Moldy Hay

[Jessie1990]

 I have been buying the small bags of Oxbow alfalfa hay from a petstore an hour away where I have been working. Well, I opened the newest bag to put into Ashe’s freshly cleaned litter box and it smelled strange. On further inspection it was moldy… I immediatly threw it out because I am allergic to mold and obviously I didn’t want Ashe to eat any of it. That was my only bag of hay, so I went out to try to find some around town. Walmart and the only farmstore in town only carry timothy hay. I looked in the horse section at the farm store and all the horse alfalfa was coated in molases, which I don’t think sounds good for the bunny.

I grabbed at bag of Kaytee timothy, becuase that is th eonly brand of hay either store carried. I called my store I normally purchase hay from, and they informed me that they didn’t even have my hay because they had abruptly sold out. I am going to look through classifieds to see if any farmers in the area sell alfalfa, but I really don’t have  room to store a huge bale (in an apartment). 

So, will Ashe have stomach problems from switching hay so abruptly? She has already nibbled some of the timothy. Normally she is a very spunky bunny and her stomach has been able to handle all veggies introduced. She has never had bad poops. I think she is getting to the age where I should be switching her to a timothy/alfalfa mix but I hadn’t planned on just switching. I will be keeping an eye on her the next couple days until I figure out where I can get some alfalfa.

Also, I have been very disappointed with Oxbow hay lately anyway. Half the bag is dust, and now the moldy bag, so I will probably try to find an alternative. My dad is going to give me some alfalfa when he bales his horses hay, but that won’t be for awhile.

[RabbitPam]

I know Kaytee timothy hay is a pefectly good brand. I appreciate your concern, but it is fine to switch to a regular hay that’s better for an older bunny. You were going to do it right, ie gradually, but it’s more of an issue if Ashe rejects it and stops eating hay than if it’s just a switch to a new kind. Even any irregular or mushy poops should be OK in a couple of days. I think it’s safe to go ahead with this timothy.

[Beka27]

I agree with Pam. Since you have the timothy now, you might as well keep him on that. There is no harm in him not having alfalfa hay, and that may make things easier since he will continue to eat it into adulthood.

The most recent box of Oxbow hay I’ve ordered (received it in March) has been AMAZING. The box before this was fine, but this one looks so green and lush and yummy (if I were a bunny… Lol!) I’m sorry you had a bad experience. Did you actually throw it out or return it to the store? You can also contact Oxbow directly with concerns/issues. They provide awesome customer service and have no problem replacing product that is inferior. You’re might get a bad bunch on occasion when it comes to something like hay that is “alive”. Everything is quality inspected, but sometimes it gets through, and that’s why you were right to be diligent and check it over prior to feeding it. That bag may also have been improperly stored, in which that wouldn’t be Oxbow’s fault.

If you are buying small bags, consider ordering the big boxes. You get larger “pancakes” of hay, so the dust and hay “flakes” are minimal. The hay has to be chopped into smaller pieces to fit in bags, and that’s what changes the consistency.

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