All about timothy hay

[mschoonover11]

Ok, so I know this is literally my 3rd post of the day, but there’s just been so much on my mind.

Let me just start this off by saying that every hay brand I’ve bought for my rabbit has been a failure. When I first got him, I gave him the Oxbow western Timothy hay as I heard pretty good things about it. Idk if I was just unlucky, but my bag was TERRIBLE! Literally yellow, stocky, and shredded. The top layer of the hay was yellow and very stocky(barely any soft pieces which is what Toby likes). Most of the bottom layer was just shredded! It was pretty much legit crumbs of hay. Because of this, I decided to try the expensive SPS. I ordered a  12 or 14 oz bag (pretty sure it was 12oz) to try it out and it was great! It smelled DELICIOUS and was very soft and green. He devoured the bag in like 3 days so I decided to order a 5lb box. Let me tell you, I was very dissapointed on what I had received. The box was not taped all the way and you could literally see orange from the cracks of the box. The top layer of the hay was orange… Since the box wasn’t shut well, the hay must’ve dried out. This is not what I’d expect for hay that’s $27.99 plus shipping. I contacted them and they sent in another package. The top was ok, but the bottom was very stocky (worse than the oxbow) and it had mostly brown dead pieces. I know that hay is never perfect, but for almost $30, I don’t think so. People have spoken pretty well about these 2 brands but I think I’ve just been unlucky with my orders. 

Lastly, have you guys heard about Stanlee hay? I saw it at my local Tractor Supply and it looked very green and was affordable. I/’m not talking about the JoJo’s hay the sell but just the plain Stanlee. It’s meant for horses, but timothy hay is timothy hay. If you guys have tried this brand, please let me know if it’s good or not. 

[Deleted User]

If he likes really soft, green hay you could try orchard grass. Both of my boys go crazy for it. It’s always green and fresh looking, and it’s sweet and soft too. I remember you saying Toby has a sweet tooth? So you could always give that a try if Timothy hasn’t been working. My boys usually just like a variety. I switch between straight orchard for a while, then straight timothy, then a mixture of both. It keeps them interested.

[Dasher]

I get the Stanlee hay from Tractor Supply. Its rough with lot of stems but it has nice long pieces, smells so good and my bunny loves it. Not sure if it is what your bunny would like but you could try it since its pretty cheap.

[tobyluv]

Since Toby likes softer hay, you could try American Pet Diner Timothy Gold. That’s a second cutting of Timothy. That’s one of the hays I get for my bunnies and they like it. I normally buy it online, at drsfostersmith.com, but it is also sold at Petco. Petco has 24 oz. bags of it. Drs. Foster & Smith has that size bag and a 5 lb. bag.

[Rio and Buns]

I posted pretty much this same comment on another topic so sorry for repeating myself. 

The kind of hay like that that comes in small bags at pet stores – like Oxbow and Kaytee – are usually lacking in quality. Whenever I need to get a bag while I’m waiting for my hay to be delivered, my buns always turn their noses up at it. It’s always brown or yellow and very dry. I can imagine it tastes like cardboard. Buying in bulk from places like SPS or Rabbit Hole Hay is cheaper in the long run, as a 20 pound box is only around 40-50 dollars and lasts for MONTHS. If you don’t want to try SPS again, I really recommend RHH. I currently have a box of their orchard grass and it’s SO green and soft, and a 20 pound box is only $44 with free shipping! I know I sound like an advertisement, but it really is a great deal for great quality.

Another good option is buying a bale of hay from a feed store (where they sell horse and livestock supplies). This way you can see the quality right then and there, don’t have to wait for shipping, and one bale lasts a LONG time. It’s also cheaper. 

All this being said… I just ordered a box of timothy hay from SPS and now I’m worried it’s going to be orange. 

