Need some help with hay..

[ipoGSD]

I normally buy a bale of timothy hay for my bunnies, the hay is cheap, usually a very dull color. I didnt have a chance to get to the feed store to buy another bale. So i grabbed a small bag of oxbow western timothy for now. Its nice and brite green and smells really good.

All my bunnies even the ones who dont normally touch their hay was eating it. Is the difference because its western timothy vs im assuming regular timothy?
If im calling around looking for hay, how should I ask for i guess really tasty hay? I dont want Alfalfa even tho they'd love it. I want a healthy but tasty hay for them. The big bag at my pet store is 30 dollars. Im NOT paying that! I couldn't afford it lol. So yeah any info on hay..would be great <br /><br /> __________ Sat Jul 16, 2016 11:08 pm __________ <br /><br /> Ok after some googling.. Timothy & western timothy is the same. Just depends on where it's grown. The very greenness of the oxbow hay ia due to a different drying process so the greener it is the more flavor & nutrition.

Now... my quest is to try to find a bale of the greener hay.. im thinking i wont be lucky tho.. guess thats why oxbow os so expensive.

 

[akane]

The difference is it's good quality hay stored properly. If you order straight from their distributors or from another vendor like kmshayloft.com you will get extremely good hay that is green. Love km bluegrass and I still buy it for my chinchillas. These companies tend to be on the west coast because of the growing conditions there. It's a little expensive doing that for a large number of rabbits. If you buy in bulk you can get it for about $50/50lb box which equals about a bale. I can get organic clover, alfalfa, grass mix of equal quality for $10/bale but I spent 3 years hunting because hay here is usually quite brown and grass hays I just call weed hay most of the time. Aside from what's in it hay needs kept dark but breathable. Cardboard works best for small amounts. Most people don't have the appropriate building to keep large quantities (as in with plenty extra to sell) in good quality for very long. Even the hay off our own field turned brown in a week and I wrote off the bottom and side bales as just condensation barriers to be disposed of the next spring because it wasn't my choice what buildings we put in and setup we used. Oxbow's storage and sorting buildings are amazing setups. Standlee brand hay is often sold countrywide in feed stores and usually of quite good quality for less than the bulk west coast order hays but it is chopped smaller to bale tighter so 50lbs is half as much space. The little pieces also make more of a mess and don't stay in wire hay racks the best but it's a more cost effective option.

 

[Dood]

Most people feed hay to their rabbits for roughage and/or weight control and/or to alleviate boredom so it does not need to be super fresh or green as the rabbits can get all their vitamins and nutrients from their pellets. It would be ideal if it were green but as you already noted, the cost can be prohibitive

If you don't feed pellets and use hay as their main source of nutrition it is more important that it be green but it should also be an alfalfa or clover or vetch or some other higher protein type of hay to meet the rabbits requirements

 

[ipoGSD]

Dood we do feed what i *think* lol is a good quality pellet. We feed manna pro gro 18%. So far every bag has been fresh and really good smelling. But i wish some would eat more of the hay. Some just like to play with it by pulling it out of the hoppers. And my buns do have toys and i let them play in the yard too.

Akane thanks so much for all the info. I always seen the difference in the nice green hay when I'd buy oxbow vs the brown bales i get from agway. But i assumed it was just a different kind of timothy. I have a listing on CL but so far no replies. I have no idea where to look or call other than tractor supply or agway.

 

[Dood]

A horse stable or farm would probably be willing to sell a few bales of hay

If your rabbits dont like their current hay and you're worried they are not getting enough roughage then maybe look for a 80:20 or 60:40 Timothy:alfalfa blend

 

[bigfoot_158]

I normally buy a bale of timothy hay for my bunnies, the hay is cheap, usually a very dull color. I didnt have a chance to get to the feed store to buy another bale. So i grabbed a small bag of oxbow western timothy for now. Its nice and brite green and smells really good.

All my bunnies even the ones who dont normally touch their hay was eating it. Is the difference because its western timothy vs im assuming regular timothy?
If im calling around looking for hay, how should I ask for i guess really tasty hay? I dont want Alfalfa even tho they'd love it. I want a healthy but tasty hay for them. The big bag at my pet store is 30 dollars. Im NOT paying that! I couldn't afford it lol. So yeah any info on hay..would be great

__________ Sat Jul 16, 2016 11:08 pm __________

Ok after some googling.. Timothy & western timothy is the same. Just depends on where it's grown. The very greenness of the oxbow hay ia due to a different drying process so the greener it is the more flavor & nutrition.

Now... my quest is to try to find a bale of the greener hay.. im thinking i wont be lucky tho.. guess thats why oxbow os so expensive.

Easy way is to go to a farmer and ask for second cut. I was told it has less weeds and better nutrition. So my hay supplier saids.

 

[SarniaTricia]

I always go by the smell... if the hay smells wonderful.. I buy it for the buns... if it doesn't smell wonderful... I politely decline buying the hay. I am not concerned about the Clover, Timothy, alfalfa mix... I just go by the smell of the hay....lol



I also tend to buy from different people and switch hay with hay cubes regularly to give the bunnies some variety.... some don't like the hay cubes... some love them....