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As any guinea pig keeper is aware, high-quality, grass hay is an essential part of your guinea pig’s diet. Besides providing a wide range of important vitamins and nutrients, timothy hay helps keep a guinea pig’s digestive system active and healthy, and it’s the best way to help keep a cavy’s molars ground down, too.
So when HappyCavy was contacted by the friendly folks at Small Pet Select to conduct a review of their timothy hay, we jumped (or popcorned?) at the chance.
Arrival of the Timothy Hay
First, Small Pet Select’s timothy hay arrived in a beautifully designed large white box. The shipment arrived quickly and, though this hay was delivered compliments of Small Pet Select, we discovered their shipping charges are very reasonable when compared to other online hay retailers, like KMS Hay Loft, Rabbit Hole, Sierra Valley, and a few others.
Small Pet Select Timothy Hay: The Sniff Test
Once the box of hay was placed in the HappyCavy testing area, the guinea pigs immediately knew something special was in store.
Buttercup, Hammy, and Feebee started chutting around the box, sniffing its corners and even trying to climb on top to get at the good stuff.
The packaging was secure, but the fresh hay scent coming from the unopened box was undoubtedly driving the guinea pigs wild!
Small Pet Select Timothy Hay: The Taste Test
After opening the box, the hay appeared healthy and bright green. The HappyCavy guinea pigs immediately dug in.
Small Pet Select describes its Timothy hay as “true, premium 2nd cut timothy hay.” And we can attest to the fact that it did appear to be “premium.”
The hay was soft and fragrant, with a generous variety of stems, seed heads, and leafy hay fibers. The fibers and seeds heads (sometimes called “hay poofs” by The Humans) were the most popular part of the hay by far, though each guinea pig was happy to munch away on any pieces it could get its paws on.
Shopping for hay?
New customers get 15% off Small Pet Select’s high-quality hay with coupon code HappyCavy!
Timothy Hay Review: Conclusion
The HappyCavy Forever Home uses a variety of different hays — sometimes sourced at a local farm, other times from Kleenmama’s Hay Loft (KMS Hay Loft). This was our first taste of Small Pet Select’s hay offerings, and we must say, if the pigs are hungry for more, than so are we.
Couple the high quality of the hay with the beautiful, yet practical, packaging done by Small Pet Select, and we say you have a winner.
If you’re looking for affordable, home delivered Timothy hay for your guinea pigs, we suggest you check out Small Pet Select. Don’t forget to tell them HappyCavy sent you!
Disclosure: We received Small Pet Select‘s timothy hay for free, as coordinated by HappyCavy.com, in consideration for a publication review. We do not accept any financial compensation for product reviews of any kind. Content of this review is based solely on personal experiences and opinions and is not influenced by any third-party or advertiser.
I’m a little surprised at the comment that Small Pet Select is priced better than KMS. I most recently purchased 15 pound of blue grass from KMS and with shipping it only came to $29.67 so an additional 5 pounds of product for less money (for me to buy 10 pounds of SPS, as per your example, with shipping it would be $33.49 for Eugene, OR). Prior to that I bought 5 pounds of timothy and 15 of blue grass and with shipping it was $37.04. So, an additional 10 pounds of product, or twice as much, for only an additional $4 or so dollars. Yes KMS shipping is high but their product pricing more than makes up for it when one compares how it looks with shipping included.
Am I missing something here? KMS is out of 2nd cut timothy, that might be something to talk about but a separate issue.
thanks
Hi, there! You make an excellent point, thanks adding to the discussion.
While shipping costs are considerably lower at Small Pet Select, there are large differences in product price between vendors.
We specifically didn’t mention product cost in this review, or whether is was “better” or not than competitors, as we received a complimentary box of hay. The HappyCavies seemed to like Small Pet Select’s 2nd cut Timothy hay more than the KMS variety, so each reader should certainly take overall product cost, shipping cost, and their guinea pigs’ individual tastes into consideration before making a final purchase decision.
Also, KMS’s 2nd cut cost even less than their bluegrass, so that does go to show that hay prices can vary greatly by seller.
