KMS Hayloft & Oxbow Review - Guinea Pig Products

Tails wagging from Texas! Our blog is mostly about dog stuff, but we have lots of other animals in the house, and occasionally we just have to talk about them. Today we're going to review my first KMS Hayloft order and some products we use from Oxbow - all for our guinea pig Bramble.

Bramble trying out the new foods!

KMS Hayloft Order Summary
What we Bought:
- 10 lbs Timothy Choice Pellets: $12.00
- 25 lbs 3rd Cut Timothy Hay: $20.00
- Shipping: $30.92
Total: $62.92

Everything packed in the box! 35 lbs of goodness

Previously we have been using Oxbow hay and pellets for Bramble. I'm going to look individually at pellets and hay, compare prices and tell you whether I think KMS products are worthwhile!

KMS Pellets
*KMS Hayloft TC: $1.20 per lb + Shipping
*Oxbow Essentials: $3.30 per lb

KMS Hayloft Timothy Complete Pellets

Bramble has been eating Oxbow pellets since we took him home, and he seems to be doing well on them. They are significantly more expensive than KMS Hayloft's pellets, but are about the same quality of ingredients. Even with shipping, there is a significant savings, especially since we ordered our hay and pellets together.

The timothy complete pellets we received are extremely green and smell like sweet, fresh timothy hay. Normally Bramble is unenthusiastic about pellets, but he wheeked for these and emptied his bowl quickly. He's never been this excited about his Oxbow pellets in the past. I love both brands, but I think we're permanently switching to KMS pellets.

Hay
*KMS Hayloft 3rd Cut Timothy: $0.80 per lb + Shipping
*Oxbow Timothy Hay: $4.50 per lb

25 lbs filled our hay box and there's plenty more too!

KMS hay is significantly cheaper than Oxbow. Honestly, Oxbow hay sits on a shelf at a pet store for an unknown period of time before you bring it home, and in our experience it just doesn't seem nearly as fresh. I'd rather spend my money on the freshest hay around, especially when it's also cheaper! Don't get me wrong, Oxbow is nicer than other brands we've seen at the pet store, but it certainly comes with a premium price.

The 3rd cut timothy hay we received from KMS lives up to its reputation! It is so amazingly soft and sweet-smelling with no weeds or brittle stems. We were hoping the famed KMS bluegrass hay would be in stock, but are not disappointed in any way with this timothy. Bramble absolutely loves it, although he is not picky about his hay. It's so fragrant and fresh that our whole house smelled like fresh hay after opening the box!

Oxbow Products
There are some Oxbow products we still use and highly recommend. Even if you use KMS or other products for hay and pellets, Oxbow has a lot of unique hay blends and healthy treat options to provide variety for your guinea pigs. Here are three Oxbow "treats" Bramble adores:

*Oxbow Alfalfa Hay:
15 oz for $4.99 at Dr. Foster Smith

Alfalfa hay is intended for juvenile guinea pigs and nursing sows, but you can occasionally give small amounts to adult pigs as treats. Use sparingly, as it is high in calcium and richer than timothy hay. Bramble loves alfalfa, so we keep some around and use it on special occasions.

*Oxbow Orchard Grass Hay:
15 oz for $4.69 at Dr. Foster Smith

This hay is very soft and sweet, a lot like 3rd cut timothy. We use orchard grass on occasion to add variety to Bramble's hay rack. Orchard hay is a safe blend for adult guinea pigs and could also be fed as a staple hay.

*Oxbow Simple Rewards Baked Treats:
2 oz for $3.99 at Dr. Foster Smith

Bramble adores these treats. I only offer about 1/4-1/2 treat per day, but they are a species appropriate treat that's a much healthier alternative to sugary or seed-based treats. They come in five flavors (Apple & Banana, Cranberry, Bell Pepper, Peppermint, Carrot & Dill) and Bramble has tried and enjoys all of them.

If you're wondering how we feed Bramble...daily we use 1/8 cup pellets, 1 cup of mixed fresh salad greens and veggies and unlimited hay. We'll go through more detailed care information for guinea pigs and all of our other animals in future posts!

Those are the basic guinea pig foods and treats we use for Bramble. I will definitely be ordering from KMS Hayloft for our hay and pellet needs in the future, and I will continue to use Oxbow products  for variety and treats!


*Full Disclosure: We paid real money for all of the above products. We were not paid or given products in exchange for these reviews, and we only review products that our herd believes in.