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Forum DIET & CARE Quality of Oxbow hay recently

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    • Lagomorphic
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        Hi, I’m new here, but I’ve had house rabbits since 1997.   

        I give my buns timothy hay, and I usually buy a 25lb box of Oxbow hay from Dr.s Foster and Smith.  The hay comes in a big box, and in a plastic bag inside the box.  I opened one box, and the plastic bag was upside down in the box, so I had to tape up the top and flip it over to use it.  The hay wasn’t the usual quality either, a lot of very small pieces and dust.  I didn’t think it was that big of a deal . . . except . . . the very next box I got was the same way!  The hay/plastic bag in the box was upside down, and the quality of the hay wasn’t great.

        Has anyone else had any trouble with Oxbow hay lately?  Is it just the timothy hay?  Should I try orchard grass instead? 


      • Sarita
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          Have you tried American Pet Diner’s 2nd cut? You may like this better.


        • Dee
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            I have found a few bags of Oxbow hay to be very dusty and one had an animal bone- like a mouse perhaps- in with the hay. Eww… I didn’t finish that bag. I suppose that could happen with any hay though- it’s mowed in feilds and stored in barns/warehouses. I would expect that more from hay straight from a farm. Speaking of which, I have been getting my hay from a farm nearby and used to tell everyone about their hay since my bunnies love it, but I recently learned that they have started breeding rabbits . I would like to find another source for good hay, since I hate to support a company that breeds rabbits when there are so many wonderful bunnies in shelters waiting to be adopted .
            I will check out American Pet Diner’s hay- I haven;t seen it in any stores around here (Massachusetts) so I’m looking online.


          • LoveChaCha
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              I have noticed that Oxbow’s hay has been.. not doing so good. Chacha began snubbing her Oxbow Orchard and I realized that the cut was different.


            • BinkyBunny
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                I haven’t noticed any issue with the Meadow and Botanical (as that is the only Oxbow Hay we sell). So I can’t speak about the other selections.

                Oxbow is very customer friendly and I would urge you to call them or email them http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/contact

                When I email a question I get an answer within a few days. (which reminds me — I need to find the post about a treat that babies can have — Oxbow got back to me on that)

                EDITED — misunderstood something and I was answering incorrectly.  


              • Lagomorphic
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                  I’ve never tried anything from American Pet Diner, but they look great.  And their hay is cheaper than Oxbow.  Thanks!


                • Lagomorphic
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                    Posted By Dee on 04/29/2011 04:52 PM
                    I have found a few bags of Oxbow hay to be very dusty and one had an animal bone- like a mouse perhaps- in with the hay. Eww… I didn’t finish that bag. I suppose that could happen with any hay though- it’s mowed in feilds and stored in barns/warehouses. I would expect that more from hay straight from a farm. Speaking of which, I have been getting my hay from a farm nearby and used to tell everyone about their hay since my bunnies love it, but I recently learned that they have started breeding rabbits . I would like to find another source for good hay, since I hate to support a company that breeds rabbits when there are so many wonderful bunnies in shelters waiting to be adopted .
                    I will check out American Pet Diner’s hay- I haven;t seen it in any stores around here (Massachusetts) so I’m looking online.

                    Oops, I meant to quote Sarita in my previous post, but I’m still getting the hang of this forum!

                    I know my local HRS stopped getting farm hay when they got some bales that had fleas.  They spit up the bales and sold them . . . and gave a bunch of people fleas!  And I’m on a horsey forum too, and there are whole threads on the things people have found in hay bales.  You don’t want to know!  (think dead snakes etc . . . )

                     


                  • Malp_15
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                      Hmmm, the last bag of Oxbow alfalfa I bought was on the verge of moldy. But I’m guessing that is the pet stores fault.


                    • Helenor
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                        Hm. I ordered a box of orchard grass lately and so did my housemate. She ordered the 50 lb box and I ordered the 25 lb one. Neither boxes seemed to have anything wrong with them. We both order our hay from Dr. Fosters and Smith as well. All the buns seem to still love it and it seems to same to me. Maybe it varies from box to box?


                      • Dee
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                          Lagomorphic- EWWW, fleas and dead snakes??!! Well better than live snakes I suppose, but still. I always though that the freshness of farm hay would be best, but it probably isn’t as carefully grown/harvested/stored as commercial rabbit hay. I wonder if they have some amazingly high quality hay that is only used for $100,000+ racehorses and such…? I’m sure their owners wouldn’t take chances with moldy or pest infested hay any more than we would. Hmmm, there must be a secret source somewhere- if I find it I’ll let you know . I love your name, btw!


                        • Helenor
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                            Oh, my housemate got this along with her 50 lb hay order:

                            Our Hay Quality Promise

                            At Oxbow Animal Health, we know that good quality hay grass is vital to the health of your small animal. That’s why we follow strict quality procedures to ensure you and your pet receive the best quality hay possible.:

                            1. We work with a network of the top hay growers all over the country. Owener John Millwe is considered an expert in the field of hay science and has won many hay awards. He personally evaluates all of our hay.

