Bunny hay

[Dragonfly]

Hello, 

I was wondering how much hay you all buy for your bunnies for the winter.

I have 2 female bunnies, they are both about 5 months and weight 2.5 pounds. I was wondering if anyone knew how much hay I would need to buy them for the winter.

[LBJ10]

I guess I don’t really buy too much hay at once because I feel like it goes stale. I get the bagged Oxbow kind. Are you buying bagged hay? A bale?

[Dragonfly]

I’m not really sure what to buy lol. I’m new at having bunnies and this will be my first winter with them.

[Bam]

If you aim to buy mini bales from a farm to last you through the winter, this is a good time. Most of us house bun owners buy hay from pet stores, where hay is available all year round -although all hay is harvested from May to September in the Northern hemisphere.

One of our members (who is located in the UK) just bought 40 kilos of hay for one rabbit and 2 guinea pigs, and she calculates that it will last about a year. She got a very good price even with home delivery, a lot better than you get if you buy bagged hay from pet stores. I doubt her little ones will actually eat 40 kilos of hay, so its a generous amount that allows her to use ample amounts of hay in the litterboxes without worrying about running out.

If your rabbits are housed outdoors you’ll need more hay than if you have house buns. This is partly because its important for outdoors buns to be able to burrow in the hay, but mainly because outdoors buns need to eat more hay to keep warm during the cold part of the year.

 

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

I get bagged oxbow which is available always, so I just get more like 2 days before I run out. Also if you have your rabbits outside bring them inside rabbits should not be outside.

[BinkyBunny]

When stored properly, hay can last a long time (a year)  and not become “stale”.     Even the bales you get from other retailers is hay that was already harvested in the summer and then sold all year until the next harvest. The benefits of buying in smaller portions though is it separates the hay and most hay bags have little holes in them to allow the hay to breath and not hold in moisture — which is what can contribute to stale and mildew smell.    Also, when it is put in smaller bags to sale, a lot of the debris (rocks, sticks bugs etc)   have been sifted out.  However, if you are able to get a larger bale and can make sure to put it in a container that has air holes, and you stir it a bit over time, then it will be just fine.   If you use cardboard or a breathable bag then you may not have to put air-holes in it.

When searching for large bales of hay, make sure you look for at least Horse quality hay.  Do not get cattle quality.   Only Cattle have the digestion to handle what is considered “Cattle Hay”.  🙂

[Dragonfly]

What is the best type of hay to buy online from the stores?

[BZOO]

A variety, try ’em all.  Your bun may find a fave or will love something different every few days.  I usually have three different types open at one time.

[Dragonfly]

Thank you so much, does brands matter? I wouldn’t want to buy a brand that isn’t good for my bunnies

[BZOO]

So far, I haven’t found a bad brand of hay…I use Oxbow, Kaytee, Standlee and the stuff sold here.

Just be sure it’s clean and dry and smells good.

I love the smell of hay and am still waiting for an alfalfa air freshener!😁

 

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

The brand does matter I have found. Oxbow is good, small pet select is great, and I heard the hay on binkybunny is good too, Standlee is also great. I would steer away from kaytee and all living things market medley.

[BZOO]

Is there a reason you steer clear of Kaytee?

While in general, a lot of Kaytee products are junk, I’ve found their hay is ok and seems to be readily available. The only issue I’ve ever had with it is some of the hay that was supposed to have goodies in it (carrots, marigolds and something) did not.  I let them know and got coupons.

But I don’t buy it often.  The Standlee is such a better value and so flipping fresh!  It’s “local”, from here in Idaho so I don’t know how wide spread it is distributed.  I spend extra to buy their compressed alfalfa for the goats, easy to transport, so fresh (In all these years, only one bad bale….smell before you leave the store).

[Dragonfly]

Thank you,

I will try the binkybunny website.

How much hay do you buy your rabbit for the winter? Or how much hay should I buy at a time so I don’t run out?

I want to buy enough to last my 2 bunnies a while but not have the hay become bad. My bunnies are 5-6 months old now and they both eat seperatly since they are waiting to be spayed.

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

Bunnies eat different amounts of hay daily. One of my bunnies eats like a small handful and the other eats two giant handfuls daily. About how much would you guess they eat daily?

[DanaNM]

What region of the world are you in? Are you concerned about shipping times or delays? I guess I’m just curious about why you want to stock up.

How much you buy really depends on how often you want to re-order and what kinda of space you have for storage. If you want to buy a lot at once, it makes the most sense to find a feed shop and buy a bale. I’ve always found buying bales gets you fresher hay anyway (and it’s SO much cheaper than buying bagged pet store hay).

I have 4 bunnies and go through a bale every couple weeks. So I imagine a bale would last 2 bunnies a month? I am pretty liberal with hay usage (I add a big fluffy later to their litter boxes).

Before I was buying bales (I lived in an apartment) I would get the biggest box from Oxbow, and that would last my solo bun probably a month or two?

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[BZOO]

Buy a few different types, see what they like and how often they go through it…that will give you a general idea of how long it will last and how much to order if you’d like to stock up.

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