10 Things You Didn’t Know About Timothy Hay (probably…)
Everyone knows how important timothy hay when it comes to the health of our pets, but here are a few things you may not have known…
1. Although we call it Timothy Hay, its scientific name is Phleum pretense L.
2. Timothy hay wasn’t originally grown in the US, but was introduced from Northern Europe in the 1700s. It was first noted in 1711 by a New England gentleman called John Herd.
3. Not only is it the top food you can feed to your rabbit, guinea pig, chinchilla and other small pets, but it’s also used as a staple for the diet of horses. Although they tend to eat just a little bit more…:-)
4. Timothy is one of the driest of all hays. This also helps with storage, as it’s less likely to rot or be prone to mold sorts.
5. The hay actually tastes sweet. If you need proof, just chew a strand yourself, and note the sweetness of the flavor. (As an aside, if it’s not sweet, then the quality of the hay is substandard…).
6. Timothy hay has less calcium than alfalfa. Therefore, unless your small pet is in the development stages of his life, pregnant or nursing young, timothy should be the hay of choice to feed.
7. Hay goes into your small pet at one end and comes out as poop the other! But hey, you probably knew that already…
8. Timothy hay probably got its name from a US farmer called Timothy Hanson, who was said to have introduced it from New England to the southern states in the 1700s.
9. The hay has many aliases, and is also known as common cat’s tail or meadow cat’s tail.
10. The pollen from timothy hay is used in a vaccine for hay fever.
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