Herbal Hay
In days gone by, most hay was herbal hay. Hay meadows containing herbs and wild plants were the norm rather than the exception. Now most hay is pure grass. Vitally important for good dental health and digestion in rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas because of the silica and fibre content, but lacking in some of the beneficial ingredients that herbs naturally provide.
Hay is perhaps the most important part of a herbivore's diet. Rabbits,
guinea pigs (cavies) and chinchillas are obligate herbivores and rely on
fibre-rich forage not only for optimum digestion and to avoid digestive upsets
but also to keep their teeth from overgrowing. Dental problems, obesity
and digestive disorders are the main reason why rabbits require veterinary
treatment. The Small Animal Veterinary Association recommends a high fibre
diet, rich in natural forage, to keep your rabbit, guinea pig (cavy) or
chinchilla in the best of health.
The hay available in the UK varies a great deal in quality. Cheaper hay
tends to be threshed rye grass hay, a by-product of grass grown to harvest the
seeds. Meadow hay has more feed value but, again, the quality can vary
according to the soil it is grown in and the plants it includes.
We currently have some top food quality, green, soft, aromatic English meadow hay in stock from ancient meadows on a family farm in Somerset, you can see in the picture how very fresh and green it is. Buy now while stocks last as this is a limited supply!
It is important that the moisture content of hay is controlled to avoid mould and fungal spores. It should also be 'cured' after cutting by storing for a while in the right conditions before feeding. Chinchillas are particularly susceptible to dietary disorders when fed uncured hay too soon after it has been harvested.
Racehorse and competition yards feed their horses only the very best hay, and for good reason, their horses need to be fit. Racehorse hay is higher in protein and vitamins and tends to be greener in colour. The softest racehorse hay is favoured by rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas but even that has sufficient indigestible fibre in the stems to be an excellent feed.
Timothy hay is the best known of all the top quality hays and very popular
amongst cavy, rabbit and chinchilla keepers. The importance of Timothy hay
has been well established for many years in the US by companies such as Oxbow
Hay and American Pet Diner. Oxbow Hay have done a lot of research on
rabbit and cavy diet and their products have gained popularity in the UK in
recent years. Many pet owners have discovered that, despite the cost, good
quality hay keeps their pets happier and healthier.
Herbs and wild plants traditionally formed an integral part of the hay crop.
Hay production currently has swung away from this tradition and towards
'monoculture'. Sometimes this is good, such as when Timothy hay is grown
for its specific feed value, sometimes the hay is just a by-product of seed
production, as with threshed rye grass. Herbal hay, or botanical hay as it is sometimes referred to in the US, has the
added benefit of providing a range of trace elements and other phyto- or plant
based nutrients not present in monoculture hay. Rabbits, guinea pigs and
chinchillas would naturally forage for the herbs or wild plants they needed.
Many feeds on the market today aim to cure the 'problem' of selective eaters. Peter Gurney, the "Guinea Pig Guru" observed that his cavies would eat the astringent herb Shepherds Purse only when they had loose droppings or diarrhoea. Rabbits breed on a 'rising scale of nutrition' and are naturally at their most fertile as the supply of food and the quality of the grazing increases. Animals know what they need and are selective feeders by design. It is our placing them in an unnatural environment and offering them lots of grains and coloured biscuits which is wrong!
Mountain Meadow Hay
Galen's Garden no longer sells Polish mountain meadow hay due to lack of quality control on the Polish side.
We will not sell anything other than the best hay and therefore made the sad decision to stop buying the hay from Poland because the suppliers could not guarantee to consistently supply hay of the right quality.
We do now have some super English meadow hay from a family farm in Somerset, and have found what looks to be a good source of German mountain meadow hay which we are waiting on samples of..
Pampered Piggies sell Oxbow Hay and Bunny brand Alpine meadow hay which we also recommend.
In addition they also sell the highly recommended Grassy Logs.
Designed by Belinda Francis of Galen's Garden from grass meal, natural cellulose fibre, & tasty apple, and produced exclusively by the lovely people at Pampered Piggies. The ideal and perfectly nutritionally balanced treat and plaything for all rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas which encourages the natural foraging instincts.
Wrap a tasty morsel such as some apple chips, carrot, beetroot, herbs or one of Aunty Sally's special mixes in a handful of hay and stuff it in the grassy log. Perfect for Chinchillas and Degus, bored Bunnies and pampered Piggies.