[mschoonover11]

Posted By Asriel and Bombur on 2/21/2018 7:36 PM

If he likes really soft, green hay you could try orchard grass. Both of my boys go crazy for it. It’s always green and fresh looking, and it’s sweet and soft too. I remember you saying Toby has a sweet tooth? So you could always give that a try if Timothy hasn’t been working. My boys usually just like a variety. I switch between straight orchard for a while, then straight timothy, then a mixture of both. It keeps them interested.

I’ve heard a lot of people telling me about orchard grass and how picky bunnies love it, so I decided try it myself. I ordered a 12oz bag from SPS and he hated it! SPS just didn’t do good with my orders because the orchard came in a ziplock bag and it was open They didn’t close it, so the hay turned brown because it was raining outside. But like you said, rabbits do appreciate some variety, so I may try orchards grass from another brand to see how he does with it.

[mschoonover11]

Posted By Dasher on 2/21/2018 8:41 PM

I get the Stanlee hay from Tractor Supply. Its rough with lot of stems but it has nice long pieces, smells so good and my bunny loves it. Not sure if it is what your bunny would like but you could try it since its pretty cheap.

Thanks for letting me know about the Stanlee  Now that you said it’s rough, I for sure know that my boy will hate it. I would try it, but I’ve also heard it’s pretty rough from other people who buy it so I don’t want to take a risk.

[mschoonover11]

Posted By tobyluv on 2/21/2018 9:07 PM

Since Toby likes softer hay, you could try American Pet Diner Timothy Gold. That’s a second cutting of Timothy. That’s one of the hays I get for my bunnies and they like it. I normally buy it online, at drsfostersmith.com, but it is also sold at Petco. Petco has 24 oz. bags of it. Drs. Foster & Smith has that size bag and a 5 lb. bag.

I have heard a lot about that hay so I may pick up a bag since I’m swinging by Petco today. Since you said it’s soft, I have a felling he might like. It comes in a 24oz bag, so if he doesn’t like it, at least I won’t be wasting a whole lot of hay.

[mschoonover11]

Posted By Rio and Buns on 2/21/2018 9:25 PM

I posted pretty much this same comment on another topic so sorry for repeating myself. 

The kind of hay like that that comes in small bags at pet stores – like Oxbow and Kaytee – are usually lacking in quality. Whenever I need to get a bag while I’m waiting for my hay to be delivered, my buns always turn their noses up at it. It’s always brown or yellow and very dry. I can imagine it tastes like cardboard. Buying in bulk from places like SPS or Rabbit Hole Hay is cheaper in the long run, as a 20 pound box is only around 40-50 dollars and lasts for MONTHS. If you don’t want to try SPS again, I really recommend RHH. I currently have a box of their orchard grass and it’s SO green and soft, and a 20 pound box is only $44 with free shipping! I know I sound like an advertisement, but it really is a great deal for great quality.

Another good option is buying a bale of hay from a feed store (where they sell horse and livestock supplies). This way you can see the quality right then and there, don’t have to wait for shipping, and one bale lasts a LONG time. It’s also cheaper. 

All this being said… I just ordered a box of timothy hay from SPS and now I’m worried it’s going to be orange. 

Thanks for all the info!I totally agree with you the pet store hay is not good quality. 

And I was thinking a lot last night about SPS and realized that maybe their hay is better during the summer months. I ordered mine in January which is a winter season and since they didn’t seal it well, it probably dried out. And also, maybe buying the bigger boxes is more affordable. I may give it another try when summer arrives. The RHH sounds great too, but so many people have Benn recommending all of these different hay brands that I don’t know which to choose! 

Is there a way that maybe you guys can tell me one brand that you all recommend? Because there are just so many brands that I don’t even know which to buy. 

And also Rio and Buns, don’t be scared of your SPS order I know that my order was completely terrible but maybe yours won’t be. I think they just forgot to close mine and all the hay got wet and dried out. Hopefully yours will be a good package.

[mschoonover11]

well guys, turns out I went to Petco and they didn’t have the APD. The only other place that I can go to is Tractor Supply and the only hay I know of there is stanlee. Any more recommendations on hay? He’s not eating the one he has and it’s worrying me

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