Survey reveals almost a quarter of small pet owners don’t know the difference between feeding hay and bedding hay

The best hay for rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas and degus provides these discerning dry grass nibblers with vital nutrition. However, not all hay is the same – and it’s super important to know the difference between tasty, nourishing feeding hay and bog-standard bedding hay.

Burgess in-house vet Dr Suzanne Moyes MVB MRCVS says: “Our recent Small Animal Census – which surveyed 6,514 owners and 20,915 small animals – revealed that almost a quarter of small pet owners – 24% – aren’t aware that there’s a difference between feeding and bedding hay.”

Raising hay awareness

For small pet experts, this is a disturbing finding which has pushed raising hay awareness up the agenda.

Dr Moyes explains: “For small pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas and degus to be healthy, it’s vital that you choose hay that’s specially grown for them to feed on. It has to be cut at just the right time to capture all the tasty, natural goodness, so your small pets enjoy eating it.”

OUR SURVEY SAID?

We asked small animal owners if they think there’s a difference between feeding and bedding hay. Our survey revealed:

Guinea pig owners – YES 68%, NO 32%

Rabbit owners – YES 79%, NO 21%

Overall – YES 76%, NO 24%

Bedding hay, which tends to be yellow or brown in colour, is only suitable for small pets to sleep on. Dr Moyes adds: “This sort of hay is likely to be cheaply manufactured, dusty and of unknown nutritional value. Guinea pigs in particular are severely affected by dust and dusty hay can cause serious respiratory problems. Always look for high quality hay which states that it’s ‘dust extracted’, to protect your guinea pigs’ respiratory health.”

How much feeding hay do rabbits and guinea pigs need each day?

Having plenty of fresh, irresistibly tasty feeding hay every day is an absolute essential for rabbits and guinea pigs. In fact, around 85-90% of their diet should be high quality feeding hay and grazed grass. That’s equal to their own body size in hay every day!

“High quality meadow hay is fresh and fragrant, barn dried, dust extracted and rich in nutrients as well as being an excellent source of fibre, which is important for buns and piggies to be healthy and happy,” advises Dr Moyes. “Munching on hay also helps keep continually growing teeth in good shape, helping to prevent dental issues.

“The health benefits of feeding top quality feeding hay are indisputable and can help guard against costly visits to the vet. In fact, most of the medical and surgical problems that occur in pet rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas and degus – such as dental, gut, eye, behavioural, urinary, weight and skin problems – are due to poor nutrition and could be prevented with an improved diet.”

OUR SURVEY SAID?

We asked small animal owners how often they fed their pets hay. Our survey revealed:

Guinea pig owners – TWICE A DAY 47%, DAILY 50%, EVERY OTHER DAY 2%, ONCE A WEEK 1%

Rabbit owners – TWICE A DAY 48%, DAILY 49%, EVERY OTHER DAY 2%, ONCE A WEEK 1%

Reap the benefits of choosing high-quality feeding hay

Eating lots of nutritious, dust-extracted feeding hay provides all sorts of benefits you may not be aware of.

• HAY PROVIDES VITAL FIBRE Top quality feeding hay is an excellent source of fibre and plays a vital part in digestion. Rabbits and guinea pigs need to keep their digestive systems busy with a mix of two kinds of fibre moving through the gut at all times. These types of fibre are called digestible fibre and indigestible fibre. They get this fibre mainly from high quality feeding hay.
• HAY IS GOOD FOR KEEPING TEETH IN GOOD SHAPE Munching on delicious hay also keeps continuously growing teeth in check, thereby helping to prevent dental disease.
• HAY HELPS PROMOTE OVERALL HEALTH Feeding plenty of high-quality feeding hay, some grass-based nuggets and a few fresh greens will help your rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas and degus maintain healthy skin, coat, eyes, teeth and digestion.
• HAY MAKES YOUR SMALL PETS FEEL GOOD Chomping on hay also does wonders for your small pets’ emotional wellbeing. In the wild, rabbits and guinea pigs spend around 70% of their time foraging and eating grass and other plants. For pet rabbits and guinea pigs, being given the opportunity to forage and chew keeps them physically and emotionally stimulated and enables them to express their natural behaviours.

A delicious selection of home-grown goodness

There are all sorts of temptingly tasty feeding hay and dried grass for rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas and degus to eat and enjoy and individual pets will no doubt have their favourites!

What’s more, Burgess Excel hay comes in a choice of fully recyclable cardboard boxes or easy-open bags which are recyclable in large supermarkets – both of which will keep each batch of hay fresh until it’s all been eaten up. Why not mix and match to see what varieties your small furries like best?