                            2. Prior to packaging, Oxbow’s Quality Assurance Team inspects and tests samples from each lot of hay.

                            3. For all small-size packages (less than 5 lbs.) we sort and inspect hay by hand during the packaging process.

                            Hay purchased in larger sizes (over 5 lbs.) offers customers an excellent per-pound value. Because the larger sizes are packaged by the bale or flake, we are unable to view and hand-sort all interior portions. All hay is a product of natre, so there will always be some variability of quality in a particualr bale or flake. As you remove daily feeding portions, you may encounter some interior hay that you choose to discard. This can be expected when purchasing hay in larger quantities.

                            Oxbow Animal Health will always do our very best to select only top quality hay for our customers and the small animals they care for. If you have questions about hay or small animals nutrition and care, please contact us!

                            Oxbow Animal Health

                            800-249-0366

                            info@oxbowanimalhealth.com

                             


                          • Lagomorphic
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                              Posted By Dee on 05/01/2011 05:57 PM
                              Lagomorphic- EWWW, fleas and dead snakes??!! Well better than live snakes I suppose, but still. I always though that the freshness of farm hay would be best, but it probably isn’t as carefully grown/harvested/stored as commercial rabbit hay. I wonder if they have some amazingly high quality hay that is only used for $100,000+ racehorses and such…? I’m sure their owners wouldn’t take chances with moldy or pest infested hay any more than we would. Hmmm, there must be a secret source somewhere- if I find it I’ll let you know . I love your name, btw!

                              Good point, but I have to admit I don’t know much about the high end horses!  I’m going to try that American Pet Diner.  I went ahead and ordered it so I can mix it in with the Oxbow at first.  My buns don’t tend to be picky, but no sense in tempting fate by switching abruptly.

                              Haha, too funny you mentioned my name.  I previously used it on a dating website.  I wanted something that was related to my interests, plus something that might scare away the guys who find big words scary.  I’m not on that site any more, but it seemed like a pretty appropriate name for this site!

                               


                            • kamdynandsunshinesmom
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                                I had the same exact problem last time i purchased the hay it came and normally the bag is opened so i cut the bag. I just finished it the other day and noticed that the bag was upside down and there was so much dusty hay and i had to throw it away and the price i pay for it. I don’t know where else to get hay and my one bun is disabled and i tried another kind of hay and he wouldn’t touch it so that worries me if i try another kind he wont eat it.


                              • Kokaneeandkahlua
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                                  Since Oxbow is such a reputable company I would send them an email and let them know what happened and how upset you were. They may send you some to replace the faulty product!


                                • Tate
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                                    Amy- if you’re looking for hay, you should visit the BB store. I had picky hay eaters too. Someone on here suggested oat hay and I got it and my boys love it! I’ve been so happy with the hay I’ve received, I think the only time that I would buy from another place is if I ran out completely and the hay wouldn’t be arriving for a few days.


                                  • Joyfull_music
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                                      I have been buying the large bags of Zupreem at my pet store. I found that the last 1/8 of the bag is almost entirely dust. Same as Kaytee. I figured that was normal. But now I should maybe be rethinking my hay. We are also a bit tight on the $$, so I want the best quality I can get for a reasonable price.


                                    • Tate
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                                        Pre-packaged hays are the worst in that sense. I have a tight budget as well so I know what you mean! I go through about a pound and a half of hay every week! Ick!
                                        I think I’ve posted this 3 or 4 times today but I’ll say it again- the hay from this site is so much better than I have ever seen. My boys love it. I got a bale of mature oat hay and they devoured it! I just ordered the blue grass mix as well as young oat hay. The only time I will buy hay from some place else is if I completely ran out and ordered too late. I used to buy the 96 oz Kaytee Timothy hay for… 20 bucks? 22? A 40 oz bale of hay from BB is 8.55, and then with shipping it’s just about the same price. But there’s no dust. It’s all usable hay.
                                        Do you live close to any farms? If you look at Craigslist under the farm and garden tag, you may find some hay. I used to get TONS for like $5! Depends on the farmer, but you can email them and see if they will sell in less than bales.


                                      • Tate
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                                          Ok so I just realized that this was one of the posts where I was talking about BB hay.. Haha I feel dumb.


                                        • Sam and Lady's Human
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                                            Haha Tate you made me LOL. I thought I heard that the company that makes the BB hay went out of business?


                                          • Tate
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                                              Not that I’m aware of! Maybe it’s changed? My next batch of hay was shipped out today.


                                            • Sarita
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                                                Tate is talking about the mini bales which are fabulous. I think OneTwoThree you are thinking of the organic hay company that she was also selling.


                                              • Lagomorphic
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                                                  Posted By Joyfull_music on 05/02/2011 08:39 PM
                                                  I have been buying the large bags of Zupreem at my pet store. I found that the last 1/8 of the bag is almost entirely dust. Same as Kaytee. I figured that was normal. But now I should maybe be rethinking my hay. We are also a bit tight on the $$, so I want the best quality I can get for a reasonable price.

                                                  In the past, Oxbow hay was much better quality than Kaytee, a lot less dust and small pieces (I’ve never tried Zupreem).  I’ve also tried local farm hay, but it has its problems, too.  Sometimes its quality isn’t that great either, and you can find things like fleas, dead animals, and parts of dead animals in it, or less concerning, stickers that give you a big gash when you reach in for a handful.

                                                   


                                                • Sam and Lady's Human
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                                                    yup you’re right Sarita!!

                                                    I haven’t seen an issue with the Oxbow, but I also buy the small bags and don’t have anything to compare it to…..


                                                  • Joyfull_music
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                                                      I don’t live close to farms anymore. Where I grew up was at the edge of farm country meets the burbs. Now I live near the Detroit metro area. Buuut, I may be able to check around and see what I can find. If not, maybe a hay bale would be a good way to go. Right now Momo gets mostly pre-packaged timothy with some orchard grass mixed in.


                                                    • Silly Sungura
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                                                        I’ve been buying the Zupreem hay because they say they don’t use pesticides on it. I’ve been pleased with the quality thus far and love the fresh smell, but I think they only sell Timothy (???). I’ve also got some Kaytee alfalfa, which I guess is okay because Hodari is eating it with enthusiam, but I generally avoid Kaytee if I can. I just don’t trust the quality. Hodari is also eating Alfalfa King’s Oat, wheat, and barley hay and loves it. (It had a couple of squished grasshoppers in it, so I think that’s a good indication that they don’t use many pesticides either.) I am going to try Oxbow’s Meadow hay as soon Hodari is finished with this bag of alfalfa (her last ). I really don’t want to buy hay locally because I would have to buy it in such a large quantity, and it will probably have been treated with pesticides, which I will avoid at all costs.


                                                      • Tate
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                                                          Silly- Have you checked Craigslist for locally grown hay? I’ve been able to go to farms and they will usually fill up a 40 gallon trash bag for $5 or $6!! Some of them don’t though. Any listings on Craigslist usually have number so you can call and ask questions in advance.
                                                          Joyfull- Like I’ve said, I highly recommend the BB bales. I would also suggest you get 2 or 3 bales at a time, just because shipping will only change by $2 or $3. You definitely end up saving money that way!


                                                        • Silly Sungura
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                                                            Posted By Tate on 05/04/2011 07:31 AM
                                                            Silly- Have you checked Craigslist for locally grown hay? I’ve been able to go to farms and they will usually fill up a 40 gallon trash bag for $5 or $6!! Some of them don’t though. Any listings on Craigslist usually have number so you can call and ask questions in advance.
                                                            Joyfull- Like I’ve said, I highly recommend the BB bales. I would also suggest you get 2 or 3 bales at a time, just because shipping will only change by $2 or $3. You definitely end up saving money that way!

                                                            I might buy locally if I could be sure of the quality, but I’ve only seen farms here selling by the bale. Way too much for a bunny that doesn’t even weigh two pounds. Plus we don’t have a good place to store so much and keep it fresh. I think, for now, I will stick to Zupreem for the Timothy since it’s been good so far and hasn’t been exposed to herbicides and/or insecticides, then I might try something that’s sold here for added variety, assuming I can get it in smaller quantities. I will check out what you’re recommending to Joyfull, first of all, and see if it doesn’t cost an arm and leg to ship to NY.

                                                             


                                                          • tobyluv
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                                                              I mostly use Oxbow (Timothy, Botanical, and Orchard Grass, and very occasionally Meadow hay) and the quality can be a little variable at times, but I’m mostly pleased with it. I know hay harvests don’t always have the same consistency–that’s just the nature of hay. I get the 40 oz. bags of Timothy and Orchard Grass. I used to buy it from http://www.petfooddirect.com, who always has some kind of discount coupon, then started getting it from Petsmart when I knew that they were selling it. Due to having a gift card, I recently got some of the 40 oz. bags from Drs. Foster and Smith, which seemed very fresh. I also do like Zupreem, which only comes in Timothy, and always keep that on hand too.

                                                              I have tried various other hays. I do like the mini bales that Binky Bunny sells, and I will likely buy more of it in the future, but the shipping charges make it more costly. I have tried the American Pet Diner second cut Timothy which was very nice, but the small bag wasn’t very economical. I have tried Sweet Meadow hay, but it wasn’t anything special and it was more costly than Oxbow. I recently found out about Organic Valley hay and put in one order right before they went out of business. It was really nice, but they’re gone now. I don’t think that Kaytee is very good and I doubt that I will buy that again. I have tried a couple of other hays that I saw on http://www.petfooddirect.com. I know that Pestell Prairie was one of them, but I didn’t think that it was as good as Oxbow.

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                                                          Forum DIET & CARE Quality of Oxbow hay recently