 

[Amethyst]

Yes, I get mine from my local feed store (Tractor supply/DUMOR brand) and they love it. Considering switching to oxbow though.

Speaking of which, for anyone who currently uses Oxbow, I bought alfalfa for my girl and she loves it but its very leafy and short cut. I have a wire hay feeder for my male so I would prefer later nger strands so it doesn't all just fall out. Is their Timothy hay like this or just their alfalfa? If so, can anyone recommend another brand that would be better for what I'm needing?

Alfalfa is a legume not a grass, so it's going to be leafy with chopped up bits of stems, it's not long strands like grass. The Oxbow timothy was just like any other bag of timothy I've bought, the only time I got shorter chopped timothy is when I bought the compressed hay stacks. One thing with switching hay is chins are picky so if you find a hay they like you may need to stick with it unless you can't get it anymore, your chins may be fine with it but be prepared for the possibility they aren't, so for example don't buy a huge bag right away. Also Oxbow did have a bad year last year, I know a lot of people, myself included, had to switch to a different hay because chins refused to eat it even though they ate it fine before.




Incase you are curious, here is a photo of alfalfa growing on my properly, it's the leafy plants growing up in the grass.

 

[Barbra Salas]

I have tried a variety of items from small pet select bc of my old picky man who really needs to start eating more "real" food after his illness but neither he nor the 5 year old have liked ANY of the products! I don't know what the deal is!

 

[JohhnyBishop]

One of my females is very irregular with hay consumption most often she does not care about hay. I think I would have to replace it daily then maybe or perhaps she is carnivorus considering how aggressive she is.

 

[Lissy]

I took one of the wooden houses, took the top off and filled it with the 2nd cutting hay (which he seems to prefer most). He will perch on the top pull a strand out, eat half, and throw the rest on the ground. After he makes a little pile and leaves, I just scoop it up and mix it back in. And normally each day I stir up the hay in the box and he thinks it's fresh and continues to eat from it. I typically change it out when it's half full and just a bunch of little one inch bits that he's not eating. But watching him throw it on the ground is freaking adorable!

 

[JohhnyBishop]

I took one of the wooden houses, took the top off and filled it with the 2nd cutting hay (which he seems to prefer most). He will perch on the top pull a strand out, eat half, and throw the rest on the ground. After he makes a little pile and leaves, I just scoop it up and mix it back in. And normally each day I stir up the hay in the box and he thinks it's fresh and continues to eat from it. I typically change it out when it's half full and just a bunch of little one inch bits that he's not eating. But watching him throw it on the ground is freaking adorable!

like dropping a mike

 

[user 18287]

Lol! Fern wastes a great deal, but I tend to load her up. She does eat 1/8 cup of pellets completely in 24 hours… and lets me know when the bowl is empty. I use to have Guinea Pigs that ate the Kaytee brand timothy hay like it was their last meal… Fern is less enthused, but she does eat it. I’m studying to see which works best for her… long term testing ofc. She is 5 months now, and I have lots of time to find out what makes her happy.

 

[Jawramik]

My female chin typically eats about 60-70% of the hay I put in her feeder every day....but that's only when it's the RIGHT hay. I've had the best luck with Farmer Dave's hay (2nd cut timothy), the quality seems much more consistent than other brands I've tried (Oxbow and Small Pet Select seemed to have much more variable quality from box to box), and it has lots of the nice long strands that she likes.

 

[Binki]

I order timothy hay from HayBox.club

Do your boys prefer the HayBox stuff to the 'timothy rich' sold in pet shops or do they waste it as much? My boy approach to hay is that of a memory challenged leaf cutter ant who after doing all the chopping goes 'wonder what I am doing here; I thought I was on my way to Fortnum and Mason to get a hamper.' So I have been wondering whether the HayBox could help in reduce the sea grass parcticles I find in the mornings.