Hi, I recently bought Oaten hay for my guinea pig’s bedding. She is 2 and a half months old and I have read that Oaten hay is okay (although timothy hay is preferred, I couldn’t find it at the pet store) but ever since she has had white urine and I’m worried that maybe the amount of calcium is too high for her? I don’t think I’ve been feeding her any other foods that are high in calcium either. I’m definitely going to search for timothy hay next time, but I was wondering if I should keep giving her the oaten hay or not? Thanks!
Hi, Sarah! I’ve never heard of “oaten hay”. My Humans used oat hay for a while because it has a lower calcium content, so that’s a puzzle. Perhaps you are also feeding your cavy high-calcium vegetables or herbs like parsley? If so, try cutting down on that.
I’ve seen a few comments online that oaten hay should be fed just 2 or 3 times per week. But I’m still not entirely clear on whether oat hay and oaten hay is the same thing.
I’d say it’s best for you to stick with timothy hay. I’m not sure which specific kind of hay you are using, but you can check out the Guinea Lynx hay chart for calcium info: http://www.guinealynx.info/hay_chart.html
If the white urine persists, a vet check is in order.
The white urine has gone away and I have gotten them Timothy hay and only mix in small amounts of the Oaten hay. Maybe the Oaten hay is just an Australian thing. I do give them bits of parsley too so I will slow down on that. Thanks for your reply!
hey im getting a guinea pig for my first time! In a few weeks the little cutie will be mine!!! Well I was wondering what kind of hay I should get for him/her, im looking at Oaten hay, but everyone has been talking about timothy hay which one would you recommend?
Hi. I have two long haired silkies, I believe. I rescued from nice lady who had to many at 6 months. She said they were sisters and cage mates from birth. I have had the two lovelies for a year and the live in two story c&c 2×3 each floor. I use bed pads and fleece for bedding. Cage is cleaned every night and changed every four days.
My girls seem happy. I rinse them off once a month and wash them every couple months.
My question is why are they shedding terrible, I tried clipping the hair shorter and for their comfort in summer months. The cage is full of hair it’s worse than the dog. Their diet consists of fresh delivered Timothy hay ( the brand in white box). Oxbow adult Timothy pellets Daily fresh veggies, including peppers, carrots, cucumber peal, organic spring mix lettuce. They do not eat fruit only peals, they don’t seem to like it They occasionally have apple peals, watermelon Rhine ect …
Is it normal to shed so much. ??
Any info is appreciated.
Thanks
Debra
I ordered the set of hay and pellets for guinea pigs from Small Pet Select and do not like it. It was not packaged well, just a box with a strip of tape and some of the hay was falling out. I bet the delivery man hated that thing. The hay was 50% green and 50% brown and my piggy said “no thank you” and he won’t eat the pellets either. Never ordering from them again. I will buy the Oxbow hay and pellets from the pet store nearby.
Hi! I love your piggies! I have two of my own, Misty and Holly (Christmas pigs, Mistletoe and Hollyhock) who don’t seem to like me very much. They’re actually my brother’s, but I’ve noticed he doesn’t spend much time with them, so I’m doing my best to get them up to speed. The problem is- they never stop eating. If I fill their food, around five minutes later it will be almost gone. They also knock over the food dish in their excitement, and by doing do waste a lot of food every time, is there a way to regulate their food so that they have enough, but my braver piggy won’t eat it all?
Thank you!
I had ordered timothy hay from Sierra Valley Pet Hay (they are in CA) last August and it was good hay. So I ordered 2 huge boxes of timothy again this fall, $100.00 worth of hay. The leaves were very flat and extremely dry and brittle, plus hard, very brittle and sharp stems. I gave it to my rabbits and they ate a bit and never touched it again. Even after several days. Then I tried it again and they refused to eat it. I have never seen timothy hay like it. Not at all the same as what I had gotten from them before. They had a drought there and someone had commented on FB that they did not water their hay. I then ordered a box of Small Pet Select Timothy. It was good hay! My rabbits are eating it like crazy. SVPH has refused to refund the $100 I spent. They offered $36.00! I ordered timothy from KMS before that. Another HUGE box. It was horrible!! Full of brown hay and so dusty it made me ill. I had to take it outside and go through it to pick out the edible hay. I was left with only half of it. So glad I found Small Pet Select!!!
We’re so happy you like Small Pet Select! They really care about the quality of their hay and it shows in their product 🙂