[Gpdd] re: [CARE] <soft hay>

[Susan Eastin]

Actually, the harder hay is stemier and coarser, and not the better hay.
You'll find this
in any type of hay.  We have raised and baled hay for years, and the quality
hay doesn't
have lots of stems, etc. That is simply the larger (and older) base of the
plants. The
fresher, more tender tops are also where most of the nutrients usually are.
Unfortunately, when we buy small amounts in these little bags, it's hard to
pick and
choose.  If you want something for them to work their teeth on, give them a
bit of
wood, or cardboard or newspaper!  Especially if it's something you don't
want them
to eat! I use small, flat cardboard boxes (like pizza boxes) lined with
newspaper, filled
with shavings, in a corner for their potty box.  They love trimming a new
box and sampling the edges of the newpaper!
A favorite toy now when they're on their playground (formerly my living room
floor!),
is the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels.  I started cutting
diagonally at one
end, spiralling round and round to within an inch or so of the other end,
leaving it
intact.  I slide that over one post of their tinkertoy car, so it bends over
and kind of
bounces. They all take turns playing with it and chewing on it - it has a
lovely
scalloped edge now (the one that CocoPuff's famous for!).
Hay should be primarily for nutrition, they can work their teeth on other
harder
things.
Susi and the OP's