Pet Habitat South Africa

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12 Sep 2014

Guide To Feeding Hay To Fibrevores

Posted By : Guest

Many homes are simply not complete without a few pets around. And, not every pet is a cat or a dog. There are many, many different pets that people can keep in their homes. Each one of them has special needs and dietary requirements. And, feeding your pets the right food – and the right amount of food is paramount to their continued health. Indeed, it is one of the things you’ll need to consider long before you bring home your pets. Otherwise, you’ll run the risk of them falling ill – or worse.

Keep in mind, that with all the different needs that every pet has, they don’t all need dry food. While this may be the best bet for your dogs and cats, other animals require different foods. Sometimes, those foods may seem rather boring to you, such as Timothy Hay, but they are essential to some animals.

Who Eats Timothy Hay?

Some animals are carnivores (or rather, omnivores) and some that are strictly vegetarian. Within that latter group are animals known as fibrevores. These animals don’t just eat vegetarian food; they need more fibre than that. They need a great deal more fibre than you can imagine.

Fibrevores are a rather select group of animals including rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs. These fibrevores have such an impressive need for fibre based on the foods that are naturally available to them in the wild. And, it’s not just a craving like we humans experience for a particular food; fibrevores have special digestive systems that are developed around fibre.

The easiest way to get the proper amount of fibre into the diets of these animals is through Timothy Hay. This is the dried form of Timothy Grass, which grows easily in many different regions of the world, including the UK. Not only does it grow well, it also keeps well which is a bonus for rabbit, chinchilla and guinea pig owners.

The Special Digestive System of Fibrevores

To understand why Timothy Hay is so important to fibrevores, it’s crucial to understand just how these animals digest fibre. Their digestive systems have been developed around this process. It’s worth noting that there are two different types of fibre: digestible and indigestible. Rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs need both digestible and indigestible fibre, however much that sounds counterintuitive.

When indigestible fibre is consumed by fibrevores, it passes straight through their stomach and through the intestines. And then it is excreted as waste. While this sounds as though it is unnecessary, it is a really important part of the digestive process. Without indigestible fibre, these animals would continue to feel full rather than continuing to snack on Timothy Hay throughout the day.

On the other hand, digestible fibre also plays an important role. Once it passes into the stomachs of rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs it becomes partially digested, pulling out as much of the fibre as possible. Unfortunately though, it is difficult to digest fibre, and this step is not enough. So, digestible fibre moves from the stomach into a special appendix-like organ called the caecum. In this organ, fibre becomes fermented until it can be easily digested.

However, because this food has already bypassed the stomach, it must be excreted out of the body before it can be re-consumed. This fermented fibre leaves the body in the form of caecotrophs. Although it may seem as if this is waste, caecotrophs are stickier than normal bowel movements and fibrevores must eat them. And that is exactly what happens. When rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs eat their caecotrophs, they are able to extract all the fibre from it. And, it’s this entire process which keeps these pets as happy and healthy as they can be.

A Few Other Benefits of Timothy Hay

In addition to the digestive benefits of Timothy Hay, there are a few more that these animals take from this dried grass. Consider, for a moment, the fact that rabbits’ teeth continue to grow throughout their lifetime. Unfortunately, these teeth can sharpen themselves into dangerous points. Teeth can be ground down given the right food, but not all nutrient-rich foods are eaten the same way. Rabbits eat most foods (except for Timothy Hay) by chewing it up and down. But, Timothy Hay is eaten by gnawing it back and forth. And this works to wear down teeth, avoiding the treachery of sharp, pointy teeth.

Plus, most fibrevores absolutely love to play with their food; well, their Timothy Hay at any rate. So, not only is it a remarkably healthy food, it’s great fun to play with and perfect for maintaining proper oral hygiene. All of this means that you should never skip the daily feed of Timothy Hay for your fibrevores pets.

Fibrevores need an extraordinary amount of Timothy Hay. It must form the central part of the diet of these rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs. Each one of these pets needs a pile of hay at least as large as they are – and they need this every single day.

Don’t worry about overfeeding Timothy Hay to your pets; they will never eat more than they need. And, even if they did, they would not gain excess weight or suffer any ill health as a result. So, it is always best to offer more Timothy Hay than less. Indeed, until you know how much your pets will eat, it is important to provide them with more hay than you think they may eat – just to be on the safe side.

Don’t forget that hay isn’t everything. There are a few other things that you can also feed to your fibrevores. To begin with, they’ll need plenty of fresh water every day. It’s important to make sure this water doesn’t become contaminated as your pets play, and if it does, you will need to refresh it more often than once or twice a day. On top of this, there are a few treats that are specially formulated for each fibrevore. And, as long as Timothy Hay forms the primary diet for your fibrevores, these treats are perfectly acceptable. So, watch your pets enjoy their Timothy hay, and they’ll be a happy part of your family for a long time.