Chinchilla Community Forums

Chinchillas => Q & A => Topic started by: Dex21 on May 03, 2020, 02:52:59 PM

Title: Chinchilla prefers older hay?
Post by: Dex21 on May 03, 2020, 02:52:59 PM

Hey guys, Dex just got a new shipment of Timothy Hay, so I threw out the old stuff.  He is eating the new hay when I put a handful in his hay feeder, though seems to want to eat some of the older hay that I use as a base layer in his cage.  I've never encountered this before, so wanted to get ahead of it in case he continues to prefer the older hay.

PS I thought that maybe I was packing the hay into the hay feeder too tightly, but this was not the case.  As of now he probably eats about 60% new hay, 40% old hay (in addition to his Oxbow pellets, but I am mostly concerned with the hay right now).

Thank you as always!

Title: Re: Chinchilla prefers older hay?
Post by: GrayRodent on May 03, 2020, 06:23:03 PM

Try another new bag of hay and see what happens. If there is something wrong with the hay it is possible the chinchilla won't eat it. Smell it and if it seems off or is causing a change in fecal texture it is wise to stop feeding it. It could instead be a matter of texture. Older hay is typically dryer and a chinchilla may prefer that given a choice.