guinea pigs and alfalfa hay

Guinea Pigs and Alfalfa Hay

Alfalfa Hay is one of those hays that is often recommended to guinea pig owners to give to their piggies, but can they eat it?

Often when one looks for what hay to provide their guinea pigs, it can be hard to dicifer which is the best type of hay for them and also the difference between them all.

A good way to discover more about them is to get the right facts about that hay, so as to discover what hay the is like.

Here are 12 facts to help establish what alfalfa hay is and whether it is any good for piggies.guinea pigs and alfalfa hay

  1. Alfalfa is great hay for young guinea pigs and pregnant mother piggies.
  2. It is more commonly eaten by hedgehogs, hamsers, gerbils, mice, rats or rabbits.
  3. It can be given as a treat to adult guinea pigs due to its high calcium content
  4. It can be used to supplement the diet of some adult guinea pigs if necessary
  5. It is a south asian perennial herb that has compound leaves
  6. It is a legume which is a herb
  7. It is tended to be grown for forage for animals
  8. It is originally from the middle eastern countries adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea and in Iran
  9. The name originates from arabic and means ‘best fodder’.
  10. It is the preferred forage for horses.
  11. It is a perennial crop as it grows for many years after planting.
  12. It is tended to be planted in the fall or the spring.

image wikipedia

Can guinea pigs eat alfalfa hay?

Alfalfa is idea for pregnant guinea pigs and very young baby guinea pigs up to 7 months, but it has a very high calcium content and so is not good for piggies to eat after that.

How long should baby guinea pigs eat Alfalfa Hay?

They really should be moved onto Timothy Hay which is much better for guinea pigs and should be their staple diet after 7 months.

Feeding Alfalfa Hay to Adult Guinea pigs

Alfalfa Hay can be fed to guinea pigs sporadically as a treat as something different from their normal diet of timothy hay but don’t feed it to them too much. Once or twice a month at the most.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *