Monthly Amount of Hay

[Sibi]

I’m making up a budget to make sure I can afford to take care of my bunnies properly before I get them, so I just had a question about hay. I know all bunnies are different, but if I have a 40lb bale of hay for two bunnies that are 6 months+, to put in hay racks and in the litter boxes (not as a main source of little, unless it’ll take them a really long time to get through that), how long do you think that will last me?

[Deleted User]

I get about 30lbs of hay for 3 buns which lasts me about 2 1/2 months. When it was just Ian and Skipper it lasted about 3 months. But that’s also because my buns love their hay.

[Sibi]

Okay, thanks so much! Was also wondering how much a 10lb bag of pellets would last? I know they don’t need much of the pellets everyday. I was also wondering if I should have a separate food dish for each bunny? I just don’t want one bun eating most of the pellets and the other only getting a bit, though, that could still happen with two dishes, haha.

[Monkeybun]

I go through about 20lbs of hay a month for my 4… piglets, they are. hard to estimate pellet usage, as I just order a new bag when its nearing the bottom third.. don’t really keep track

[Sibi]

Great, thanks. (: I’ll probably spend about $10 a month for pellets, $40 for veggies, not much for hay as I should be able to get a 40lb bale for about $10 from a local farmer, then I just need to find a cheap litter… But the monthly cost is totally doable for me! Just want to save up at least $500 before I start so that I know I’ll have all the money to build the cage, adopt/neuter/spay the buns, and get everything they need for the whole setup! So excited that this can actually happen! : D

[Roberta]

If you have a cheap source of good hay you could use it for litter too. Chances are if they are anything like mine the hay tray will be used as Bed Breakfast and ablutions. Nermal is the only one who uses litter and even then she still insists on sitting in the hay tray and having a poop whilst she snacks.

[Sibi]

I’ll probably end up using the hay as litter, thanks! (:

[Deleted User]

As for pellets. I like to limit my buns to minimum pellets. So for my two boys (my girl has a sensitive belly so she doesn’t eat them) it lasts them about 2 months for smaller bag of Oxbow pellets. But they, also, are getting roughly 1/8 cup of pellets a day.

[Sibi]

That’s great to know. I’ll keep them on a small amount of pellets with lots of hay and veg! Thanks!

[georgepetlover]

I got a bale of hay last summer its still fresh and green! I would say the bale saved me tons of money! I had have it for 6 months now! (: But im almost out so i need to start looking for more! lol

[FooFoosMommy2]

We used to buy the 96 oz bags of hay and they lasted between a month and a month and a half (don’t know if that’s longer or shorter than they should have). We stopped buying them and started buying the smaller bags (much less cost effective) because Foo gets bored easily with her hay and likes to be able to switch up the type she has (we switch between timothy, timothy with mint and orchard grass).

[Stickerbunny]

I have two buns – 8lb male and 6lb female. We get hay in bales from a local horse guy, it is about a hmm 40-50lb bale. It lasts 1-2 months, depending on how much of the “good stuff” is in it. What the “good stuff” is I have NO idea, the rabbits pick out pieces they like and leave the rest strewn about the floor in a gigantic mess because it is not worthy of eating (even if it all looks nice and green and fresh to me). Pellets mine only eat one 5lb bag every 3-4 weeks, but veggies can get pricey since they go through a head of lettuce, bunch of cilantro and a thing of parsley in about 3 days.

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