How much hay to buy

[becca]

I’m wondering how much hay I should buy for my 2 1/2 month rabbit. I bought a 2lbs from small pet select and she went through it in about 2 weeks or less. I don’t want to keep spending money on small amounts of hay, when I could buy large quantities for cheaper. Does hay go bad? If I bought the 50lb box, would it last a long time without getting mold? I’m a new bunny owner and I only have 1 bunny.

[kurottabun]

Hay does go bad, but it takes quite a long time for it to go bad. As long as it’s kept in a cool, dark place with ventilation.

Are you currently feeding alfalfa hay or timothy hay? I suggest getting timothy hay paired with alfalfa pellets since your bunny is still growing. If you get a big box of alfalfa hay, it may go wasted if bunny can’t finish it in time for her transition to timothy.

Personally I prefer getting it in smaller batches to ensure freshness as I do realise that it smells slightly more stale after I’ve had the bag opened for a few weeks even when stored properly. Then again, we can’t plant timothy grass where I am so all the hay sold are imported and I’m not sure when they were actually harvested. But if hay is local where you are, then it should be fresher to start off with when you buy them and it shouldn’t be an issue getting bigger batches.

[Sirius&Luna]

I buy 9kg bags, but I have 3 rabbits so it only lasts about 6 weeks. I have bought two at a time before though, which means some of it has been stored by me for up to 3 months, and they’ve not been any less enthusiastic about it at the end.

As Kurotta said, as long as it’s kept dry and ventilated, it should be absolutely fine

You also tend to get better quality (less dusty) hay in larger bags

[sarahthegemini]

I buy hay in bulk for my two rabbits. If you can get through it within 9 to 12 months and it’s stored well, it should be fine. If not, do you know anyone else with a rabbit? Maybe you could buy hay in bulk and share?

[Bam]

I agree with Sarah. The limiting step is storage. If you have room indoors you can buy good quality horse hay that lasts for a year, but that is quite a lot of hay. I just bought a bale (20 kg) hay and when I divided it up into sacks, it was 5 plastic sacks. The hay is for 4 rabbits, my Bam could never eat all of it in a year

Sometimes you can buy a “flake” of hay. That’s a more manageable amount.

[Bladesmith]

I buy 40 lb. compressed timothy bales from my local feed store (Tractor Supply), around every 6 months or so. I keep it in a giant Tupperware tub with a locking lid, peeling off what I need as needed.

Runs around $16 every 6 months, so it’s a good deal.

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