Where do you obtain your hay?

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This topic has 15sd replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 1 month ago by Gina Won.

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- 09/14/2006 at 7:26 PM
  Gina Won
  Participant
  108 posts
  I was wondering where you guys obtain your supply of hay. For instance, do you get it in bales or flakes from a farm, do you order it online or get it from a pet store?
  
  Right now I get it in boxes from the pet store, but the largest size of Western Timothy they carry is 9 lbs and I’m interested in getting the 25lb or 50lb boxes, which they don’t carry. In order to get those I’d have to order it online, and shipping such a heavy load is expensive! I may just have to bite the bullet though, because I hate the feeling of running low on hay.
- 09/15/2006 at 2:30 AM
  Ester Yeh
  Participant
  126 posts
  right now i get it from the pet store ( petsmart) but i was looking around online..and on the other side of town there’s a place called bunny buddies where you can order hay/food in bulk. I was hoping to get a chance to check that out sometime.. would be easier if it wasn’t so far
  
  i love your avatar by the way!
- 09/15/2006 at 2:44 AM
  Ester Yeh
  Participant
  126 posts
  what is a good brand of hay and pellets? I have been feeding them the kaytee brand lately. I read that the oxbow brand is pretty good but petsmart doesnt sell that. Is that something I have to order online?
- 09/15/2006 at 4:53 AM
  Anita Stark
  Participant
  194 posts
  I buy the Kaytee brand too. It seems nicer than the hay we originally bought when we got our bun. I get it at Pet Valu because they are a bit cheaper than PetSmart and I also like their store brand version of Yesterday’s News (though I can’t remember what they call it right now) it’s much less expensive than the name brand. Oh, and Sable just loves the Kaytee hay cubes. They’re his treat of choice.
- 09/15/2006 at 7:54 AM
  wendyzski
  Participant
  1312 posts
  I actually get mine from my local shelter!
  
  They get Oxbow hay, and will stuff my largish Rubbermaid tub for $10. It may be more expensive than some, but it saves me shipping and supports my local rabbit shelter.
  
  I am currently feeding Kaytee Timothy (23% fiber) but plan to mix and switch over to Oxbow Bunny Basics once my KW Cages order arrives.
  
  I do buy the hay cubes but I use them as treats – I usually drill a hole in them and make them part of a tangle-toy for my bun. She has to work at getting to the yummy!
- 09/15/2006 at 12:53 PM
  Gina Won
  Participant
  108 posts
  I LOVE Oxbow Hay. In my experience it is of superior quality to Kaytee and it’s actually cheaper if you can find a place that sells it. I’m lucky to have a tiny, locally owned pet store that carries it, but otherwise I would go to my local HRS chapter and buy it through them. You can check out http://www.oxbowhay.com and read all about the criteria and quality standards for nutritious hay for small herbivores on there. It’s fascinating!
  
  I also feed my buns the Oxbow Bunny Basics T pellets, as the guy at my local Humane Society I spoke with (who has 15 buns and a wife who is a vetrinarian!) said theirs is the best, in his opinion. So I went with that. So basically we’re Oxbow feinds at our house. Every time we open a fresh 9lb box of hay, my mom and I both get all giddy. Of course we don’t even get to eat it, but it’s just so beautiful and fresh and green that we can’t help but be excited!
- 09/16/2006 at 11:31 AM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  I prefer Oxbow brands. There are some stores here that carry it. I also get it from my distributor, so that’s nice. Oxbow really has all the right percentages of fiber, fat, calcium etc.
  
  I get my hay from the shelter I volunteer for. I get it in trade
- 09/16/2006 at 12:07 PM
  ea hurse
  Participant
  102 posts
  I don’t think there’s much choice over here in the UK. I certainly wouldnt know of any ‘branded’ hay that was better than any other. here, all i’ve found is generic ‘meadow hay’ or ‘timothy hay’. there is a make called Burgess that do a range called Excel, they do what sounds like good food and bits and bobs – i got some of their ‘supa forage’ which states it is ‘pure, dried natural grass’ and that it is ‘higher nutritional value than hay’. i give this to Blue as she doenst much go for hay, even timothy, and she does seem to prefer it to the hay. The only info it carries on the pack is 14% protein, 20% fibre and 150mg/kg of vit C.
  
  SO, is this any good, if not how do i find out about what i should be buying, and what do other UKers do?!
- 09/17/2006 at 12:41 PM
  Elena Niznik
  Participant
  132 posts
  Hey loopy Lop i use burgess excel too, my vet recommended it to me. Both my bunnies love it and I feed them both the burgess pellets and the burgess excel timothy hay aswell as meadow hay. I recently stumbled across this site that is totally amazing for hay and grasses and it is so much cheaper than the larger pet stores. So if you fancy a change from meadow fresh and timothy then i would recommend this site.
  
  http://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/
- 09/17/2006 at 8:54 PM
  Bunnies4ever
  Participant
  368 posts
  I get my hay from PetFood Express, but they are always out. I talked to the store manage and he said that he would save me some bags for when I come in. There is such a demand for Oxbox pellets and hay in my area. PetFood Express is the only store that carries it. There is also a website called Little River Pet Supply which is local for me (Sunnyvale California). They have a timothy hay that my bunnies love called Someseed Special. It’s the best hay next to Oxbow. Sometimes I’ll order from them. They have excellent prices for toys, etc. I can also buy Oxbow products from my local HRS.
- 09/17/2006 at 11:51 PM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  Posted By wendyzski on 09/15/2006 7:54 AM
  
  I do buy the hay cubes but I use them as treats – I usually drill a hole in them and make them part of a tangle-toy for my bun. She has to work at getting to the yummy!
  
  GREAT IDEA FOR A TOY TEST! I’ll have to add that to my list of ideas
- 09/19/2006 at 9:15 PM
  Gina Won
  Participant
  108 posts
  definitely great idea for a toy test, wendyzski and binkybun!
  
  when i was at this little gathering called “bunnyfest,” at the crafts table they had natural fiber string and all kinds of little things you could put on it to make a fun, personalized dangle toy. one of them was a hay cube, another was coconut husk fiber? or something like that, another was this driftwood looking thing… it was all very diverse, bunny-safe materials. i wonder where we can obtain that list of bunny-safe chew items… it was really cool! maybe contact marcy schaaf at saveabunny if she knows who ran the craft table at the last bunnyfest.
- 09/20/2006 at 3:02 AM
  ea hurse
  Participant
  102 posts
  thanks tallullu, i’ll check that out right now! at the moment i have to drive over to the Metro Centre to get a bag- it’s such a pain and turns it into a costly bag of hay, what with the extra petrol!
- 09/20/2006 at 5:20 AM
  qzobevmama
  Participant
  22 posts
  (for bunnies4ever): oxbow hay is also available at for other living things in campbell: http://www.forotherlivingthings.com
  
  i only feed oxbow pellets to my guys. i order my hay from kleenmama: http://www.kleenmama.com
  
  her hay is the absolute freshest bestest i have found! yeah, the shipping is high but the quality is superior and the hay is delivered to my front door which appeals to my lazy nature and sore back. i have no worries with spending $$ for food for any of the living beings in my house (me, the bunz, k9’s, fish, cockatiel or guinea pigs, fosters) but that’s just me…
  
  i also use oxbow hay if need be but my guys don’t eat it as well as kleenmama’s.
  
  i probably shouldn’t have told you about kleenmama cuz the more people who order the sooner she’ll run out!! he he 8-P
  
  just kiddin’…
- 09/24/2006 at 1:25 PM
  BinkyBunny
  Moderator
  8776 posts
  That’s a good idea a list of bunny-safe chews – like types of woods, strings, paper (for example phonebooks are safe, some magazine pages aren’t so good)
  
  I actually went to search the net for a page that had everything, but I have yet to find one. If I do find one, I’ll post the link in a few places on this website and announce it. If I can’t find a complete list this week, then I’ll start researching and developing one myself . Of course, before I post it, I’ll have to have it checked out by a few rabbit savvy experts and vet. But once it’s gotten the thumbs up, then I’ll post it.
  
  Regarding that driftwood thing. I’ll try and remember to ask Marcy about that. I’ll also ask Gravehearted, as she was there too.
- 10/03/2006 at 1:46 PM
  Gina Won
  Participant
  108 posts
  BinkyBunny, I was at For Other Living Things the other day (where Bunnyfest happens) and found that coconut husk fiber. It’s actually in the guinea pig / hamster / gerbil / mice section, and it’s by “S. A. M.” brand and called “Coconut-Fluff.” It’s apparently 100% natural coconut nesting material, and I’m assuming it’s safe for buns since it was used as part of the chew-toy craft table at Bunnyfest. Yum!
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