• Meadow hay, naturally high in fibre and dust-extracted to protect respiratory health
• Tasty Timothy hay – always a favourite with small furries
• Long stem feeding hay (perfect for your buns to chew on to protect their dental health)
• Sweet smelling Timothy hay with dandelion and marigold (to aid urinary tract health and help build a healthy immune system)
• Barn-dried fresh grass – ideal for that time of year when your lawn's past its best

How to add some hay-based fun to feeding time

To encourage your small pets to get stuck into their delicious dried grass, why not add some play to the hay?

Most buns like to play and throw toys around, so incorporating hay as part of play activities is a great way to encourage your pets to enjoy their tasty hay. A willow ball or cardboard tube filled with hay is ideal for batting about. Or try putting a bunch of fresh hay in a sheet of brown paper and tie the ends with a strand of hay to look like a Christmas cracker. Your rabbits will love chucking this around and then ripping it open to get to the hay inside.

If you have small pets, you’ll never run out of uses for cardboard loo rolls! And, turning them into hanging hay-filled toys couldn’t be simpler. Make a few and hang them at different heights to provide some snacking fun with a bit of a challenge. Find out more about DIY enrichment toys for your pets >>

Rabbits generally prefer to munch on hay while they’re resting and they also like to ‘poo and chew’, so put a pile of hay in their favourite resting places and hang a hay rack above their litter tray.

As guinea pigs love to forage and search out titbits, scattering some tasty grass-based nuggets and Nature Snacks amongst big piles of yummy feeding hay will encourage them to explore a healthy range of fibre-filled flavours.

And, at Burgess Pet Care we take our hay very seriously...

• At Burgess, we have a long tradition of supporting British farmers. As part of our ongoing commitment, we actively source our ingredients as close to our mill as possible.
• The grass used in our Excel nuggets is sourced from the UK to meet our stringent specifications and we know exactly which field each batch comes from and the date it was harvested. It’s also exclusive to Burgess. No other pet food manufacturer has access to our grass!
• The grass is harvested when it’s at its lushest to ensure the optimum level of nutrients and fibre, helping to ensure that it delivers all the goodness pet animals require.
• Our grass is grown on an estate that works in partnership with the local wildlife trust and ensures that the grassland is managed to reduce environmental impact and positively encourage biodiversity. This includes over 140 miles of hedgerow, providing a home for a variety of flora and fauna including bird species such as linnets, whitethroats, yellow wagtails and blackbirds. The field margins have been enhanced with wildflowers and rare plants are encouraged, such as yellow-wort, autumn gentian, dyer's greenweed, clustered bellflower, pyramidal and man orchids, to encourage pollinating insects.

92% OF UK VETS RECOMMEND OUR BURGESS EXCEL SMALL PETS RANGE!

*****With a whole host of five-star reviews, Burgess Excel customers who have purchased our hay have told us: * “Great quality, smells amazing!” * “Excellent quality hay for a very reasonable price. The hay is green and healthy, it smells great, and the strands are long and thick. My rabbit absolutely loves it.” * “Great product. The bunnies loved it!! Big hit.” * “Such fresh smelling hay and beautifully green in colour. My rabbits get so excited when I'm giving them the feeding hay and it’s so beneficial for them.” * “Our guinea pigs love this hay!” *

Check out the Burgess Excel feeding hay range of boxes, bags and bundles! >>

SERVE UP ONLY THE VERY BEST DINNER FOR YOUR SMALL PETS

Our small pets deserve a high-quality diet that’s created just for them. At Burgess, all our foods for small pets is made at our factory in the heart of Yorkshire, using only ingredients that meet our stringent specifications. We have also launched many innovations. These include the world’s first food specifically formulated for indoor rabbits and the world’s first indoor guinea pig nuggets which are made with a calm formula.

Check out the Burgess Excel small pets range >>

Are your small pets Burgess small pets? Join the Burgess Pet Club for exclusive offers and rewards.

• You can also sign up to the Excel Bunny Base – a safe Facebook community for rabbit guardians that are looking for advice and friendly discussions from likeminded owners – and there are lots of cute bunny photos and videos!
• Or why not join the Excel Squeak Squad on Facebook? Find advice and enjoy friendly discussions with likeminded guinea pig owners. You can also join Berry & Bramble, our special G-force guinea pigs, on weekly missions and fun competitions.

