What Is Timothy Hay?Learn more about why Timothy Hay is an essential thing for your fibrevores.

If you’ve ever wandered through the aisles of a pet store, you know that there are plenty of products for plenty of animals.

There are likely to be many things that you have never considered – or didn’t even know existed. And that’s perfectly natural.

After all, if you don’t own a pet that needs those things, they’re unlikely to occur to you. And, there’s a good chance that Timothy Hay is one of those things…

 

What Is Timothy Hay?

…Very simply put, Timothy Hay is actually dried Timothy Grass. But, that’s obvious, isn’t it? What’s important about Timothy Hay is who eats it and why.

But to begin with, you should probably know that Timothy Grass is one of those things that grows readily in the UK.

In fact, if you’ve ever driven through the countryside, you’ve likely seen it growing – or great big bales of it rolled up and ready for winter storage…

 

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…Hay is, at its core simply dried grass. And, just like dried fruit, it holds its nutrients in the dried form.

That’s important if it happens to be your primary source of food and you need it to sustain you – even when the ground is too cold to cooperate.

And, while there are many different (and sometimes amusing) stories as to who introduced Timothy Hay to whom, the important thing is that they did.

Because, not only does Timothy Grass grow so well, it also remains remarkably well even in storage which makes it a tasty treat, even in the middle of winter.

 

 

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There are many different animals that eat Timothy Hay. You could too, if you had a taste for it (though it’s unlikely that your body could handle extreme portions of it; there is a lot of fibre in it, after all).

Cows and horses have a particular fondness for Timothy Hay. But, you’re unlikely to shop for cow feed in your average pet store. Instead, the animals (that you keep as pets) that should be associated with Timothy Hay are much smaller…

 

Who Eats Timothy Hay?

…They’re the rather compact group of animals known as fibrevores. This groups includes rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs. And they do a whole lot more than enjoy Timothy Hay; they need a lot of it to remain healthy at all times.

 

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Rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs don’t belong to the small group known as fibrevores arbitrarily. These animals need a whole lot of fibre to survive. Indeed, the amount when calculated into human terms is rather crazy to think about. And, Timothy Hay has a whole lot of fibre.

More than that, Timothy Hay has both kinds of fibre: digestible and indigestible. Now, you may not think so at first, but fibrevores need both of these types of fibre – even though one (indigestible) sounds remarkably useless at first…

 

Why Is Timothy Hay So Important To Fibrevores?

…And, this all boils down to the digestive system of fibrevores. And, believe it or not, it’s much easier to understand the need for the indigestible fibre found in Timothy Hay than you would think.

Fibrevores need the indigestible fibres found in Timothy Hay for one primary reason: it works through their body and out through their digestive tracts without having to expend too much energy to make that happen. And that keeps rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs munching on the rest of their Timothy Hay (which is a good thing)…

 

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…Digestible fibre, on the other hand, moves into the stomach to be broken down as food. Except, it’s not as easy as that. Because fibrevores need such a great deal of fibre, they can’t get everything they need from Timothy Hay the first time they eat it. So, from the stomach, partially digested hay moves into a special organ that fibrevores all have.

This appendix-like organ is responsible for fermenting the partially digested fibre from Timothy Hay…

 

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…It’s this process that makes it possible for all the goodness found in Timothy Hay to digested completely. But, not just yet.

You see, it’s already passed the stomach, so the fermented fibre is excreted in the form of caecotrophs.

And, although it may sound unappetising to you, your fibrevores needs to eat these caecotrophs in order to get the fibre that she needs…

 

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…Not only is it naturals; it is necessary. (But don’t worry, caecotrophs look and feel different than regular excrement – and fibrevores don’t get them confused.)

This entire process relies on the digestible fibre to keep everything moving. After all, once it passes through the system, fibrevores are anxious to keep eating their Timothy Hay.

 

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Well, yes and no. Timothy Hay is about as close as you’ll get to being complete in a single food source, but it’s not 100% complete. (And, fibrevores need to eat a pile of Timothy Hay that’s at least as big as they are every single day.)

But, rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs do need a bit more than that to have a fully balanced, healthy diet…

 

Is Timothy Hay a Complete Diet for Fibrevores?

…Mainly, these animals also need a supply of fresh water as do most animals. This will need to be refreshed on a regular basis as these tend to be active, busy creatures that make a mess when they play. Additionally, there are specially formulated treats that fibrevores can eat to help round off their daily hay intake…

 

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…And finally, these animals also appreciate a bit of fresh greens in their diet, especially those they would be likely to find in their natural habitats. But, they hardly need a lot of these. For the most part, fibrevores are content to eat a whole lot of fibre. So, it’s a good job that Timothy Hay is simply bursting with everything these animals (and cows) need to remain naturally healthy…

 

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…As you can see, what Timothy Hay is really isn’t as important as who eats it, how it is digested and what it does for beautiful health. So, moving on to the next funny thing you’ve seen in a pet store...

For more information on our Burgess Excel Feeding Plan for fibrevores, please follow this link -

http://www.burgesspetcare.com/brands/excel-feeding-plan/

 

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Treat Your Pet To A Hay Kebab

You can see on this video how to make a hay kebab for your fibrevores. It’s a great fun way for them to enjoy their hay and get all their key nutrients. Follow this link to watch the video - http://bit.ly/1oP5SG5

Excel Food Cubes – Revolutionary New Food for Rabbits and Guinea Pigs

This video shows how much your pets will love our Excel Food Cubes. They are compressed cubes of Timothy Hay, high fibre tasty nuggets, vitamins, minerals & prebiotics. Follow the link below to see the video –

http://bit.ly/1uOvKWI