What is timothy hay? Is that a daft question to ask – not really, in our humble opinion. After all, how many of us are truly experts on all things hay? And being as it’s the most vital component in the diet of our small pets (along with water, naturally), then it’s a sensible question for any caring pet owner to want to understand.
So – let’s wind right back to basics when it comes to understanding more about timothy hay.
1. Timothy hay is dried timothy grass. Yep – in very simple terms, hay is grass that’s been cut at a certain point in its life cycle, then dried so that it can be stored and fed to our pets at a later date
2. Timothy hay should be green and fresh smelling. One thing that’s a challenge for many pet owners is to find timothy hay of a good enough quality. Much of the hay that is sold as suitable for small pets is anything but… And there are easy ways to identify this sub-standard hay; namely that its color is closer to yellow or brown than green, it doesn’t have a sweet, fragrant smell, and may even contain dust or foreign bodies. Oh – plus the fact that when you feed your pets timothy hay that’s truly fresh and green, that they absolutely love it…!
3. It takes a specialized producer to create the best quality timothy hay. Making hay is an art form – and a knowledge that tends to be handed down through the generations from father to son (or mother to daughter….). Those who farm timothy hay are a special breed of people; working closely with fickle ol’ Mother Nature to ensure that their crop is of the best quality possible.
4. Timothy hay is a fragile product. Because it’s dried grass, naturally this makes timothy hay very likely to become damaged if treated in the wrong manner. And damage to the hay means that it loses nutritional content and palatability to small pets. Timothy hay doesn’t like being over-handled, treated roughly, stored in the wrong conditions or packaged poorly.
Here at Small Pet Select we do our utmost to work with the most talented timothy hay producers in the country. We then ensure that our hay is stored and packaged in the most sympathetic manner possible, so it arrives to you and your small pets in the very best condition possible.
For more information about Small Pet Select timothy hay, check out our hay page.
Till next time – love those bunnies, piggies, chinnies and all those other small pets…
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