CARE MORE Find lots of useful advice on caring for all your pets from Burgess, the pet experts. Training, nutrition, grooming and general care. It’s all here >>

If you found this interesting, you may also like:

WHAT’S IN SEASON? HOW TO CHOOSE SAFE FRESH FOOD FOR YOUR SMALL PETS What better way to add variety to your small pets’ daily dinners than by selecting safe fruits, vegetables and leafy greens to nibble on. To save a few pennies, you could even forage for some tasty titbits yourself or why not grow your own?

21 AMAZING RABBIT FACTS FOR BUNNY FANATICS Even if you’re a lifelong bunny lover, there are a few things you may not know about your hay-chomping chums. Start off 2021 with browsing our fascinating selection of pet rabbit facts...

GUINEA PIG Q&A Are guinea pigs good pets for children? How long do guinea pigs live? What do guinea pigs like to do? What should you feed guinea pigs? How can you tell if your guinea pigs are happy? We’ve all the answers to these questions and more, which will help explain why these chatty little rodents deserve their status as one of the most popular pets.

FEEDING YOUR GUINEA PIGS – WHY THEY DON’T NEED LIFE STAGE FOOD Unlike puppies, kittens and baby rabbits, baby guinea pigs are born fully formed and eat solid food almost straight away. So, what do they need from their diet?

BONDING WITH YOUR BUNNY CHUMS It’s no surprise that rabbits who bond with their owners live longer and happier lives. Whether your buns are already part of the family, or you’ve just welcomed some new rabbits into your family, find out how to deepen your connection with your nose-twitching pals.

THE SECRET TO HEALTHY, HAPPY GUINEA PIGS Guinea pigs have long enjoyed the status of being one of the most popular pets – which is something they undeniably deserve. However, in order to help them live their best guinea pig lives, it helps to see things from their perspective.

HOW DO YOU GROOM RABBITS? Keeping clean and neat is very important to rabbits and, just like cats, buns spend a huge amount of time grooming themselves. They also need a little help from us.

LOST IN TRANSLATION? GUINEA PIG SPEAK EXPLAINED Guinea pigs are sociable, chatty creatures who generally have plenty to say, using around 11 different noises to communicate how they’re feeling. Getting to know what the various piggy sounds means will help you understand your pets better – and can also help you identify when they’re happy and excited or fearful and unwell.

RABBITS AND GUINEA PIGS – IS INDOORS OR OUTDOORS BEST? Is the outdoor life better for bunnies and guinea pigs, or will these small pets have a more enriching time if they’re kept indoors?

HOW DO YOU CREATE AN IDEAL HOME FOR YOUR INDOOR GUINEA PIGS? Traditionally thought of as outdoor pets, more and more people prefer to keep their guinea pig friends indoors – and there are lots of good reasons why. Yet, however cosy and stylish your indoor piggies’ home is, it also needs to meet all their health and wellbeing requirements.

HOW MUCH SPACE DO YOUR RABBITS NEED? If you have a couple, a throuple or even a band of well-bonded bunnies, you’ll know just how much they love hanging out together. However, even the best bunny pals need their own space and it’s essential that you provide them with a roomy, enriching environment.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR GUINEAS AND BUNNIES FROM PESKY PARASITES When it comes to protecting our gorgeous small pets from mites, fleas, flies, ticks and mosquitoes – and any other irritating and unwelcome pests – a four-pronged attack is the best approach.

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO HAPPY, CHILLED CHINCHILLAS Famed for their soft, dense fur and gentle nature, chinchillas make fascinating pets, providing you understand what's involved in caring for these timid, highly active animals.

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO HAPPY, HEALTHY DEGUS A close relative of the chinchilla, the degu is a gentle South American rodent that’s native to northern and central Chile. Looking rather like an oversized gerbil, degus have silky, grey-brown coats, rounded ears, a long, thin tail with a tufted, black tip and bristly hair on their hindfeet.

ESSENTIAL HEALTH CHECKS FOR SMALL PETS Our small pets such as guinea pigs, chinchillas, rats, gerbils, hamsters and degus need us to keep a constant close eye on their health and wellbeing. But do you know what to look for?

FINDING A VET FOR YOUR SMALL PETS Did you know that just like hospital specialists, vets have different areas of expertise? That’s why, if you have small pets, it can be a good idea to seek out a vet that specialises in small animal medicine.

COST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO LOOK AFTER YOUR SMALL PETS How to create DIY boredom breakers and ways to upcycle old furniture and unwanted items from around the house into interesting features for your pets’ environment.