[Gpdd] Health: Hay

[pat schuett]

Hi everyone,
I have found over the past few years that many of the hays I have been buying and depending on for years for my guinea pigs have become a lot tougher and browner than they used to be.  I think this might be related to the dreaded Climate Change --- people who grow hay are not getting rain when they need it, or getting too much rain and having pastureland flooded, not enough sun, too much sun or whatever.  So they have been forced to try to fill their customer demand with hay that might not have made the cut before now.
So far I have found Oxbow Orchard Grass hay to be still pretty consistent --- green, tender and well-accepted by the piggies.  It is similar to Western Timothy in nutritional content (just a different variety of grass hay) and my porkers enjoy large quantities of it.  I have a number of middle-aged piggies who seem to be prone to developing dental problems if they get too much fibre and toughness in the hay, so I pay close attention to this sort of thing.
Pat & the Prairie Pigs