Hay

[Sir Ollie]

So my bun loves Oxbow oat and meadow hays, but I don’t really want to feed these exclusively. The meadow I didn’t have a problem with until I noticed him have a sneezing fit while digging around in it. I feel like maybe it was dusty or I did notice it was pretty scented, but either way it makes me nervous to give him too much of that now. Instead I’ve started just sprinkling a little on top of his other hay so he gets some but not as much to dig around in, and it seems to have helped with the sneezing. He also loves his oat hay and while he eats the stalks and not just the seeds, I’ve read oat can be fattening if fed exclusively because of all the seed heads in it. Also both oat and meadow are only sold in 15 oz bags which is more costly and tedious to buy than the Timothy that I can get in bulk. The problem though is that he will barely touch his Timothy. I’ve tried reducing/eliminating his other hays but he still only picks at it. We’ve also tried giving him orchard grass since it comes in bigger bags and I’ve heard a lot of buns like it, but he would barely touch it. So I’m looking for some advice/suggestions. If he doesn’t like oxbow Timothy, is there a chance he still might like a different brand like kaytee/botanical/stuff from a feed store? Do you think it’s okay to feed exclusively oat/meadow and no Timothy? (The vet didn’t say anything when we said he ate oat, but we didn’t say it was exclusive). Do you know of anywhere I can get oat or meadow hay in bulk? I live in Canada so unfortunately I can’t try small pet select ? and with it being winter the pet stores or online are pretty much my only options. I’m happy that my bun is such a good hay eater, I just wish he didn’t have such expensive taste.

[graysonbun]

hi!!

I’m sorry you’re having a tough time, I know it can be frustrating. My bunnies are similar they seem to be quite picky when it comes to brand of hay. I’m almost sure that in places like Australia, they do not have good access to timothy hay, so they usually feed oat hay as the main type of hay. Some of our members may be able to comment on that as well as I don’t know all the specifics. I personally think it’s worth it to try another brand of timothy, maybe just purchase and smaller bag and see what happens. My boys tend to like the small pet select the most (I’m so sorry that you don’t have access to that in canada ugh) but like I’m saying I think brand does sometimes make a small difference. Also, maybe it would be beneficial to try and find a different cut of timothy – my boys really prefer the softer cuts. I’m not sure what pet stores you have in your area, but I think it would be worth it to see what other brands are available. My boys love the oxbow meadow hay as well and I give it to them along with their timothy quite often, I’ve never experienced any problems because of it, but of course every bunny is different. I hope this helps you in some way! I’m sure others will chime in as well!! 

[DarthVadar]

Its great that there are so many hay choices available for rabbits, but the rise in choices has made feeding hay harder in some cases. Your problem seems to be pretty common: rabbit gets used to a certain type of hay and refuses to eat anything else, and the hay he likes is usually not cheap. The thing is, the difference in nutrition between the expensive hay you buy in little bags and horse feed hay that is less than $10 for a bale (which will last months) is nonexistent. When I first got rabbits, I bought the little bags of timothy and alfalfa (they were baby rabbits) until a friend recommended buying it by the bale from a feed store. It has saved me a ton of money and time, and the bunnies eat it like crazy because they have been raised on it. The stuff in the bags is fine, don’t get me wrong, but don’t buy in to the idea that rabbits need special hay.
Horse feed hay is usually meadow hay (at least where I get it), so that might fix your problem.

[Sir Ollie]

I will definitely look into getting some at a feed store then. I just thought it would be Timothy and that he wouldn’t like it. Now my challenge would be finding a feed store to buy it from

[DarthVadar]

If you have friends that have livestock (horses, goats, cows) you could ask them where they get their feed and hay. Feed stores may be hard to find if you live in a city or suburban area.

[Sir Ollie]

I’m actually the opposite. I feel like their hard to find because everyone grows their own hay around here. My dad actually used to farm and said he could grow us some Timothy in the summer. I’m not sure he knows much about growing meadow or oat but I’ll have to see if maybe we can grow that instead. I found a store today that said they sold some in the summer but it was Timothy and they don’t have any now.

[Muj Mom N Bun]

Hi Sir Ollie, sorry to hear of your hay woes… my Bun is also a very picky hay eater but I have USA logistics on my side a bit for this one, I guess…. I have no car so I do get the need for local and or online only… just a quick question? Have you looked at the many options of brands on Amazon? Many online companies like Small Pet Select and Rabbit Hole Hay also sell through Amazon as well, although, I’m not sure if it is the same for Amazon based in Canada. I will check, though…. brb… just checked, and yes! They have it. BunBun is super picky and sadly she ended up only really liking Rabbit Hole Hay… (yikes! Painfully expensive stuff, yes, I know??‍♀️)but I tried small Pet Select twice and Oxbow twice…. Kaytee she wouldn’t even look at… it wasn’t even worth a foot flick! But I found a little luck with Oxbow hay stacks… so I keep those around as emergency back ups.

[Sir Ollie]

I have looked on amazon, but the few options they have are $100+ and I’m not interested in paying that much in case he doesn’t even like it. I do have harvest stacks with chamomile. He seemed really interested at first but still ended up leaving a lot of it uneaten. I think I’ll just have to accep that hes always going to be picky when it comes to the timothy hay. Hopefully in the summer my dad can grow some for him and that way it will at least be cheaper if he’s only going to eat parts of it. He actually thinks he could try to grow him some oat hay too which would be awesome. I guess I will just stick it out with pet store hay until then. I recently switched him to wood pellet litter which will save a lot so I don’t mind spending a bit more on hay for the time being. Thanks for all the suggestions

[Sir Ollie]

I was also looking online last night and realized that oxbow does sell 40oz bags of meadow hay which is better. I haven’t seen it at any stores around here but I might see if they can order it for me.

[DarthVadar]

Glad you found a solution!

[graysonbun]

Posted By Sir Ollie on 1/27/2019 6:43 AM

I was also looking online last night and realized that oxbow does sell 40oz bags of meadow hay which is better. I haven’t seen it at any stores around here but I might see if they can order it for me.

ahh yes I should’ve mentioned that but it totally slipped my mind!! I would maybe try some local pet stores in your area, none of the major chain stores had the 40 oz meadow hay bag but I did find it at a smaller local store! Good luck in finding it!! Or I’m almost sure that a store you have near you would order it! Especially if you’re going to be a repeat customer  glad you’ve sorted this out!!

[Author]

Messages