Hay brands

[BenBentheBun]

Hi all,

I am on the hunt for new hay. I was using standlee timothy and loved it but amazon stopped carrying the 48 oz bags and i would prefer to not get the 10 lb box. I tried sps again but there was alot of brown thin peices and Bentley won’t touch them. I also tried the meadow hay from oxbow and he seems to like that too so I may stick with that for now until I can find another brand to try. He used to really like leaves but for the past couple months has really started to like stems, has anyone ordered any sps first cutting lately? Was it green and thinner stems? Any other brands you can recommend? TIA!

[Bu20055]

I just get horse hay from a farm and my girl likes it a lot. You mentioned that you don’t want to get a 10 pound box? Is it space constraints or shipping costs? If it’s space I think you can get farm hay by the flake as well but not too sure. Buying farm hay is good because you can tell the quality before you buy it and because you safe quite a bit of money (my bales were $6 for 20 ish pounds).

[Starlightbunny]

My picky little lionhead loves American Pet Diner timothy gold and the feedtastic one. I went through many different brands too. APD is her favorite.

[BenBentheBun]

@Bu20055

I guess there is a bit of space contraint. Tt is mosty due to him bing picky. He has never liked a brand for more than a few months and 10 lbs would basically last us forever.

 

@starlightbunny

I have not tried APD yet. I’ll have to try some the next time i got shopping

[Wick & Fable]

I have been using SPS for a while now. I’m sorry you had a bad experience with them.

In case you weren’t familiar, timothy hay specifically can be bought in different “cuts”, and some rabbits have preferences on their cuts. I get 1st cut, which is the “least” popular as it’s mainly hard stems and stalks with seed heads. My rabbits love it though, and for one of mine who particularly needs good dental maintenance, it is very much preferred. 2nd and 3rd cut timothy hay becomes progressively more leafy, and I know at least one of my rabbits would not like that very much and I’d see a reduction in hay eating as a result.

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.

[BenBentheBun]

@wick

He actually used to only eat leaves but now he decided he prefers stems lol. I’ll try the sps first cut, hopefully it will be nice and green!

[Bernard2020]

I second the hay from a farm. My Bernard was so picky about her hay, she won’t eat most hay that’s been packaged. But she loves orchard grass I get from a feed store. Also, like Bu20055 said, it’s a lot cheaper. I can get 45 pounds for $6.

[Starlightbunny]

Starlight also loves BB oat hay mini bales. It’s good for keeping her regular as she is prone to GI stasis and also good for keeping her teeth worn.

[shasbun]

I buy Oxbow Western Timothy hay in the 9 pounds size for my bun. It’s packed very tight and doesn’t take up a lot of space. My bunny also goes through it in a month, so it doesn’t last us very long.

[Lindsey]

If you’re still looking for some suggestions: I’ve been purchasing “Rabbit Hole Hay” brand timothy for a while now – and it’s a hit with my two boys! Like with most hay & SPS, there are different cuts. My bunnies seem to prefer the first cut timothy, and it is the best looking hay as well, i.e. green, fragrant, good mixture of stems, leaves, & seedheads. I’ve yet to be disappointed with a first cut box, and I’ve purchased it maybe 6-7 times now.

I would say that this brand is about the same cost as SPS or other online hay shops. [… edited to remove store links by DanaNM] I think the largest quantity this brand sells is a 20 lb. box, which is also the best deal price-wise. 😀

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